The United States insist they are out to cause an upset in Friday’s Women’s Rugby World Cup opener against England in Sunderland.
The Red Roses have lost just once to the U.S. — their first encounter in the 1991 World Cup final — and are heavy pre-tournament favouirtes.
However, they face an Eagles side who are keen to disrupt the party and make a statement as they set their sights on reaching the semifinals.
“I don’t see it as a challenge. I see it as a huge opportunity for us to truly showcase what we’ve been working on and make a name for ourselves,” captain Kate Zackary told ESPN.
“So I go into that game thinking we have an opportunity to win, obviously if we don’t win our goal though is to win lots of small victories. England’s got a monster mall, can we shut that down? They’ve got amazing back three players. Can we shut that down?”
After an underwhelming campaign in 2022 and falling to No. 10 in the world, the U.S. are desperate for success and to shake their “sleeping giants” tag.
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Ortiz: No better place to be hosting a World Cup than England
USA scrum-half Olivia Ortiz shares her excitement about facing England in the opening match at the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
“We’re built to do something great, and I just want everyone to feel rewarded when we walk out of here that they actually gave it their all,” Zackary said.
“We walk away with ideally a piece of hardware, but if nothing else, our heads held high, we go back to America and everyone just sees that we’re truly a powerhouse. Not the sleeping giant people have talked about for years.”
Ilona Maher, the game’s biggest star, will start at outside centre against England, said that they are aware anything but a full 80-minute performance won’t be good enough.
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“We’ve been starting very strong in some of these matches and the first half,” Maher told ESPN. “It’s how can we keep that momentum going? I think [against] England it’s going to take being on form the whole entire time. You can’t slip up with them.”
Scrum-half Olivia Ortiz said they want to bring an explosive, attacking style of rugby to the tournament with players like fly-half McKenzie Hawkins, Maher and winger Bulou Mataitoga looking to light up the competition.
“We’re really wanting to play fast tempo game and a really physical one at that, and then if spaces open up, we want to be kicking and taking advantage and putting the pressure back on our opposition,” Ortiz told ESPN.
“Whether that’s through our run, pass or kick. We’re looking to really show the world what we’re about.”
