USA confirms extended squad for Barbarians match

USA rugby has confirmed a 51-strong Women’s Eagles training squad ahead of their historic match against the Barbarians on April 26. It will be both the first time a Barbarians side has played an Eagles side, and the first time the Women’s Barbarians have played a full international.

There are 10 members of the 2017 World Cup squad named. Front row quartet Catie Benson, Nick James, Hope Rogers, and Katy Augustyn are joined by locks Stacey Bridges and Alycia Washington, loose forwards Christiane Pheil and Kate Zackary, midfielder Kimber Rozier, and outside back Tess Feury.

Also named are 23 uncapped players who will take part in the week-long training camp at Infinity Park in the build-up to the match. Final selection for the game will be confirmed at the end of the camp. Not considered were current Eagles Sevens squad members such as Alev Kelter and Naya Tapper.

FORWARDS
Catie Benson (Life West), *Kayla Hunkin-Clark (Seattle Saracens), *Charli Jacoby (North Shore), Nick James (HARC), *Maya Learned (Glendale Merlins), Azniv Nalbandian (Penn State), Hope Rogers (Eagles Sevens), Megan Rom (Life), *Destiny Arena (Lindenwood), Katy Augustyn (Berkeley All Blues), Joanna Kitlinski (Glendale Merlins), Joyce Taufa (Lindenwood), *Bailey Araujo (Twin City Amazons), Stacey Bridges (Beantown), *Jenny Kronish (Harvard), Nicole Strasko (Life West), Alycia Washington (New York RC), Elizabeth Cairns (Life West), *Chidinma Chukwueke (Atlanta Harlequins), *Rachel Ehrecke (Glendale Merlins), Rachel Johnson (Oregon), Christiane Pheil (Atlanta Harlequins), Asinate Serevi (Scion), Finau Tamaivena (Seattle Saracens), Kate Zackary (San Diego Surfers)

BACKS
*Ashlee Byrge (Eagles Sevens), *Shelby Lin (Berkeley All Blues), *Elizabeth Trujillo (San Diego Surfers), *Olivia Ortiz (Davenport), *Olivia Bernadel-Huey (U of Adelaide, AU), Gabby Cantorna (Glendale Merlins), *Corinne Heavner (Atlanta Harlequins), *Katana Howard (Twin City Amazons), Bui Baravilala (Berkeley All Blues), *Eti Haungatau (Eagles Sevens), *Cortney Kuehl (Atlanta Harlequins), Amy Naber (Life West), *Neariah Persinger (Tulsa), Kimber Rozier (Beantown), *Paige Stathopoulos (Northeast Academy), *Julie Tordonato (Glendale Merlins), Kaitlyn Broughton (Atlanta Harlequins), Jennine Duncan (Seattle Saracens), Tess Feury (Morris Rugby), Megan Foster (San Diego Surfers), Evan Hoese (Berkeley All Blues), *Bulou Mataitoga (Berkeley All Blues), *Shamira Robles (New York RC), Kelsi Stockert (San Diego Surfers), *Christina Swift (Atlanta Harlequins)

* – uncapped