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A pair of North American international front rowers are headed south to the Super Rugby Women’s competition. Canadian hooker Sarah Cline and Eagles prop Charli Jacoby have been signed by the Western Force and Queensland Reds respectively. The Australia-based tournament kicks off on March 15.
It’s the first professional deal for Cline though she previously trialed with Exeter Chiefs. The 26-year-old from Edmonton made her test debut against Australia during the Pacific Four series last July.
Jacoby, 34, hails from Chicago and has been a regular in the Eagles squad since 2019. She has previous overseas experience with both Loughborough and Exeter in the English Premiership.
The duo are not the first North American women to appear in Super Rugby. Canadian international Cindy Nelles was a leading player with Matutu in New Zealand last season. Former Eagles cap Asinate Serevi, who has since switched allegiance to Fiji, is an active member of the women’s Drua.
It should be noted that unlike the men’s competition, the women’s version of Super Rugby is split into two separate competitions. Super Rugby W is hosted by Australia and includes the Fijian Drua, while New Zealand hosts Super Rugby Aupiki. Despite ongoing talks NZ Rugby officials say it’s unlikely the two competitions will merge until 2016 at the earliest.
