For full rosters and schedule of Nations Cup 2009, go here.
6/10: USA vs England Match Report
6/10: France vs South Africa Match Report
6/13: Canada vs South Africa Match Report
6/13: England vs France Match Report
6/16: Canada vs France Match Report
6/16: USA vs South Africa Match Report
from USA Rugby:
OAKVILLE, Ontario – The USA Women’s National Team notched a convincing six try victory over South Africa in Nations Cup competition on Sunday afternoon at Appleby College.
Fullback Christy Ringgenberg led the scoring charge for the Eagles with 14 points, while Phaidra Knight and Vix Folayan dotted down a pair of tries each, and Beckett Royce added one more to the tally.
The USA took control of the game right away, as Knight powered through the stiff South Africa defense to dot down the Eagles’ first try inside three minutes. Ringgenberg successfully kicked the extras to put the U.S. ahead 7-0.
Due to a strong defensive effort and powerful hits, the USA maintained possession through the bulk of the first half, only allowing South Africa one major scoring threat in the later minutes.
“Something the U.S. team excels at is playing hard, physical defense and given the speed of the South Africa team, especially on the outside, we knew we’d have to shut down their backline early on. Our centers did a great job and came up with some huge tackles,” Ringgenberg said.
With under 15 minutes gone, Knight caught the offload from Ashley Kmiecik and dove in for second USA try on the day; however, this time around Ringgenberg’s foot did not quite go the distance, holding the tally at 12-0.
Looking to redeem herself, Ringgenberg nearly scored for the USA at 26 minutes, evasively maneuvering past the South African defense before being brought down and knocking the ball forward at the line. The USA recovered with a quick break that saw Vix Folayan dive in beneath the posts at 28 minutes, but Ringgenberg’s kick bounced off the post.
Frustrated but not defeated, South Africa picked up the tempo in the final 10 minutes of the first half and looked to score when they broke deep into U.S. territory, however the South African fullback knocked the ball on just short of the tryline.
As the half wound down, repeat penalty infractions sent South Africa scrumhalf Saloma Booysen to the sin bin and with all around fluid play, the USA was able to keep their opponents out of the tryzone and hold the line at 17-0 at halftime.
When the second half picked up the USA continued to apply its strong defensive pressure and capitalized on several penalties against South Africa to steadily grow its lead.
Within the first 10 minutes, the USA crossed in for two additional tries. Off a quick tap at 45 minutes in, the USA drove a rolling maul over the line, and flanker Beckett Royce eventually touched down. Ringgenberg effortlessly kicked from the outside to bring the score up to 24-0. Less than three minutes later, Vix Foloyan notched her second try of the game to extend the margin five points further.
As tensions continued to mount in a physical second half, South Africa again saw yellow, with #17 Portia Jonga (60 min) and #22 Cherne Roberts (66 min) each taking a trip to the bin.
“With players missing from the South Africa scrum, our forwards were able to take advantage. All throughout the game our pack stuck to the gameplan of keeping the ball tight and forcing turnovers,” USA Women’s Head Coach Kathy Flores said. “We also benefited from the strength of our bench in the second half. They helped put down the speed of the South African team and really pushed the game to the next level.”
With the upper hand in a 15 on 13 situation, the USA took advantage. Fullback Christy Ringgenberg’s boot accurately footed a chip penalty kick to go up 32-0 with less than 15 minutes left to play.
Inside minute 72, Ringgenberg capped off the Eagles’ scoring run with a try of her own and converted to set the scoreline firmly at 39-0, where it remained at the final whistle.
With the win, the USA secures 5 total points in the Nations Cup standings – 4 points for the victory and a bonus point for exceeding 4 tries.
The team now moves on to face cross-border rivals Canada when play resumes at Appleby College on Wednesday, Aug. 19.
“This win was huge for us, not only in terms of gaining a bonus point in the table standings, but in terms of mental toughness. It is a great confidence booster for the team and we hope to carry that momentum into our game against Canada,” Flores said.
“We have played Canada a great deal and we know each other’s playing styles very well. We’ve stayed competitive with them in our past matches and hopefully this time we will come out with the upper hand. “
USA 39, South Africa 0 (Halftime USA 17, South Africa 0)
USA
Tries: Knight (2), Folayan (2), Royce, Ringgenberg
Conversions: Ringgenberg (3)
PKs: Ringgenberg
1. FARRAH DOUGLAS (repl. by LARA VIVOLO at 60 min), 2. KITTERY WAGNER, 3. JAMIE BURKE (repl. by MARI WALLACE at 60 min.), 4. STACEY BRIDGES(repl. by JENNY MENKE), 5. SHARON BLANEY, 6. PHAIDRA KNIGHT, 7. BECKETT ROYCE (repl. by KRISTIN ZDANCZEWICZ at 50 min), 8. BLAIR GROEFSEMA, 9. KIM MAGRINI, 10. MEL KANUK,11. VICTORIA FOLAYAN, 12. EMILIE BYDWELL,13. LYNELLE KUGLER,14. ASHLEY KMIECIK (repl. by ASHLEY ENGLISH at 45 min), 15. CHRISTY RINGGENBERG