News breaks that 38 Eagles are receiving full contracts for the run-up period to the World Cup in August- September.
This is very welcome, as rugby matches between professionals and amateurs are not a good look. The difficulties facing unions who want to help their players to the maximum are made clear in this statement.
The USAR is not yet in a position to offer longer-term contracts; but not having to worry about where the next dime is coming from makes a huge difference in a player’s approach to training.
The Eagles’ 7s team has profited from its Olympic bronze medal by acquiring $1 million from Michele Kang for each of the next four years. Kang, by the way, is the only example I’ve spotted of a female billionaire donating generously to women’s sport. The 15s squad can only hope, knowing they need to aim for similar success. That won’t happen in a hurry, but there are great hopes for the future.
A reminder: the Americans won the first ever RWC in 1991 by virtue of having built a stronger women’s structure than any other competing nation. They haven’t won since.
They face the usual uphill struggle in the 2025 version. The opening match pits them against England, then they face Australia, who beat them 27-19 in Canberra last week. The one game they can feel confident about is the third against Manusina Samoa.
Till recently the only Eagles to know the benefits of pro-rugby were those based in England. The WER league established this year has extended the number enormously (six teams), but the effects won’t be seen for a while.
The Eagles currently stand ninth in world rankings, but the hope must be that the enormous potential the nation offers will see them rise to near the top. That at last would upset the status quo with England and New Zealand all too easily seeing off the opposition.
Canada, at present in an admirable second place, would profit equally from a flood of money coming their way, but the prospect isn’t favourable..
The number of nations now enjoying a (semi)-professional life remains small. Money is tight almost everywhere you look; this news from the States represents a gleam of hope. Certainly Tamara Sheppard, the High Performance Director, and Kate Zackary, the national captain, are buoyed by the prospect.
