USA Women's Eagles finish WXV with four wins from five despite 55-12 loss to England

The USA Women’s Eagles ended their 2026 season with a 55-12 defeat to England at Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey, but the result sits against a backdrop of genuine development during Jack Hanratty’s first year as head coach. Heading into the final weekend of the WXV Global Series, the Eagles had been the only unbeaten team in the competition, having beaten Italy twice, as well as Wales and Ireland.

Hanratty was measured in his assessment of the England loss, pointing to the first hour of the match as evidence of how far his squad has come. “We said at the start of the week that if we could challenge the world champions in certain aspects of the game, it would demonstrate massive growth,” he said. “I think we did that today. Certainly, in the first 50 or 60 minutes, we challenged them and made things uncomfortable, and that’s what we should be doing.”

The head coach also framed the four-wins-from-five record in the context of a squad still finding its feet at international level. “If you’d offered us four wins out of five in the WXV Global Series, I think we probably would have taken that, given the stage we’re at. The number of new caps we’ve had this year is really special. Some of them were certainly thrown in at the deep end today, but that’s exactly what we should be doing.”

Co-captain Georgie Perris-Redding echoed that sentiment, highlighting the significance of young players — some still competing in college rugby — testing themselves against the reigning World Cup champions. “They’ve now played international Test-match rugby against the Rugby World Cup champions, and I think that growth and those learnings are so important,” the flanker said. “We were in the game in the first half, and I think we need to remember that. England are a very good side. They were classy and clinical, so we’re disappointed with the scoreline, but I think this experience is incredibly important for the growth of this team.”

The three-week series, played across Texas, Tennessee, and New Jersey, also provided a platform for Freda Tafuna to establish herself as one of the emerging names in the women’s international game. Bella Vogel, nominated for the World Rugby Women’s 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year award, was among several new faces to make an impression across the campaign.

The Eagles climbed to sixth in the World Rugby rankings over the course of the year, a tangible marker of the progress Hanratty’s programme has made. His work has extended beyond the senior squad, with tours involving the Under-20s and the Falcons used to identify the next generation of talent. The longer-term target is the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2029 cycle, with the 2027 Pacific Four Series the next significant milestone on the road.