The Barbarians women’s side will break new ground when they tackle international opposition for the first time by taking on the USA Women’s Eagles in Denver next month.
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Barbarians women's side to play USA in Denver
They take on a USA side ranked fifth in the world at Infinitity Park, Glendale, on Friday, April 26 (5pm). The match will be broadcast live via FloRugby.com.
It is the famous invitation club’s first visit to the USA in 43 years. The Baa-baas toured North America in 1976 and played eight matches in 20 days including wins over New England (40-12) in Boston and the Bay Area Touring Side (28-7) in San Francisco.
The women’s side — who will go on to play England at Twickenham on June 2 — will be a similarly star-studded outfit with international players from eight different countries due to be announced next week.
"The Barbarians launched their women’s team in 2017 to bring together talented players to play with the spirit of enjoyment and entertainment for which the club is famous,” said Barbarian FC Chairman John Spencer.
"Taking on international opponents for the first time will be a landmark moment for the team and facing a side ranked No.5 in the world in the USA Women’s Eagles will be a marvellous challenge.
“It is wonderful to see the Barbarians return to the USA for the first time since 1976, when we played club sides on both the East and West coasts.
“That summer tour saw some of rugby’s greatest names — Phil Bennett and JJ Williams among them — involved and next month's team will include women’s players of a similar standing from around the globe.”
USA Rugby General Manager for Women’s High Performance Emilie Bydwell said: “We are thrilled to work with the Barbarians to bring their women’s team across to the United States. We are very thankful for the support we’ve received from Glendale and Infinity Park to make this match and camp happen.
"The game aligns perfectly with this stage in our campaign plan, securing more fixtures for our Women’s Eagles and giving our High Performance camp greater meaning and excitement. Following the conclusion of the Regional Programming at the end of March, the April HP camp will serve as our next step in preparation for the June Test series.”
The match will serve as as the conclusion to a high performance training camp which will see more 51 USA women’s athletes train and compete for the opportunity to play the Baa-baas at the end of the week.
The camp will identify the matchday 23 to face the Barbarians, but also in helping Women’s Eagles staff further identify and develop talent as part of its Campaign Plan for Rugby World Cup New Zealand 2021.
