Freda Tafuna scored a hat-trick as the USA Women’s Eagles defeated Wales 26–24 in Cardiff on Saturday, giving the Americans consecutive WXV Global Series victories and extending their winning streak to three Tests.
The victory at Cardiff Arms Park followed the USA’s 40–36 comeback against Ireland six days earlier and the 26–19 victory over South Africa in Pretoria in July.
It is the first time the Women’s Eagles have won three consecutive Tests since the 2006 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
That makes this a notable run for Jack Hanratty’s developing side. But the manner of the victories against Ireland and Wales also leaves plenty to examine before the Eagles return home for October Tests against Italy and world champions England.
Against Ireland, the USA recovered from 31–12 down. Against Wales, the Eagles raced into a 14–0 lead, conceded 24 points before halftime and then held the hosts scoreless throughout the second half.
They found ways to win both. They also put themselves in positions from which better opposition may not allow them to recover.
Watch: Wales v USA Highlights
Watch highlights from the USA Women’s Eagles’ 26–24 victory over Wales in Cardiff.
Tafuna Drives a Fast American Start
The USA entered Cardiff only six days removed from its dramatic victory in Dublin but showed little evidence of the short turnaround during the opening stages.
Tafuna scored after just five minutes, picking from the base of a ruck and powering through the Welsh defense. Annabella Vogel converted for a 7–0 lead.
The USA number eight was influential away from the scoreboard as well. World Rugby credited her with two turnovers during the opening 20 minutes, including one close to the American line.
Tafuna crossed again around the 20-minute mark. After a TMO review confirmed the score, Vogel’s conversion made it 14–0.
It was the start Hanratty had wanted after watching his team fall well behind Ireland the previous weekend.
“We were brilliant in the first 20 minutes, which was a work on from last week,” Hanratty said afterward.
But the match changed quickly.
Wales Exposes a Familiar Problem
Keira Bevan gave Wales its first try before the USA responded through Erica Coulibaly.
Kayla Canett’s distribution created the opening and Coulibaly attacked the space outside the Welsh defense to score the Eagles’ third try. Vogel’s third conversion pushed the USA ahead 21–7.
From there, Wales took control.
Kelsey Jones and Sisilia Tuipulotu crossed as the Welsh forwards increasingly challenged the USA around the gain line. Alex Callender then completed the comeback shortly before halftime after Wales retained possession through eight phases.
Wales went into the break leading 24–21.
The sequence deserves attention beyond the score itself.
The USA had allowed 24 points after leading 14–0. Six days earlier, Ireland had scored five tries while establishing a 31–12 advantage in Dublin.
Those are very different games, but both contained extended periods in which the Eagles struggled to stop an opponent once momentum shifted.
Hanratty acknowledged that Wales had been allowed back into the contest.
“We showed massive attacking moments — especially with Erica’s try,” he said. “But, we let Wales back into it, and they are a well drilled and physical side.”
Tafuna Turns the Match Again
The Eagles did not need another extraordinary scoring surge like the one in Dublin.
They needed one try.
It came through Tafuna early in the second half.
A Welsh error gave the USA an opportunity and Tafuna powered through to complete her first international hat-trick and restore the American lead, 26–24.
Neither team scored again.
That scoreless final half-hour was arguably as important to the result as the Eagles’ explosive opening.
Wales had scored four tries during the first half, including three after Coulibaly had put the USA 21–7 ahead. After Tafuna restored the American lead, the Eagles prevented Wales from adding a single point.
The most useful statistic is the simplest one: Wales scored 24 points before halftime and none afterward.
The Eagles eventually closed the match through possession before Cassidy Bargell kicked into touch to secure the victory.
The Ireland and Wales Wins Tell Different Stories
The significance of Cardiff becomes clearer alongside what happened in Dublin.
Ireland scored six tries against the USA, and RFC’s match data shows the Eagles scored six themselves. Vogel converted five of the USA’s six tries compared with three conversions for Ireland, an eight-point difference from the tee in a game decided by four.
More importantly, the USA had to manufacture a comeback.
Ireland led 31–12 after Erin King scored shortly after halftime. Kathryn Treder then scored twice, followed by tries from Hallie Taufoou and Tafuna, as the Eagles transformed a 19-point deficit into a 40–31 lead. Ireland’s final try came too late to reverse the result.
Cardiff asked a different question: could the USA recover after losing a lead and then manage a close game when points became difficult to find?
This time the answer was yes.
That does not erase the periods in both Tests when the Eagles lost control, but winning close matches while those weaknesses are being addressed is considerably better than learning the same lessons through defeat.
A Winning Streak 20 Years in the Making
The current run began in South Africa.
The USA had been heavily beaten in the opening match of its July tour before responding with a 26–19 victory over the Springbok Women at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
Ireland came next, followed by Wales.
The last Women’s Eagles side to win at least three consecutive Tests was the team that competed at the 2006 Women’s Rugby World Cup in Canada.
That team recovered from an opening defeat to England and subsequently beat Ireland, Australia twice and Scotland.
The current streak therefore carries genuine historical significance, particularly for a USA program that has spent much of the modern era trying to close the gap on the leading women’s Test nations.
It should not, however, be mistaken for evidence that the gap has disappeared.
Ireland and Wales both found ways to put the Eagles under sustained pressure, and the October schedule will raise the standard again.
Tafuna’s Influence Goes Beyond Four Tries
Tafuna has become one of the central figures in the USA’s recent improvement.
She scored during the closing stages against Ireland and followed it with three tries in Cardiff, giving her four tries in six days.
Her impact against Wales went beyond finishing opportunities. Her early turnovers helped prevent Welsh attacks, while her carrying repeatedly gave the USA a direct option around the breakdown.
She was named Player of the Match for the second consecutive week.
Tafuna pointed to the wider group afterward rather than her own performance.
“Everyone knows how to connect on and off the field, and I think that’s what’s so special about this team,” she said.
For the USA, the challenge now is turning those individual performances and moments of resilience into something more consistent across 80 minutes.
By the Numbers
Home Tests Will Provide the Next Measure
The Eagles now return to the United States before three October Tests.
Italy will be the opponent at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium on October 17 before the teams meet again at GEODIS Park in Nashville on October 24.
Then comes England at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey, on October 30.
That final match will provide a much tougher measure of how far this USA team has progressed.
The Eagles have demonstrated that they can score quickly, recover from large deficits and defend a narrow lead. What they have not yet shown across these two WXV matches is the ability to control an entire Test without allowing a damaging opposition scoring run.
That gives the October series a clear point of interest.
The USA returns home with three consecutive victories for the first time in 20 years. The next task is to turn the resilience behind those results into greater consistency.
Current USA Winning Streak
South Africa 19–26 USA
July 11 — Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Ireland 36–40 USA
September 20 — Tallaght Stadium, Dublin
Wales 24–26 USA
September 26 — Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff
USA Women’s Eagles — WXV Global Series
Ireland 36–40 USA
September 20 — Tallaght Stadium, Dublin
USA tries: Perris-Redding, Rogers, Treder (2), Taufoou, Tafuna
Conversions: Vogel (5)
Wales 24–26 USA
September 26 — Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff
USA tries: Tafuna (3), Coulibaly
Conversions: Vogel (3)
USA vs. Italy
October 17 — Texas Health Mansfield Stadium, Mansfield, Texas
6:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. CT
USA vs. Italy
October 24 — GEODIS Park, Nashville, Tennessee
4:15 p.m. ET / 3:15 p.m. CT
USA vs. England
October 30 — Sports Illustrated Stadium, Harrison, New Jersey
5:15 p.m. ET
