USA Rugby have confirmed the Australian Women's Sevens side will head to Los Angeles in March as part of a 3-day training competition.
This will culminate in exhibition matches between the two matches, set to be played at the historic L.A. Coliseum on March 11.
The teams will train and compete at the Elite Athlete Training Center in Chula Vista, ahead of matches played at the Coliseum, which will be played during halftime and after the LA Giltinis vs Utah Warriors Major League Rugby match.
“We are thrilled to showcase our games against Australia alongside the Gilitini’s home match at such an iconic venue as the Coliseum," USA head coach Emilie Bydwell said in a statement.
"With limited opportunities to compete in front of a home crowd we are excited for this opportunity to test ourselves, not only against the best-ranked team in the world, but with the pressure of a stadium setting.
"A big thank you to the Gilitini’s and Rugby Australia for making this happen and for their support of the women’s game.
"These matches are invaluable for us as we continue our preparations for the remainder of the World Series legs and in our build up to the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town.”
“It’s amazing to have quality competition during this break between World Series stops, even more so when played on a grand stage," USA Rugby CEO Dan Payne added.
"We’re thrilled to have our players run out in such an iconic venue and equally as excited to add to the energetic LA Giltinis gameday atmosphere.
"A sincere thank you to our team staff, the Giltinis and Rugby Australia for this great collaboration.”
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Women's coach Tim Walsh confirmed they will look to bring a near-full squad to the event, embracing the competition.
“We are bringing our top squad to train in San Diego for a week so the opportunity to finish with authentic games at an iconic stadium with the pressure of a pro-US crowd is exactly what you want,” he said.
“We will be playing against an excellent USA team. We played the USA at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics so we have history and a record of good battles.
"It was great to have the background of coaching the Australian men’s sevens team with Giltinis head Coach Steve Hoiles in 2020 to help make this possible.”
It will serve as ideal preparation for the World Series leaders, set to resume in Langford in April, ahead of a major 12 months which includes the Commonwealth Games in July and the Rugby Sevens World Cup in September.
