Alycia Washington made her name as a bruising second-row in the USA Eagles squad which reached the semi-finals of the tournament in 2017. This week she tackled the tricky task of picking her fantasy XV for the quarters...
Tell us about your first Rugby World Cup match
It was against Italy and I remember being terrified. By that point in my career I had only seven caps and I had been with the team for a full two years and we were playing an unknown opponent. All we knew was that they played in the Six Nations and they got more games than us. It was a really intimidating thing to come in and play against a team you’ve been watching play for years. We won and it was an incredible feat. That was a point in my career where I don’t think I’ve ever been fitter than I was stepping on the field that day. We were an athletic team and as a second-row I was getting a 5.20 bronco time. In that tournament, our goal was in the final pool stage match just to get a bonus point against England as that would get us into the top four and the knockouts.
How did the team's Rugby World Cup gameplan evolve?
By the World Cup in 2017 we had full integration of our sevens players. Our gameplan was to suck in defenders and then get it to our wingers. When you have wingers in Kris Thomas and full-backs in Cheta Emba and Naya Tapper that is the whole gameplan. Be big and strong in the middle and then get the ball out to our threats.
What was it like to face the Haka?
We had Haka practice before the semi-final. We had a Kiwi coach who told us how to face it, what to do, what not to do, and how to show respect. We knew we were underdogs but we were playing to win and for 60 minutes we went toe-to-toe with them. It felt like before the whistle blows we were going to face that Haka like we had already won the game. We were going to enjoy the moment but we weren’t going to back down and we weren’t going to let it intimidate us. That was our whole ethos; respect your opponent but they are made out of the same skin, blood, and bones that you are and if you bring all the heart you can to this match then you can see it through.
Who was the best player you faced?
Alex Matthews (England). She is an absolute specimen of an athlete. Such a hard worker and so consistent and I think that is the hardest part of playing at this level, and that is why she’s got to run out as a captain of her team now. She is also such a lovely person so you just have to admire her skills because she is so humble and so quietly powerful. If you talked to her on the streets you would not anticipate what a wonderful athlete she is. When I first came to England I came to Worcester and one of the reasons was so I could play with her.
Who was your most impactful team-mate?
Kate Zackary without a doubt. I look to embody her running style, her work ethic, how adaptable and versatile she is. But also, she’s got quite a bit of swagger over the last few years which has been cool to see. She has truly been my Captain America and she has been such a good friend to me and such a powerful leader. You can see how she works on her knowledge of the game and how hard she works.
Tell us why you picked Madoussou Fall-Raclot and Sophie de Goede in your team
Madoussou is such a work horse and an absolute inspiration at second-row. She is great at scrum time, great at lineout time, such a hard runner but a great tackler as well. She is well over 6ft tall but can tackle so low and get back to her feet so quickly. She is just a really great embodiment of what it means to be a big girl second-row. With Sophie I truly admire how she is able to talk so eloquently about the game. She has been in the team of the week all tournament. She has come back from a full season of rehab and has so much fire in her and with her you really think Canada can win the tournament.
Who are you expecting to see in the final?
England and Canada.
Our Top Tips
Nadine Roos (RSA) - Roos has been in the fantasy team of the tournament for two of the three weeks so far (she was the second highest scoring scrum-half the one week she wasn’t top). Even against all-star opposition in France she still scored 70pts and bagged a try.
Julia Schell (CAN) - Schell made the most incredible start to the tournament with a double hat-trick in her first game. She hasn’t added to that try tally in the next two matches but now the knockouts kick off and Schell will be looking to add more tries against the hard-tackling Wallaroos.
Stacey Waaka (NZL) - Waaka missed the first match but she hasn’t missed a beat since. Her average score of 69.5pts per match is beaten by only one centre, Nassira Konde (FRA). Waaka has a single try to her name but where she comes into her own is creating chances for others. Her six linebreak assists are the third most in the tournament.
