The inaugural women’s rugby league international between the United States and Canada has been postponed, largely due to the pandemic.
The match between the USA Redtails and Canada Ravens had been scheduled to be played this Saturday, October 9, in Vancouver. It has now been tentatively rescheduled for April 2022.
“Canada requested the change because of government (COVID-19) restrictions in Canada,” Redtails head coach Garen Casey told RugbyLeaguePlanet.
“We were ready, but they wanted it changed. We will now work on getting it played here in the US if possible.”
There are localised COVID-19 restrictions in British Columbia, as well as travel restrictions for crossing the US-Canada border which would have impeded the US team from getting into Canada.
Casey said as the American players have already committed to the time off work, they have made last-minute plans for this weekend.
“We are going into camp for high-performance testing at the US Performance Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. This gives us even more opportunity to work on our game,” added Casey.
The Redtails’ squad of 19 was picked at the conclusion of several tournaments around the country, development days and a national camp in Illinois during the summer.
More than 240 women had expressed a desire to get involved in women’s rugby league in the States.
