‘I want more from my rugby’: Georgie Perris-Redding’s journey from England to leading the US Eagles

The flanker found the game at Crewe & Nantwich and plays for Sale but she was born in Detroit. On Saturday, her improving team will hope to conquer Cardiff

It’s a long way from Crewe & Nantwich RUFC to Little Rock, Arkansas, but five years ago Georgie Perris-Redding, who started playing rugby at the Cheshire club, made the 4,300-mile trip. She’s racked up plenty of air miles since and on Saturday she will run out at Cardiff Arms Park, against Wales as US Eagles co-captain.

Perris-Redding explained: “Jess Wooden, [a wing out of the University of Florida] who played for USA, she was at the time playing for Sale, and her and [England flanker] Hannah Field, who was another one of my teammates, were going to do a bit of coaching at ARPTC.”

Wales v USA will be broadcast in the US on Paramount+, in the UK on BBC iPlayer and BBC Wales, and around the world on RugbyPass TV. Martin Pengelly writes about rugby in America on Substack at The National Maul