Your Sportsish Guide to the Pacific Four Series and Women’s Rugby
USA’s Ilona Maher at the 2024 Paris Olympics (Michael Steele | Getty Images)
If you’ve been ready to rock an Ilona Maher jersey for a while now but want to know a little bit more about women’s rugby, don’t worry - we’ve got you.
You might have already seen some stand-out news on the women’s rugby Pacific Four Series, from a record-breaking attendance in Kansas City to the return of New Zealand’s legendary Portia Woodman-Wickliffe with her eye on a third World Cup.
If you’ve been considering getting into one of America’s fastest-growing sports, the Pacific Four Series happening from May 2nd to May 24th across four continents, is a great place to get introduced to women’s international rugby.
That’s why we’ve created your Sportsish guide to the Pacific Four Series, including everything you'll need to know about who’s there, what’s happened so far, and what’s happening next.
Who’s There?
The four teams playing in the 2025 Pacific Four Series include the national teams of the United States (the Eagles), New Zealand (the Black Ferns), Australia (the Wallaroos), and Canada (the Ravens).
The New Zealand Black Ferns during a Pre-Game Haka (Matt Turner AAP/PA Images)
Over three weekends and in three countries, these teams will compete in 15s/fifteens matches, setting the stage for the upcoming quadrennial 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, which will be played between 16 nations in England from August 22nd to September 27th, 2025.
Although rugby sevens has increased in popularity in the U.S. due to its inclusion in the Olympics since 2016 and a bronze medal win by Team USA in 2024, the Pacific Four Series is ‘15s’ or rugby ‘union’, which will be the style played in the World Cup. 15s includes eight forwards and seven backs, who, in their respective positions, throw the ball backwards but push forward toward the goal area, or the “try zone.”
You might recognize the USA Eagles from Olympian, TikTok Star, podcast host, and pro-dancer (talk about a girl who can do it all) Ilona Maher’s hilarious videos of herself and her teammates from the 2020 and 2024 Olympics and her stint on the 33rd season of Dancing With the Stars, where she placed second overall with her partner Alan Bernstein. Ilona made her return to rugby 15s in the opening game of the Pacific Four Series at the KC Current’s stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. This game broke the all-time attendance record for a women’s rugby match in the United States, with a whopping 10,518 fans as the #9 overall Eagles attempted to take down #2 Canada’s Ravens.
Although Canada won 26-14, this record-shattering attendance is a win for women’s rugby fans and players nationwide.
As a plus, the KC Current women’s soccer team was in attendance cheering on the Eagles at their home soccer stadium and even got to try their hand at a line-out, which is used as a recovery option for an out-of-bounds ball.
What’s Happened So Far?
As of this weekend, four of the six total Pacific Four Series games have been played.
Friday, May 2nd: Canada wins against the United States, 26-14.
Saturday, May 10th: New Zealand wins against Australia, 38-12.
Saturday, May 17th: New Zealand and Canada draw, 27-27.
Saturday, May 17th: Australia wins against the United States, 27-19.
Since the first Pacific Four Series tournament in 2021, New Zealand and Canada have claimed two victories each, with Australia and the U.S. still chasing their first Pacific Four wins.
Alongside their Pacific Four Series wins, New Zealand’s Black Ferns have won 5 of the past 6 rugby World Cups. With a reported 85% win percentage in their test matches since taking the field in 1989, the Black Ferns have shown an overall dominance in global play.
Although announcing her international retirement after helping the Black Ferns win gold in the 2024 Olympics, global rugby star Portia Woodman-Wickliffe signed a 7-month contract with the Black Ferns in April of 2025, and made her return to New Zealand’s national team on May 17th against Canada. Known for her swiftness, stiff-arms, and her all-time try-scoring record, the re-addition of Woodman-Wickliffe was nothing small for the Black Ferns and added a whole new layer of depth to the competition at the Pacific Four Series.
In the May 17th match between the USA and Australia's Wallaroos, Eagle Alev Kelter was given a permanent red card at minute 79 of the 80-minute match, with consequences of a 48-hour judicial panel review by World Rugby and a potential 12+ game suspension due to an incident in which she’d used her right foot to step down on the head and shoulders of an Australian defender holding onto her left leg. As a senior Eagle, Kelter’s potential lack of appearance in the World Cup, less than 100 days away, and a long-term suspension from the international and professional stage could significantly change the USA’s standings in the World Cup and the last match of the Pacific Four Series.
The affected Australian defender, Georgia Friedrichs, is reported to be doing okay and did not suffer any major facial injuries. Australia’s Charlotte Caslick, Ash Marsters, and Faitala Moleka, among others, led the Wallaroos’ charge towards the try zone to win over the Eagles, a massive boost in confidence for Australia as the two teams face a re-match in the Rugby World Cup on August 31st.
Ash Marsters Scores a Try Against USA Eagles - Photo Credit: Mark Evans | Getty Images
So… What’s Next?
The Pacific Four series concludes with two more matches and a more defined look into how the World Cup might unfold later this summer.
On Saturday, May 23rd, Canada and Australia will face off in Brisbane, and the Black Ferns and USA will go head-to-head the next day on Sunday, May 24th to conclude the Pacific Four Series in New Zealand. All of the Pacific Four Series games, including those from the past two weeks, are streamed live, for free, and are available to watch in replay on the app RugbyPass, including plenty of other 15s matches, 7s matches, and men’s and women’s tournament games.
With a long and complicated global history, it’s really okay to admit that rugby is slightly confusing. We hope this Sports-ish guide to the Pacific Four Series helped lay a solid foundation on who’s there, what’s happened so far, and what to expect in round three of the tournament next weekend. Stay tuned, and you might just be an expert in Women’s Rugby by the time the 2025 World Cup rolls around if you aren’t already.