When Nina Mason and Bella Vogel were in high school, they often played against each other for their clubs in Pennsylvania, Doylestown and Knightmares Rugby. It was not a pleasant experience.
“I wasn’t a fan of Nina. It was hard because she was really good,” laughs Vogel, before Mason added: “It wasn’t fun when we played against each other.”
Partnership as 10-12 axes initially for Life University – in Marietta, Georgia – and now for USA it didn’t mean more fights between each other on the field. “It’s good now,” adds Vogel. “It’s great to be on the same team together.”
The mood in the Eagles camp is sky high right now. Five wins over jumps, including two more Italy in recent weeks, set the USA up perfectly for a historic matchup against England, the first time the Eagles have met the world champions on home soil in seven years.
The team also had something else to celebrate this week. Vogel, 19, became the first US player to be nominated for the 15 Women’s Rugby World Player of the Year award.
A goaltending center with great acceleration, Vogel has made quite an impact on this Eagles squad since her debut in April. The moment USA head coach Jack Hanratty announced her nomination at a team meeting will no doubt stay with her forever.
“I was in shock,” admits Vogel. “One of the best surprises I’ve ever had in my life. (The team) just got up and came, and I just love this team. They’re so supportive, and they’re so happy for everyone else and everyone’s opportunities.”
“My heart was beating so fast. I can’t even explain it. It was even cooler than the award, to have them all (there). I’m so grateful for that. Just being nominated is amazing.”
“Hopefully this will start more awards for this team because so many players in our team deserve awards. They are amazing players and I’m shocked it hasn’t happened sooner.”
Mason made his debut as recently as September in the USA’s win over Ireland, and Vogel’s earlier selection gave Mason plenty of motivation.
“It’s a dream. It was our goal, we’d always talk about it at Life, and now it’s actually happening,” Mason explains.
“I was really happy for Bella (who made her debut) but yeah, honestly, it made me want it more too. We kind of have a good competition in training and we make each other better, I think.”
Their two paths to finding the sport were slightly different. Vogel recalls how her parents saw an ad for a rugby camp, signed up and became hooked. While Mason’s father and grandfather played, her father convinced Mason to try the sport when she was 14 years old.
“He didn’t take me to high school practice — he took me to women’s practice,” Mason recalls. “I said I didn’t like it and he said ‘no, it’s fine, you’re just going to keep trying’. And then I ended up really liking it.”
Asked to describe the other player, Mason praises Vogel’s “rugby IQ and her hitting ability,” adding that Vogel has “really good field vision, so she’s a great playmaker.”
As for Mason, Vogel describes her as “detailed, prepared for anything and everything,” with a “crazy” boot. Plus a fierce enough striker to make you want to switch sides in training.
“She’s really tough,” adds Vogel. “I used to dread playing with her in high school. I’m still at practice like, ‘Damn! Can we be on the same team?’
Mason was at fly-half and Vogel at inside center for the recent wins over Italy and Wales, with the two playmakers crediting Life University coach Ryszard Chadwick with developing their playing abilities.
The USA are in a good place right now, with their forwards particularly impressive in their 54-24 win over Italy last time out, dominating from short range as No. 8 Fred Tafuno finished with a hat-trick.
“I think we definitely called the backs a couple of times, but they were going forward and we were like, ‘Okay, we can’t really pull it off them if they’re just going to keep going over the line,'” Vogel added.
As the two young players found their feet in Test rugby, the experience of the likes of Hope Rogers and Kate Zackary, two of the USA’s most capped players, was invaluable.
“I’m a very nervous person, so when I’m struggling with that, they pick me back up and bring me to the level whether it’s training or games,” Mason openly admits. “It helps a lot to have them, to look at movies and do things.”
That being said England enter this week’s game having just lost back-to-back Test matches for the first time since 2016, both against Canada, the USA face John Mitchell’s side at an interesting time and the Eagles are on their best winning streak in 20 years.
In this year’s Pacific Four Series The US had positive spells against both New Zealand and Canada before it disappears. There is a chance, believes Vogel, that teams of that caliber, like England, will be caught off guard.
“I feel like a lot of teams, maybe we can be overlooked sometimes I guess. I’m really excited to show England what we’re made of,” she admits, before ramping up the pressure on the world champions.
“I think we have a lot of momentum and I think they’re going to put themselves under a lot of pressure now. I think we can use that really well.”
Even England coming close, as the Red Roses have not been beaten since 1991, would in itself send a big message that the USA are a side to be taken seriously. And in Mason and Vogel, they have a partnership to create a game that will build for many years.
