Ahead of the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup, we sat down with Team USA’s Kate Zackary and Olivia Ortiz to chat about rugby, community, and more.

TOGETHXR: Tell us about how you got started with playing rugby.

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KATE ZACKARY:  I actually played soccer from when I was four years old all the way through college on a soccer scholarship. I had heard of rugby — my brothers both played after their university American football careers. We had a club team that my roommate had gone out for, and I went to a lot of games and got to know many of the players. They became some of my best friends, so when my college career was winding down, I decided I’d go out in the spring after soccer was over. I had training, but all the games got cancelled. But it was just fun being part of a different community, hanging out with my friends. 

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I ended up moving away for a year, playing a little bit of rugby here or there, but not consistently. I was focused on working, but then I moved back to my alma mater for a full-time job as a web administrator. So, I picked up rugby again, started playing on the weekends just for something to do. 

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Someone came across some of our game footage and wanted me to try out for a U23 team in the old recruitment pool for the 15s national team. The coach wanted me to try out for his Midwest team and I was like, "Thanks. I'm too old, I'm not doing that. That's crazy." But he was persistent. So I got my first contract in 2014 and moved across the country to San Diego for that, which was pretty cool.

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TOGETHXR: What’s your favorite thing about rugby?

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OLIVIA ORTIZ: The community is genuinely just like nothing I've ever been a part of before. You know how they say people are connected by six degrees of separation? That is beyond true with rugby. If you were to go across the country and need a place to stay, someone's like, “Oh, I know somebody that's there and they'll host you. You play rugby. Why wouldn't we?” The community is just… family, at the end of the day. I've met the most incredible, amazing people through rugby, and I feel really grateful to have people in my life from that. It's really, really, really something special.

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KATE: [Rugby] brings so many sports into the same picture. When I think of trying to convince people in America why they should like rugby, it takes my favorite parts of soccer — the continuity and the fast-paced, no-stoppage game — but now also layer in the physicality of American football. 

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What I found is, having three older siblings, a sport that actually my body was built for. I discovered, maybe after a few yellow cards and other stuff in soccer, that it was built to tackle, get hit, get up, and do it again — but also run really fast and be agile.

TOGETHXR: There can obviously be a lot of pressure going into a big moment like this. How do you keep yourself grounded going into a major tournament?

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KATE: Thankfully, I have a really great support system. My wife actually moved over to England about a year after I did, to chase her own professional endeavors, which is cool. Our personal life brought us back together after I moved here for rugby in 2020. She moved over shortly after. She's right down the road, and also just a phone call away. We've got two dogs, so whenever I am home, we like to get back into a routine and remember that there's life outside of this. These tournaments are huge, but there's also so much in life that goes on as well. 

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At these pinnacle events, you have to remember that you've got a life, you've got people around you, and there's more to live for than rugby. Rugby is cool and amazing, and it takes you to great places — it's the people around you that matter. 

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Other than that, don’t be afraid of routine. These tournaments are huge and you need to eat right, you need to sleep right. But also, if you have a craving and you need a pint of ice cream — take joy in the pleasures of life and don’t forget to be human. Especially in the evenings after a really hard training day, it's okay to Netflix and binge and have some ice cream.
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OLIVIA: A lot of people, on the off days, usually like to go into the town we’re staying in, go shopping or just get out into the city, surround themselves with people, maybe go out for brunch. That wasn't really like an option at our last camp in Maryland, because we were in such a small town. So, it really allowed us to explore connections within the team. We were split into four different houses, and it was really nice because we were living with teammates that maybe we don't always connect with on the pitch. That made all of our bonds quite strong, going into this second leg of the tour. Now, it's really nice — even on the off days, we're connecting with teammates that maybe we wouldn't have before. It's still about filling your cup and recharging yourself, but now I think it looks different post-Maryland — like we have deeper connections now, and we know each other a lot better. Everyone's off days look different as well, because some people like to be alone, some people like to fill their cup with people, some people just don’t do anything — and that's so fine. The biggest thing is we all understand that it might look differently for each of us.

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TOGETHXR: Other than winning, do you have any personal goals that you're trying to reach going into this World Cup?

OLIVIA: I've really been exploring my kicking game a bit more. I really want to make it part of our team's DNA and help our game management. I'm a scrum half, so I'm one of the game-drivers within the team. I work really closely with our fly half and the 10, and I really want to allow my kicking game to put us in better field positions. That's something I've really been wanting to utilize and have been backing myself a bit more with that. 

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KATE: To go out there and be one of the best back rowers. Obviously, there's a lot of competition, and there's amazing athletes. There's technically two or three back row positions, depending on how you look at it. I just want to be in contention with some of the best of them out there. I really want to showcase my speed around the park — I may be an old girl, but I’ve still got a bit of speed in these legs. 

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With back rowers and forwards, I think there's always a perception of certain shapes and sizes and looks, but when you look at our back row for the USA, our six, seven, and eight — we're a very dynamic pack. We're not necessarily the biggest, but we definitely can hang with you in the gym, and we can also be fast and dynamic like a back. So, we're that true hybrid player between the forwards and backs.

TOGETHXR: Do you have any advice for folks who are interested in trying rugby but are scared to actually go and try it? 

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OLIVIA: Rugby is a game that is deep-rooted in community. It’s a sport for everybody and anybody. The community is so welcoming, and it doesn't matter your body shape, your size, your height… There is a position for you. If you feel like you don't look like an athlete, I guarantee you — you look like somebody on a rugby pitch.

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I'm 4 feet 11 inches tall, so I'm really small, but I've got a teammate who is 6'4. You get both ends of the spectrum and it doesn't matter your weight, either. If you feel like you're a bit heavier, I promise you — you have a super strength that's going to be utilized on a rugby pitch and that is of value to us. We love that about you.

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KATE: It's an amazing community of people, who have felt maybe they didn't quite belong somewhere else. More importantly, there's so many versions of it and people just go out and play because they want to. So if you're scared of the contact piece, which is totally respectable, then there’s tag rugby, flag rugby, touch rugby — there's so many ways for you to get out, live a healthy lifestyle, and chuck a ball around with a few friends on the weekend. I don't think there's anything better than that. Then, if you decide you're not as afraid of the contact anymore, try a little bit of it, because, at the end of the day — what's life worth living if you don't try a little bit of everything?

TOGETHXR: Who is an athlete from another sport that you think would make a great rugby player?

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KATE: Paige Bueckers would actually be quite good. She puts up with some physicality on the court, she's not afraid to throw out some physicality as well as receive it — push the boundaries of the game she's currently in. She just carries a little bit of swagger around her. So, I think she'd fit into the rugby community. With her height and her ability to handle the ball, she could take on multiple defenders and still be offloading in probably some of the most insane ways. She'd be giving assist after assist after assist. And again, she's got good hands, so if someone's trying to slap the ball out of her hands, it is secure. You might as well put that thing in a safety deposit box with her.

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OLIVIA: I would love to see Jordan Chiles or other gymnasts. I’d love to see them on the rugby pitch because they're smaller, they're really athletic, explosive, dynamic, and also short. And I'm short. I think Jordan would make a great scrum half.

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TOGETHXR: If you could have one celebrity pull up to one of your matches, who would it be?

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OLIVIA: Growing up, I really looked up to Serena Williams, so probably her.

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KATE: If it was an athlete, I gotta go with my idols growing up, like I'd love to see Brandi Chastain or anyone from the 99ers pull up — I would fan girl so hard. Otherwise, I've always had a girl crush on Jennifer Aniston.