“A LITTLE PIECE OF HOME” – The Four American Eagles taking Leicester Tigers by storm

There is something of a reverse Boston tea party going on in the East Midlands, as Olivia Franks discovers.

Four USA players are calling Leicester Tigers home this PWR season: Tess Feury (above, for Tigers, and USA Eagles in the Rugby World Cup), Emily Henrich, Kristin Bitter, and Emerson Allen.

We caught up with the quartet prior to some floodlit afternoon training, but that’s not a problem for the Minnesotan, Emerson Allen, right?

The 26-year-old lock says: “It’s funny because I’m not a cold-weather person, so I moved out of Minnesota as soon as I could. I moved to Florida because I just wanted to be in the heat.”

Tess Feury and Emily Henrich have already experienced a full season at Tigers Women, whereas fly-half Kristin Bitter and Allen are new additions this year following their involvement in the USA Eagles’ World Cup squad.

The deeply engrained rugby culture in the city played a large part in the group’s reasoning to join Leicester.

Legacy

Henrich (below, left), who played in all three group games for the USA this World Cup, says: “That’s been really special – to get to meet a lot of young girls who’ve grown up in families where their grandpa was a lifelong Tiger supporter, and they’ve been going since they were itty-bitty.

“I really enjoyed that part of our game days – that we’re with a club that has so much legacy.

“I’m from a pretty small-town area where you have your neighbourhood coffee shop and you recognise your bartender. So, that’s nice for me that I think the Midlands feels pretty similar to where I’m from, pretty blue-collar, industrial, a lot of history.”

One such emblem of the club’s history is Mattioli Woods Welford Road built in 1892.

Bitter (below, centre) and Allen (below, right) made their first appearances on the famous turf in their Round Two 74-0 defeat to Bristol Bears.

Allen reflects: “Seeing how beautiful the pitch is, how big the stands were – it was a really surreal moment.”

Henrich adds: “It’s really special being able to sit in changing rooms that Dan Cole and other England internationals have played in.

“It’s cool to have been part of something so much bigger than us as individuals or us as a Tigers 2025 team. We’re all just borrowing the shirt.”

Wings

If the historic value attracted the American players over, they admitted the food definitely didn’t. Bitter says: “The wings in America are way better – we didn’t come here for the food.”

Even the area’s famous Pork Pies are no match for their beloved “glizzies” (hot dogs to you and I).

Off the pitch, the four are planning to host ‘friends-giving’ when Thanksgiving rolls around.

Allen says: “Thanksgiving is always a time to be with family and to celebrate the people around you so being away from home for that can be kind of challenging – that’s why we’re trying to do this little ‘friends-giving’ to offer that to other people.”

Feury says: “I always say FaceTime is a beautiful thing, just getting to see my nieces and nephews grow up and see what they’re up to and catch up with everyone over FaceTime.

“Having the American girls on the team, it really is like a little piece of home.”

In order to truly make it a “home away from home”, Henrich brought cans of pumpkin over in her suitcase in preparation for the feast.

“It almost put me overweight, but it was worth it.” She smiles.

As one of the newer teams in the PWR, finishing eight out of nine teams last season, Leicester Tigers are focusing on the long-term growth of their youthful squad.

This level of international experience – 72 USA caps between them – is crucial to any kind of development that will allow them to challenge the likes of Gloucester Hartpury in the future.

Director of Rugby Fraser Goatcher says: “I think all four of them have been an unbelievable addition to the squad.

“Any American player or athlete that’s been in a college environment will come with such a professionalism because college sport is such an elite level in America.

“They’ve been really, really beneficial for our younger players in terms of being their role models, essentially.”

Gritty

29-year-old Feury, who has taken up a leadership role within the playing group, says: “I definitely had to work my way up to get here. So I played a season in Ireland a couple years ago and gained some experience of playing an international style of rugby.

“I’ve enjoyed mentoring them a bit and just using my experience and my voice to hopefully drive the team forward a bit and just be somebody to lean on.”

The love for their new club has already made a mark – when asked if they would rather get 50 caps for the USA or win a PWR title at Leicester, Feury and Henrich choose a premiership win… with the caveat of being able to win 49 caps, as well!

Despite the tough results so far this season, the quartet remain committed to Tigers. Feury says: “I mean, playing in the PWR was always a dream, week in, week out.

“I wouldn’t want to play anywhere else right now.”

When asked how they would describe the 25-26 squad, Feury replies: “There’s no easy games for us, and I think that takes a really special person to put themselves in this environment by choice.”

Bitter says: “Gritty, for sure”, Henrich: “I’d say potential – we’re all here because we believe in our own potential for growth in this environment” and Allen finishes off: “Opportunity – we all want to seize every moment we can.”