When the USA Women’s 15s team lines up against the Barbarians on April 26 at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado, players will certainly recognize the international stars standing across from them—two in particular. 

Former Eagles Hannah Stolba and Carmen Farmer of the Glendale Merlins will be the second and third Americans to wear the women’s BaaBaas kit, and intend to give their hometown crowd additional reason to cheer.

Watch USA vs. Barbarians Women's International LIVE on FloRugby April 26

Stolba last featured in the 2018 Women’s Premier League (WPL) national championship, and Farmer is coming out of retirement. After competing in the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, Farmer hung up her boots following the 2017 WPL season. 

Of course, as many rugby players will tell you, it takes two or three attempts before retirement actually sticks.

“I went to Atlanta for WPL nationals to watch the Glendale girls, and just being around them made me really miss it,” Farmer said. “Being away from the game for a year, I got the bug. I’ve only been playing rugby for six or seven years, and I’m still feeling pretty healthy.”

Farmer started intensive training when she returned to Glendale, figuring there was a whole offseason to get game-ready for fall 2019. But then in late February/early March, the Barbarians reached out to Stolba, who is Farmer’s roommate, to gauge interest in joining the team for the April fixture in the U.S. Word came down that the team was also looking for a lock, Glendale head coach Jamie Burke went to bat for Farmer, and the Barbarians invitation followed.

“I was thrilled. … It was an easy answer for me,” said Farmer, who’s known about the selection for about six weeks. “The list is changing a little bit, but I’m salivating to get out there. It’s going to be fun to play with a new group of girls and play that Barbarian style of rugby—more expressive, more wide-open and creative, maybe an interesting style you haven’t seen before.”

Farmer is particularly stoked to work with New Zealand legend Anna Richards, the Barbarians head coach, as well as Ireland’s Gill Burke and former New Zealand captain Fiao’o Fa’amausili.

“They’re more of our—mine and Hannah’s—generation, so we’ve played against them in test matches and at the World Cup and know who they are. The opportunity to get to know them and then play with them in our home stadium in front of our fans, it’s pretty exciting," Farmer said.

The fans in Glendale will likely share loyalties, cheering for the hometown Stolba and Farmer, as well as the Eagles. Farmer, who represented the USA at the 2016 Olympics (below left), expects it to be a little strange.

“Playing my teammates on home soil, it’s going to be bittersweet, especially when they play the national anthem and we’re not in the red, white, and blue jersey,” Farmer said of playing the USA. “We [Glendale] have Gabby [Cantorna] so it’ll be fun to line up against her if she gets picked. We’ve been training with—and teasing—her a lot recently. 

“I don’t know what the crowd will be like,” the lock continued. “We have a sophisticated fan base, and everyone understands the BaaBaas concept, so hopefully they’ll appreciate the opportunity and value of this game. I just hope we don’t get booed!”

Farmer, too, appreciates the value of the game beyond her own experience. 

“It’ll be a good test for them, too, especially in their progression to the World Cup,” the former 7s and 15s Eagle said of the USA team. “It’s something we’ve always struggled for—more high-level games—compared to the rest of the world, especially the European teams that play so many games. [USA Women’s 15s head coach] Rob [Cain] is really focused on those opportunities and how to maximize them.”

The U.S. is also hosting the Super Series in Southern California in June and July. FloRugby will be live-streaming the Barbarians vs. USA Women’s 15s match as well as the Super Series.