Leicester Tigers can confirm the signings of Tahlia Brody, Tess Feury and Keia Mae Sagapolu Sanele ahead of the 2023/24 season.
The trio are all international players for the USA Women’s team and make up key parts of the Eagle’s present squad as they begin a rebuild ahead of the next World Cup with an aim to improve on last year’s Quarter-Final finish.
Feury is the most experienced of the group, both domestically and internationally, winning 12 caps for her country and spending several years in the Premier 15s representing Wasps and DMP Sharks.
The 27-year-old works as a Pediatric Nurse away from rugby and, during the pandemic, would be working 12 hour shifts whilst trying to maintain fitness during lockdown at her family home in New Jersey. Growing up in a rugby household, with her Dad a coach and both her brothers as players, Feury honed her athletic talents in their basement gym, christened the ‘Feury House of Pain’. An all-rounder at full-back, Feury is adept both in attack and defence, eager to pick a line and make a break and is often proactive and driving in the tackle. She also possess’ a cannon of a boot, a weapon she utilises both in open play and at set-piece time.
First picking up a ball at 4 years old, Feury progressed through high school and then University teams as a standout, simultaneously progressing through the national systems, as an All-American at High School and Collegiate level. The full-back then progressed to the U-20’s before her full debut for the national team in 2016 in a Super Series against England; since then, she has 16 caps for her country which includes representing the USA at the 2017 and 2022 World Cups. She first entered topflight rugby with New York Rugby Club before moving to Railway Rugby Union in the All Ireland League and, last year, to DMP Sharks.
When asked for her thoughts upon signing for the club, Feury said “I am excited to be joining a club with such a supportive community that will make playing the sport I love even more fun! We are a blank canvas in Premiership Women’s Rugby and have the opportunity to decide how we want to design ourselves to create a platform for future Tigers to succeed.”
Brody and Sagapolu both gained their first caps against Spain in March as key parts of the Eagle’s ‘new era’ as they look to develop the next generation of stars that will lead them into the 2025 World Cup in England. However, the journey the two have taken to the newly launched Premiership Women’s Rugby is quite different.
Brody may be familiar to many Tigers fans as the woman whose try sealed the Championship play-off title for Cheltenham Tigers in April’s final at Twickenham. Her second try of the game, the No.8’s impact was felt throughout, her powerful runs both from the base of the scrum and open play proving pivotal.
Beginning her rugby journey at University, the back-row has played for 10 years, a time which includes stints in New York at New York Rugby, in Spain at Getxo Rugby and Cocodrilas Rugby in Sevilla, in California for the Berkely All Blues and, last year, at Cheltenham Tigers. Brody is a proven winner, lifting a trophy at each of the aforementioned clubs and will be looking to bring that winning mentality to the midlands.
Asked about joining the club, Brody said ‘I'm excited to join the amazing people at Leicester and be part of the community that the club has built. Being a part of the club’s debut season in Premiership Women’s Rugby is an exciting opportunity to contribute to making this squad’s potential a real force in the most competitive league in the world.
Finally, Sagapolu, although the youngest of the three at just 23 years old, already has a burgeouning reputation within the game. The tighthead prop has exclusively played her trade in the United States thus far, balancing playing for the likes of Washington’s Tacoma Tsunami and Central Washington University with completing her Communications degree. Like Feury, Sagapolu was a Collegiate All-American in both 2022 and 2023 and, in 2023 was awarded the MA Sorensen Award, which is given to the top women’s rugby player in the nation.
Like many in the front-row, Sagapolu is incredibly powerful but her explosive running causes as much destruction in the loose as it does at set-piece time, frequently breaking several tackles and scoring tries that, on occasion, start from a run within her own half. A born leader to go alongside her obvious talents, Sagapolu served as captain both for her University and for the USA Under-23’s in the recent Americas Rugby Trophy in Brazil with former coach, Matt Ramirez, calling her "a culture builder and culture driver."
Asked about how thrilled she was to join the project at Tigers, Sagapolu said “I am excited to be a part of a competitive environment and to grow as an athlete. It’ll allow me to test myself over and over again. That way I’m constantly improving skills, IQ, fitness, scrummaging, etc.”
Speaking about the trio of international signings, Leicester Tigers Head of Women’s Rugby Vicky Macqueen said “As the new Premiership Women’s Rugby season approaches, we are incredibly excited to have three stellar international stars join us at Tigers. All three are exceptionally well-rounded players but also possess that x-factor that can make all the difference in the intense physical environment of a top-level game. We are sure the whole Tigers family will give them an enthusiastic welcome to Leicester!”
With the recent launch of Premiership Women’s Rugby and the incredible swell of support shown across the sport, with record attendances both in the Six Nations and in Gloucester-Hartpury’s recent Premier 15s triumph at ‘Queensholm’, a new era is dawning for women’s rugby.
When asked about why it’s so important to help the women’s game grow at Tigers, the trio were enthusiastic in their response; Sagapolu said she “believes it’s very important. I want to be a part of a team that can inspire many young ladies to work hard to reach new heights.” whilst Feury added that “Leicester has a strong desire to push the women’s game to a new level and I am eager to use my passion for teamwork to help build a strong culture on and off the field.”
Finally, Brody summed up the passion the team has for the sport, saying that “Everyone who participate in the women's game has a role in helping women's rugby grow. Being a part of a Premiership team that already has such a large community presence gives me that much more accessibility and responsibility to grow women's rugby for my teammates and younger girls.”
