Detroit-born, Crewe-raised: Perris-Redding leads the Eagles into Wales

Georgie Perris-Redding will lead the United States out at Cardiff Arms Park on Saturday for a WXV Global Series meeting with Wales.

The 29-year-old starts as co-captain alongside Erica Jarrell-Searcy. A long way from where it began.

She was born in Detroit, where her parents both worked for Ford, but grew up in England and started playing at Crewe & Nantwich RUFC, according to The Guardian. She came through at Sale in England and later captained Sale Sharks Women, at one stage sharing the role with Lauren Delany. She plays flanker, the loose forward whose job is to hunt around the tackle, contest loose ball and link attack to defence.

Her international route opened in 2022. Then United States coach Rob Cain called her up through her American birth qualification, and her first full cap, an official international appearance, came against Canada in New Zealand. She has since been to two World Cups. That rise has taken her from English club rugby to co-leading the Eagles.

Rugby runs in the family. Her twin, India, is a scrum-half, the player who moves the ball away from the ruck, the contest for the ball on the ground after a tackle, and the scrum, the eight-person push for possession. Injury forced India to retire. Georgie has spoken of wanting more from her rugby, and that drive now shapes her leadership.

She knows this opponent. Perris-Redding featured when the US beat Wales 31-23 in Llanelli in a non-cap World Cup warm-up, a game that did not award official caps. Wales will want an answer in Cardiff. The Americans arrive with momentum after back-rower Freda Tafuna took player-of-the-match honours the previous week, with head coach Jack Hanratty setting a demanding target for the Wales game, as reported by RugbyPass.

Saturday's game, on 26 September 2026 at Cardiff Arms Park in Cardiff, is part of the WXV Global Series 2026, World Rugby's women's competition built to deliver competitive Tests outside World Cups. Australia's Amber McLachlan will referee, with Jess Ling as one assistant referee. Jarrell-Searcy was listed among the replacements for the Wales match, underlining the job-share at the top, according to Women.Rugby. The wider Eagles squad for the series also includes Nina Mason, rewarded after impressing on the Falcons development tour to Brazil.

What makes this stand out is the choice behind it. Perris-Redding could have waited for England. She chose the Eagles instead.

For fans in Cardiff, that means a visiting captain with a foot in both worlds and a point to prove.