As 2011 approaches, it’s time for the Women’s National Team to start rebuilding its pool of players for the next Rugby World Cup in 2014. The annual players camp in January will be the first step of the player-identification process, but the program has the additional task of naming a head coach and staff, since Kathy Flores and assistant coaches have stepped down since the World Cup in September.

“The selection process was supposed to conclude December 1,” High Performance Director and former WNT forward coach Alex Williams said. “But the process has been extended into next year.”

USA Rugby continues to evaluate the coaching resumes of several prominent coaches, and Pete Steinberg (Penn State) and Richard Ashfield (Beantown) have been invited to work with players during the upcoming January camp. While the assembly hasn’t been billed as an audition, they will be operating under the watchful eye of Nigel Melville and working in conjunction with Men’s National Team scrum coach Bill LeClerc, lineout specialist Luke Gross and USA Women’s 7s coach Ric Suggitt. USA U20s coach Bryn Chivers had intended to attend but had a conflict.

By assembly's end and an extra two months of interviewing, USA Rugby's top prospects for head coach should be more clear.