Wallaroos caught up in Kansas City tornado ahead of USA clash

Tue, Apr 14, 2026, 4:27 AM
AW
by AAP and Nathan Williamson
Canada host the Wallaroos in the opening match of PAC4 2026.

A tornado has forced the touring Australian women's rugby union team to seek shelter in the hallway of their team hotel in the US.

The Wallaroos are in Kansas City, Missouri, ahead of Saturday's match against the US as part of the Pacific Four Series with Canada and New Zealand.

Watch every second of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season live and on demand via Stan Sport.

An alarm had been sounded at the team hotel on Tuesday (AEDT) advising guests to move to hallways or stairwells away from any windows.

Debris can shatter windows during a tornado and cause serious injury.

The team had trained earlier in the day in abnormally hot conditions, a telltale sign of an approaching tornado.

The Wallaroos had been scheduled to tour Arrowhead Stadium later in the week to meet with the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs.

The playing group is believed to have remained in good spirits throughout the ordeal, but interim coach Sam Needs was a little worried by the unfamiliar situation unfolding outside.

After about an hour, the hotel made another announcement that guests could return to their rooms but should remain on alert until 11pm local time.

The storm passed without seriously damaging the area immediately around the hotel, but left thousands without power elsewhere.

The Wallaroos are hopeful they can tour Arrowhead Stadium on Wednesday to meet the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs as planned.

But storms are predicted to continue throughout the week and could jeopardise those plans and Saturday night's game itself.

If the game against the USA is cancelled, the teams are likely to share competition points rather than contest a rescheduled match.

The tornado comes after the Wallaroos' match against Canada in Sacramento was delayed for 80 minutes due to storms over the weekend.

A sizeable crowd had to be evacuated from the match over the weekend due to the conditions and was not permitted re-entry over safety concerns.

It came almost 12 months after the side had to deal with a similar delay against Wales at Ballymore.

"It was a bit of a shock having to go, warm up, then get pulled back off the field, you're soaking wet and then having to do that again. I think we adapted really well to it but it was a massive shock for us," scrumhalf Samantha Wood said.

"I think having done it before, you know it's a 30 minute delay, the coaches are working really hard in the background to get the game go ahead, just the constant comms of when it's going to happen because we're just sitting down, waiting, conserving energy, hoping that the game's going to go ahead.

"To be honest, there was a part there where I think a few of us were saying 'I don't think it's going to go ahead, so the fact that we just got to play was awesome."

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