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Nia Toliver, the 'rugby mercenary' lighting up the SVNS Series
By Joe Harvey
Nia Toliver announced herself to the world in Cape Town.
In the second leg of the new HSBC SVNS campaign, the 26-year-old was the driving force of Emilie Bydwell’s USA Eagles as the team stormed past Australia to reach the women’s final against New Zealand.
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Leaving South Africa as runners-up it concluded a dramatic fortnight for Toliver, who scored 13 tries in her first two SVNS tournaments and helped the much-changed Olympic bronze medallists to 30 points in the women’s standings.
Toliver was undoubtedly the star of the show. With an uncanny ability to beat defenders, unrelenting speed and work rate, it quickly became apparent that Bydwell has unearthed a player capable of being a driving force for the USA in the years to come.
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It was a positive sign for the Americans who have seen significant player turnover since Paris.
After significant contributions to the team’s success Lauren Doyle, Naya Tapper, Kris Thomas and Steph Rovetti have all retired, while Kristi Kirshe and Spiff Sedrick have enjoyed extended time off, Sammy Sullivan is continuing her return from injury and Ilona Maher has switched her focus to the 15-a-side game in a Rugby World Cup year.
It meant that Bydwell’s squad was not only pushed to its limits, it was also uncertain how a team with six Series debutants would fare.
“We didn’t have that much pressure,” Toliver said. “We are a new team. No one was really putting us as a team to look at.
“Especially in Dubai we could play with a bit of freedom, do what we could and do our best.
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“The atmosphere was pretty relaxed. None of us were shaking in our boots. The confidence we built in Dubai came with us to Cape Town.
“We got a better connection. We had figured out how each other play.”
Toliver’s return to the Eagles after a two-year hiatus could not have gone better.
Leaving the setup in 2022 for pastures new, the 26-year-old spent her time plying her trade in Japan’s Taiyo Seimei Women’s Sevens Series and picking up other contracts in the offseason.
Her move to Japan was not for the betterment of her rugby, but because the financial benefit of playing in the competition outweighed a central contract in that time.
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On her LinkedIn page Toliver describes herself as a “rugby mercenary” and as bringing “unparalleled adaptability and expertise to teams”.
It is a reputation that has been forged far from the limelight and is only now being seen on the international circuit.
One of the six USA debutants at the end of 2024, Toliver has finally made her mark in international rugby and quieted the question of when her opportunity was coming.
“I am not getting any younger,” Toliver laughed. “I really want to make my mark while I can.
“I enjoyed my time in Japan, and everywhere I have played, but there comes a time when the people that have known me a long time start asking, ‘When are you going to do it on the big stage?’.
“I’d been saying I could do it for a long time. Could I do it against the best in the world? I thought it was time to see.
“It was nice being able to do what I am capable of. This definitely gave me some confidence.”
Nia Toliver has gone on her own! 🙌🔥
What a moment for @USARugby 🇺🇸#HSBCSVNS #HSBCSVNSCPT pic.twitter.com/w192wdybfk
— HSBC SVNS (@SVNSSeries) December 8, 2024
Playing rugby has been Toliver’s obsession for almost 13 years.
Inspired to take up the sport by her older sister, Niq, with the opportunity for travel and express herself in a different way appealed to the teenager.
At 14, Toliver was even asked to jump into an adult’s game alongside her sister when a coach mistook her age. She declined.
Always blessed with speed, power and stature, when asked what has changed over the past decade Toliver said, “What you see now is what everyone else saw then”.
Over the course of her teenage years, Toliver spent time in New Zealand honing her craft on exchange programmes.
But it was in this time that Toliver first came across Bydwell.
Plucked from the ICEF (Inner City Education Foundation) rugby programme in Los Angeles to play for the high school All-American, Toliver got her first taste of life playing for the 39-year-old.
In the past week, Bydwell’s reputation has grown even more.
Already the first female head coach to win an Olympic medal, a social media clip outlining her empathy-driven coaching style won her more admirers.
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That coaching has certainly had a profound effect on Toliver, who has nothing but praise for a coach who has been a major influence for over a decade.
“I don’t do well in rigid structures,” Toliver said. “We have our set things that we need to follow, and some coaches can be very hard with that. But you’re not going to get the best out of me doing that.
“I have known Emilie for a long time. I have trained under her, we have gone to France together, to Canada a couple of times. We have a longstanding relationship.
“She is actually a coach that I have been proud to play for. She has had my back through thick and thin and that makes me want to do my best for her.
“Wanting to do your best for your coach and your team gives you an edge because you don’t just want to do it for yourself.
“Emilie is one of those people that I feel comfortable with. I respect that really deeply. I do think her coaching style gets the best out of me.”
Bydwell can be credited massively for the Eagles’ bright SVNS start.
With only two players having over 20 SVNS tournament appearances in those opening tournaments, the need to get this refreshed playing group up to speed was significant.
Both Bydwell and assistant coach, Zack Test, did just that and in the process established the sense of expectation that sits on their shoulders after the achievements of last summer.
“We have a strong foundation,” Toliver said. “One of our mottos is ‘chop wood, carry water’, so it is doing the same things over and over again.
“It gets mundane, but having that foundation allowed us to express ourselves on top of that. It is a balance.
“Me, as a player, I like to go by myself most of the time. Knowing when I can go by myself and when I should pass, we have certain cues to dictate what we should do.
“All of that comes from that repetitive work we have been doing. Emilie has been hammering us about that. Which we appreciate.”
Soon Toliver and her teammates will be boarding a flight to Perth.
The USA have been drawn with Canada, Fiji and Great Britain in Pool B, with each match promising to be a stern test on Australia’s west coast.
History will be made in the tournament, where the Women’s Cup will act as the curtain closer for the weekend’s action for the very first time.
Kristi Kirshe may return to the field for the first time after being named in World Rugby Women’s Sevens Dream Team of the Year, as could Spiff Sedrick, whose last-gasp try secured bronze at the Stade de France.
Over a month on from her exploits in South Africa, Toliver and the Eagles are hoping to be the headline act again.
“One of the things that we work a lot on is mental flexibility,” Toliver said.
“Sevens is usually anyone’s game. We went from fifth to second in a week. It just shows you how volatile the Series is.
“We will be rolling with the punches again, having that perseverance and moving on with things. We are expecting the best. We are working for the best. We want to win.
“We have a lot of eyes on us right now, but I think we will be able to quiet the noise and go back to our foundational stuff; chop wood, carry water.
“We are going to keep passing, working on tackle tech and focussing on the job that needs to be done.
“In Perth, we are going to play day by day and game by game. Hopefully, it goes our way.”
