International stars among the talent at the AIS in May

The USA Women's Rugby Union Team prepared for their clash against the Australian Wallaroos with a week-long camp in Canberra.

Turning heads around Canberra, the USA Eagles made the AIS their training base ahead of their clash with the Wallaroos in the Pacific Four Series, which the Australians won 27-19.

During their stay, Team USA fully embraced the AIS environment, with prop Maya Learned impressed by the world-class facilities.

“It’s been absolutely awesome — the facilities here are amazing,” Learned said.

“We’ve loved using the gym. It’s huge and has all the weights you could possibly ask for.”

Eagles teammate Tahlia Brody added: “Even though there are a lot of other sports training here, there’s enough space for everyone. It’s really cool to see so many athletes using the facilities — and it doesn’t feel cramped.”

Alongside the rugby action, the Australian men’s artistic gymnastics team were deep in preparation for the

upcoming World University Games in Germany, while the men’s and women’s Volleyroos squads both held development and selection camps.

To round out the month, Bowls Australia was on site, holding Open and Para athlete camps ahead of the 2025 Australian Open in June.

For Para Jackaroo Kylie Lavis, the experience went beyond just physical preparation — it included valuable education for life on the road.

“The camp at the AIS has been really good. We’ve had a busy schedule with gym sessions, strength and endurance testing, and finished with a nutrition session,” Lavis said.

“We travel a lot for bowls and don’t always have the best resources while staying in motels, so the session was really informative and gave us helpful tips and tricks on how to best prepare nutritionally and be competition-ready.”