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Written by RUGBYMag.com News Release
Wednesday, 03 August 2011 16:40 |
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Eagles Squad to Face Canada Announced |
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National Teams -
USA Men
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 Glendale, Colo. – Eagles Head Coach, Eddie O’Sullivan, has named his best possible squad for the Canada encounter set to take place at BMO Field in Toronto on Saturday.
“It’s important that we get a solid start to this August tour, with the Rugby World Cup (RWC) only weeks away. The squad has switched on right from the start, and realize that their RWC campaign is in their hands,” said O’Sullivan.
The 35-man Eagles squad arrived in Glendale on Sunday, July 31, hitting the ground running with two-a-day sessions on both Monday and Tuesday.
“Some players were not available during the Churchill Cup, so this is our first real opportunity to work those combinations that will allow us to achieve our goals,” explained the Head Coach.
The 22-man traveling squad will depart for Toronto on Thursday morning, looking to start their RWC campaign on a high note.
Canada are currently ranked 16th on the IRB World Rankings, one place ahead of the United States. Next week the Eagles will host Canada at Infinity Park on Saturday, August 13, after which the squad will travel to Tokyo to take on Japan on Sunday, August 21.
Two players that are not available for this upcoming match include veteran fullback Chris Wyles and Highlanders winger James Paterson. Wyles is nursing an ankle problem, and Paterson is continuing his rehabilitation.
“We need to give both Chris and James time to get back to full health,” added O’Sullivan.
The Eagles are led by the outstanding Todd Clever, with hard working Louis Stanfill (flank) and Nic Johnson (8th man) completing the loose forwards. In the tight five, the experienced props Mate Moeakiola and Shawn Pittman will look to dominate up front. Phillip Thiel – one of Life University’s standouts - starts at hooker.
Hayden Smith returns at lock for the USA after helping Sacarens win the Premiership title in London earlier this year. He will be partnered by John van der Giessen who secures the other lock position.
In the backline, Mike Petri starts in the number 9 jersey alongside veteran flyhalf Nese Malifa. The powerful duo of Andrew Suniula and Paul Emerick are at center, and this midfield will be key in creating space on offense and halting the Canadian attack.
Fresh from Biarritz is the exciting right wing Takudzwa Ngwenya. On the other wing – also playing professional rugby in France – is Kevin Swiryn. All American captain Blaine Scully gets his second start in an Eagles jersey, at fullback.
The forward reserves include: San Francisco Golden Gate hooker Chris Biller, Las Vegas Blackjack’s prop Eric Fry, flanker Inaki Basauri (who is now with French club, Perigueux) and the University of Cape Town’s JJ Gagiano. Covering in the backs are scrumhalf Tim Usasz, and utility players Roland Suniula and Tai Enosa.
“The rivalry we have with Canada is extremely fierce and we are very excited to face them in Toronto and get our RWC campaign underway,” said Eagles captain Clever.
The USA will kick-off against Canada at 2.00 P.M on Saturday, August 6, with the United States time zones, and broadcast information below.
USA EAGLES TO FACE CANADA
15 Blaine Scully (Unattached)
14 Takudzwa Ngwenya (Biarritz)
13 Paul Emerick (Life University)
12 Andrew Suniula (Chicago Griffins)
11 Kevin Swiryn (Agen)
10 Nese Malifa (Glendale)
9 Mike Petri (New York Athletic Club)
1 Mate Moeakiola (Bobigny 93)
2 Phillip Thiel (Life University)
3 Shawn Pittman (London Welsh)
4 John van der Giessen (Unattached)
5 Hayden Smith (Saracens)
6 Louis Stanfill (Unattached)
7 Todd Clever (Suntory Sungoliath) *Captain
8 Nic Johnson (Unattached)
Reserves:
16 Chris Biller (San Francisco Golden Gate)
17 Eric Fry (Las Vegas Blackjacks)
18 Inaki Basauri (Perigueux)
19 Jonathan ‘JJ’ Gagiano (Univ. of Cape Town)
20 Tim Usasz (Nottingham RFC)
21 Roland Suniula (Boston Rugby)
22 Tai Enosa (Belmont Shore)
Unavailable through injury: James Paterson (Highlanders), Chris Wyles (Saracens)
USA EAGLES STAFF
Eddie O’Sullivan (Head Coach), Dave Hodges (Forwards Coach & Technical Analyst), Matt Sherman (Backs Coach), Mike Tolkin (Defensive Coach), Dan Payne (Skills Coach), Chris O’Brien (Kicking Coach), David Williams (Strength & Conditioning), Jarrad Griffiths (Assistant Technical Analyst), Tristan Lewis (Team Manager), Kevin Battle (Assistant Manager), Alex Garibay (Physio), Michael Keating (Physio), Sarah Sall (Masseuse), Thomas Mick (Doctor), Dallen Stanford (Media Manager)
RWC BUILD-UP SCHEDULE
August 6, 2011: USA v. Canada (BMO Field, Toronto, Canada)
Kickoff 11.00 A.M PST / 12.00 P.M MST / 1.00 P.M CST / 2.00 P.M EST
August 10, 2011: USA Select XV v. Glendale Raptors (Infinity Park, Glendale, CO)
Kickoff 6.15 P.M PST / 7.15 P.M MST / 8.15 P.M CST / 9.15 P.M EST
August 13, 2011: USA v. Canada (Infinity Park, Glendale, CO)
Kickoff 6.15 P.M PST / 7.15 P.M MST / 8.15 P.M CST / 9.15 P.M EST
August 21, 2011: USA v. Japan (Prince Chichbu Memorial Rugby Ground, Tokyo, Japan)
Kickoff 2.00 A.M PST / 3.00 A.M MST / 4.00 A.M CST / 5.00 A.M EST
USA Rugby's broadcast partner, NBC Universal, will be showing all three USA warm-up matches LIVE on UniversalSports.com! Click here to find out more details.
RWC 2011 SCHEDULE | NEW ZEALAND
September 11, 2011: USA vs. Ireland (New Plymouth)
September 15, 2011: USA vs. Russia (New Plymouth)
September 23, 2011: USA vs. Australia (Wellington)
September 27, 2011: USA vs. Italy (Nelson)
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Written by Pat Clifton
Wednesday, 03 August 2011 13:04 |
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A Team Dropping From 7s Nationals? |
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RUGBYmag Premier -
Exclusive News
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The Woodlands Exiles, champions of the West, may not be attending Club 7s Nationals Saturday and Sunday. Word is they may not be making the trip to San Francisco due an inability to comply with the new eligibility rule that requires a team to have 10 players who qualify for the 7s Eagles, based on IRB regulations. The Exiles, who submitted a roster of just 10 for Nationals, applied for eligibility waivers to USA Rugby for three players, and whether or not they've been approved hasn't been confirmed. The waivers were likely to forgo both the aforementioned regulation and the rule that a player must play in two tournaments with the club for which he's playing at Nationals.
RUGBYMag.com is working to confirm the Exiles' status, but phone calls and e-mails to multiple authorities have not been immediately returned. It is confirmed that if the Exiles make the trip to Nationals one of their top players will not be in attendance, as Canadian 7s international John Moonlight is playing in a select-side 15s match Saturday in Toronto in conjunction with the Eagles test match against Canada. The Exiles are a new club out of Houston, formed just before the summer 7s season. Their roster at West qualifiers has included Canadian captain Phil Mack, long-time Life Running Eagles Nathan Rogers and Mark Aylor and transfers from other senior and college clubs.
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Written by Alex Goff & Pat Clifton
Wednesday, 03 August 2011 13:38 |
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US Pack Works Through Scrum Coach Changes |
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RUGBYmag Premier -
Exclusive News
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Can the USA forwards handle multiple changes in scrum philosophy?
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Written by Alex Goff
Wednesday, 03 August 2011 12:21 |
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Experience, Youth Drive Lions |
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Sevens -
Club Sevens
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 Champions in 2007, the Chicago Lions have been close but no cigar in the national club 7s scene since.
Though they did win the Club Championship Series in Las Vegas in February, the USA Rugby title has eluded them in recent years.
Perhaps most curious was 2010, when the Lions looked virtually unstoppable in pool play after being picked in these pages as potential champions. But Sunday, stung by injury, they lost three in a row, to finish a disappointing 8th.
But they did bounce back in Vegas, and it’s that team, plus a group of talented collegiate, that descends on San Francisco this weekend.
Try-scoring sensation Peter Tiberio, who is quickly attaining Next Big Thing status, joins up with 2010’s try-scoring sensation, Rocco Mauer, and his Bowling Green playmaking teammate, Nick Viviani to form most of their youth movement.
But those players were expected to perform. They had all done well in the USA 7s Collegiate Rugby Championships, and Tiberio and Mauer are in the USA 7s team system. But the surprise, perhaps, had been Brad Harrington, a 6-2 15s flyhalf from Cal.
“Brad Harrington has been a godsend,” said Lions captain Eddie Bluemel. “We have had a lot of young guys on the team who haven’t played in a championship situation before. You don’t know how they’re going to react. This year we’re blessed with some good kids.”
The Lions breezed through the Midwest this year. Their only hiccup was a very rare loss to the Chicago Griffins and a tough semifinal against 1823 in the territorial championships.
“Anytime you come out of the Midwest on top you’re going to be happy, but it was hard,” said Bluemel. “It was hot, 90 to 95 degrees and humid. We struggled near the end. I take pride in my conditioning – your speed might diminish but conditioning you can control – and when I walked off the field after the semifinal I was just dead exhausted. So given all that, I thought we performed pretty well.”
That is in part because the Lions have veteran leadership. Jeremy Nash, Mark Roberts, Scott Peterson, Austin Britts, and Tommy Dolan, along with coach Aaron Manheimer, have all been there before.
“These are guys who don’t need to be coached on how to be a grownup,” said Bleumel. “We don’t have any real ego problems.”
They will need all the veteran leadership in the so-called Pool of Death as they face SFGG, Utah Warriors and Glendale.
“It’s easy to underestimate an opponent,” said Bluemel. “But I don’t think we’re going to have that problem in this pool. In any tournament one bad bounce can make bad things happen. So what we need to do is not have the game so close that one bad bounce beats us. And one other thing we’re telling each other – it’s the Pool of Death in part because we’re in it.”
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