This was the best buildup the USA has ever had (arguably). Games against Samoa, Tonga, Japan, Canada (twice), Harlequins, and Australia (above, David Barpal photo) seemed to funnel nicely into the big tournament.

At least, that’s what Mike Tolkin and Nigel Melville and Chris Wyles and many others said. However, this opportunity was somewhat squandered by a series of lineup shifts and little experiments. The lineup wasn’t settled going into the World Cup (shifting Chris Wyles from fullback to wing at the last minute made no sense), and the game plan had taken far too long to finalize.

So while there were games, and some successes, in my opinion, and in the opinion of others, the main lineup should have been decided early on. And I think the game plan should have been worked on in full from the get-go. In the NFL, players are often expected to learn a playbook in a week or two - I think the members of the USA Men’s National Rugby Team are at least as smart as your average NFL player, and could handle learning it all right now, rather than in pieces.

(Back to A Post-RWC Eagle Assessment)