USA Rolling To Dubai As Double-Favorites
Officially the Sevens World Series 2019-20 season has started with the USA women's team's thrilling victory in Glendale, but with a two-month break between that tournament and Dubai, really it feels like it all starts in earnest in a few weeks.
The USA women have won two tournaments in a row now, and coming off a 2nd-place finish in the entire World Series in 2018-19, have to be considered a favorite going into Dubai December 5-7.
USA WNT Roster Set For November Test Matches
CHULA VISTA, CA. - USA Women’s National Team XVs Head Coach Rob Cain has named 27 players with two traveling reserves for a two match test series against rival Canada on November 20 and November 24 in Chula Vista, Calif.
Nine additional injury reserves have also been selected. Both matches kick off at 3 PM PT at the Elite Athlete Training Center with a live broadcast on FloRugby.com for subscribers. There will be open admission for all fans.
The active roster features ten pool players who didn’t have the opportunity to feature during the June Super Series, including seven who could earn their first cap.
Ruggamatrix America: We're Back
Yes, we're back. RuggaMatrix America is back on the job after a hiatus. Bruce McLane is off his hospital bed and Alex Goff is on the job.
The guys look at the 2019 Rugby World Cup effort by the USA, and some other stuff too.
The Warmup Balancing Act for 7s Eagles
Mike Friday has a tough job to do right now.
The USA Men's 7s Head Coach is looking down the short runway through the 2019-2020 World Series season that ends with the 2020 Olympics. If Friday wants his team on the podium—a place they are certainly capable of landing—it has to be firing on all cylinders, and it has to be healthy.
That first thing requires the players to get back on the field together as a unit. He needs every piece working together.
That second thing means he can't over-work those players and have them injured or just broken down once next summer rolls around.
Add to that mix a third factor—Friday has been hard at work grooming the next generation of players. He knows that no player will be around forever, so he needs to be thinking about replacements should the worst happen and a key starter gets injured.
USA Women To Play Canada Twice In November
CHULA VISTA, CA. - The USA Women’s National Team XVs will return to Southern California for a two-match test series against rival-Canada on November 20 and November 24.
Held at the Elite Athlete Training Center in Chula Vista, both matches kick off at 3 PM PT with open admission and games also broadcast live on FloRugby.
The Women’s Eagles and Canada last met during the Super Series in July where the United States upset their No. 3 ranked northern rivals for the first time since 2015. Thanks to the victory, the USA women and Canadians are now tied at 19 wins apiece all-time, adding more intensity to the upcoming November series as both sides look to finish the year in the lead.
USA Names Lineup For Final Rugby World Cup Match
USA Men's 15s Head Coach Gary Gold has named his squad to face Tonga in the final pool game for both teams in the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
The game is one of those thought to be in jeopardy because of Typhoon Hagibis, but for now it is on.
Gold retains 21-year-old Ruben de Haas at scrumhalf. The former Arkansas Junior Stormer and HS All American captain started four days ago against Argentina on his 21st birthday.
"No other place I’d rather be," he said after the game. "This is like a dream come true. I wouldn’t want to be spending my 21st birthday anywhere else."
Assessing the game against Argentina, the scrumhalf added that "we’re not happy with the result. After the game, we felt like, we know we can do better than this. We’re a way better team than we pitched up today."
Momentum Shifts Crush USA Hopes vs Argentina
Less than two minutes into the USA's Rugby World Cup game against Argentina the Eagles were screwed by the referee.
There's no other way to put it. Paul Williams, a good referee, made such a big mistake he had to apologize, but the decision quite possibly cost the USA a try. Did that change the game? Maybe. If the Eagles had scored that early maybe they could have controlled the game a bit more. Certainly they would have been in a better position.
The moment came when AJ MacGinty dislodged the ball from Argentina hands. USA lock Greg Peterson consolidated and then Mike Te'o chipped the ball ahead. The ball was obviously tipped by an Argentinian hand, meaning everyone is onside. Scrumhalf Ruben de Haas caught he ball and had a three-on-one and chipped ahead for his support to chase. Marcel Brache had a try on a silver platter.
Cam Dolan Deserves Praise As He Gets His 50th
Cam Dolan will earn his 50th cap when he runs on against Argentina in the Rugby World Cup, and it's a well-deserved milestone.
The former Naples Bears HS player, who went on to play for Life University and captain the USA U19s and U20s, Dolan played in all four 2015 Rugby World Cup games, but didn't start in any of them.
Still, his performance then prompted some support from these pages: DOLAN DESERVES TO START
Joe Taufete'e crowed about Dolan's achievement, mentioning that he's still a bit of a goofball.
"Huge congrats to Cam. It's crazy to see him do that with his characteristics," the USA hooker said. "He's a young boy still. He's still jamming along on (computer game) Fortnite – he loves it."
KPIs For Eagles vs Pumas
The Eagles are going to be up against it against Argentina, but they are targeting a win regardless.
Playing in the third Rugby World Cup pool match of 2019, the USA is 0-2 and needs to win the remaining two to get that coveted 3rd spot in the pool, which brings the reward of an automatic berth in the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Reporters were asking players about that.
"Each person to a man, and the staff included, are to be a part of something special," said USA captain Blaine Scully. "That's why we're working bloody hard at this."
Four Areas Where Eagle 7s Women Have Improved
The USA won the Glendale 7s playing some of the best seven-a-side rugby the Eagle woman have shown in a long time.
We know they're better now than they were a year ago, heck, six months ago. But how? Here are four aspects of play where the Eagles are way, way better than they were.
Passing
There are two types of passes that for a while the USA wasn’t particular good at—short little pop passes, and very long passes leading the runner.
In Glendale, we saw a lot more of both.
Using hard runners like Jordan Gray-Matyas, Abby Gistaitis, and Ilona Maher to engage defenders, the Eagles then sent players in support to get than short offload.
It seems obvious, but for years the USA didn’t really play this way (see above).
USA Men Name Lineup To Face Argentina
Will Hooley returns to action and will be on the bench for the USA as the Eagles get set to play Argentina October 9 at Kumagaya Rugby Stadium.
Head Coach Gary Gold has reunited the center pairing of Paul Lasike and Bryce Campbell. Marcel Brache, who has started twice at outside center in this World Cup, will suit up at left wing. Mart Iosefo doesn't make the gameday 23.
Nick Civetta is rested as is Shaun Davies. Greg Peterson starts at lock alongside Nate Brakeley, while Ruben de Haas starts at scrumhalf.
Blaine Scully will captain the Eagles for the 31st time, overtaking Dan Lyle to move into 2nd place all-time behind Todd Clever (55 caps as captain).
(The above crossed out piece of information was provided by the Rugby World Cup media department, but on further checking, it's completely wrong, so we've crossed it out.)
Champs Again! USA Women Take Glendale 7s
It's two tournament victories in a row, as the USA Women's 7s team won the Glendale 7s, beating New Zealand in the semis and Australia in the final.
The Eagles were superb all weekend. Although they lost a pool game to France, that loss was tarnished by an obvious intentional knock-on that led to a France try, and wasn't called (not event for an unintentional knock). In the end, that bad non-call didn't matter, as the USA showed a thrilling combination of aggression, intelligence over the ball, quick ball movement, and athleticism to win it all.
Day One
The Eagles crushed Brazil and Ireland to go 2-1 on Day One, and could have made it 3-0 is they had scored on their final possession. But the pass to set everything in motion was smacked down to the ground and set up a French try instead.
Women's World Series Set To Kick Off
The 12 captains of the HSBC World Rugby Women's Sevens Series convened at the Four Mile Historic Park in Glendale, Colorado ahead of the HSBC USA Women's Sevens, taking place at Infinity Park on 5-6 October.
Battered And Bruised Civetta Keeps Fighting
Is Nick Civetta the USA player of the year?
Well it’s important to remember that when a player is injured and the team struggles, that reveals his value, but doesn’t add to it.
Civetta did miss games against Samoa, Japan, and Canada before the World Cup, but now that he’s back on the field he’s been his old self. He’s athletic in the lineout, producing much-needed ball for the Eagles, and he has been defensively solid.
He made 13 tackles against France, 2nd only to his second-row mate, Nate Brakely, who had 16.
Gary Gold Optimistic After Eagles' Effort Again France
Losing is losing, but USA Head Coach Gary Gold has to look past the scoreline when his team faces off against major contenders in the Rugby World Cup.
To lose 33-9 to France after being as close as 12-9 as late as 65 minutes in is worth something, and now the USA must look to Argentina and Tonga and hope for at least one victory, and, ideally, two, to finish off Japan 2019.
This was a better performance than against England, but when you're a team from a Tier 2 nation you need to be on-task for 80 minutes.
