Quest For Gold Kicks Off Friday
The Quest for Gold 7s is set to kick off Friday at Dignity Health Sports Park.
This will be a chance to see the the USA Women's Olympic team in action, and also the USA Men who are trying to make the team.
Note that Mexico has joined the competition after Kenya had to pull out its men's and women's teams.
The schedule now includes Mexico in the women's bracket, and the men's bracket is now USA, Argentina, Great Britain, and Korea. Kickoff is at 1:30PM PT on Friday and Noon PT on Saturday. The games will be shown live on the LA Sevens Facebook page>>
A Closer Look at the USA Men's 7s Team At Q4G
Here's a closer look at the USA Men's 7s players and what kind of players they are.
We look at their high school and college backgrounds, and also give you some thoughts on what they've been dealing with, or what they need to do to get to Tokyo.
As Mike Friday said in our interview with him earlier this spring, you could probably name nine of the players right off the bat, but it's those final two or three that will drive you crazy.
USA Picks Men's 7s Team for Quest for Gold
CHULA VISTA, Calif.—USA Men's 7s Head Coach Mike Friday has named his squad for Quest for Gold Sevens, taking place this Friday, June 25 to Saturday, June 26 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles.
As the final event ahead of the Olympics, the tournament will be the last opportunity for players to vie for selection to the Games.
Fans can watch LIVE and for FREE on facebook.com/lasevensrugby. Schedule and tickets for Saturday’s matches are available at questforgold.usa.rugby.
The roster features familiar faces USA fans know and love including Folau Niua and Perry Baker who have both worked diligently to rehab from injuries. Niua last played international rugby at the HSBC Paris Sevens in 2019.
Injury Puts AJ In Doubt for July Tests
AJ MacGinty's injury could well mean his debut as captain of the Eagles is delayed ... possibly for a while.
MacGinty set up two tries for Sale and scored the third in a 20-19 loss to Exeter on June 12, but sustained a leg injury just before the end of the game and had to be stretchered off. He missed this past weekend's rematch with Exeter in the Premiership playoffs, which Exeter won.
A serious candidate for league MVP, MacGinty has been in excellent form for Sale. As Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson told reporters: “AJ has been absolutely mercurial, he has been brilliant for us. He has played some of his best rugby, and he will be sorely missed."
USA to Host Ireland in Las Vegas October 30
Las Vegas, Nev. – World-class international rugby will make its debut at the iconic Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas in October 2021 with the announcement today of the inaugural Las Vegas Rugby Cup.
USA Men’s National Rugby team, the Eagles, will host Ireland in a landmark rugby event on Saturday, October 30, 2021. The event is expected to occur annually with Las Vegas as the host city.
“It’s thrilling to host an international rugby event of this caliber in Las Vegas, and we can’t wait to welcome the teams and their fans to the Sports Capital of the World,” said Steve Hill, LVCVA CEO and president. “Nothing can match the energy and excitement of game day in Las Vegas. We’re confident the teams and their fans will find the only-in-Vegas experiences they’ve come to expect, from incredible entertainment and dining to outstanding attractions and outdoor adventure.”
Nate Ebner Withdraws from Olympic Consideration
CHULA VISTA, Calif.—The USA Men’s Sevens today confirmed that Nate Ebner has had to make the difficult decision to withdraw from contention for Quest for Gold Sevens and the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.
Ebner re-joined the team in March following the end of the 2020 NFL Season. Since his return, the 2016 Olympian has been unable to take the field with the squad, giving him no clear opportunities to vie for selection.
“It pains me to announce my withdrawal from competing for a spot at the Tokyo Olympics with the USA Men’s Sevens," said Ebner. "After the 2020 NFL season, I had an injury that required off-season surgery. While my recovery is on track for the next football season, unfortunately, the timetables did not align with trials for the Games.
USA Names Women's Rugby Olympic Squad
CHULA VISTA, CA—USA Rugby has announced its full 15-player women’s roster for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, pending approval from the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee.
Led by Head Coach Chris Brown, the roster features 12 starters, one alternate and two traveling reserves.
Abby Gustaitis and Kristen Thomas will serve as co-captains as the USA Women fight for their first medal in only the second appearance for rugby sevens at the Games. The program finished fifth at Rio 2016.
Ruggamatrix America: Questing for Gold
In our latest episode of RuggaMatrix America we take a sightly different tack and bring in two interviews from two venues.
Alex Goff looks ahead to the Quest for Gold tournament in Los Angeles June 25-26, and what it means for the preparation of the USA Olympic teams. Goff sits down with USA Women's 7s star Abby Gustaitis to talk about the Q4G event. Will this be a final opportunity to put your hand up to make Team USA for Tokyo 2020(1)?, or will this be the final tuneup for the already-picked team?
USA Women Name 15s Daily Training Group
GLENDALE, Colo.—USA Women's 15s Head Coach Rob Cain has selected 43 players for the USA summer Daily Training Environment (DTE) assembly.
Taking place June 17 to July 11 at the Rugby Town National Training Center in Glendale, CO, this will be the second extended residency for the Eagles this year.
Gabby Cantorna, Joanne Kitlinski, Rachel Johnson and Kate Zackary will all return for the DTE having spent the earlier part of the year overseas with the Exeter Chiefs.
“We are in a very exciting and very different place from when we started this journey," said Cain. "Huge credit to the players and the rest of the staff for working tirelessly to get to where we are now. The development in terms of rugby IQ, rugby conversations, rugby detail, skill development, tactical understanding, mental skills and leadership has been exponential.
30 Man Squad For Eagles UK Trip Confirmed
USA Men's 15s Head Coach Gary Gold has picked his traveling roster for the Eagles' tests against England (July 4, Twickenham) and Ireland (July 10, Aviva Stadium).
Out of 30 total players, 22 hail from Major League Rugby clubs and 10 could earn their first test cap. A heavy representation of MLR players means that most athletes have either played with or against others in the roster, creating a synergy for the program to leverage in preparation for both tests. AJ MacGinty will captain the squad in what is the first Eagles assembly since Rugby World Cup 2019.
The choice of MacGinty is not surprising given his role as a flyhalf and playmaker for Sale and for the USA. MacGinty has been in excellent form and playing a lot, and all of that makes him an excellent candidate to lead the team.
A Closer Look at the Eagle Men Player Pool
After Gary Gold named 41 players as his player pool for the USA Men's 15s team for this summer, we figured we would take a closer look at the players.
Fans will know most of the players, but a few are very new to the USA program. With 41 players you'd expect two or three players per position, but Gold has four flyhalves, four hookers, and four scrumhalves, indicating that he is looking to audition players for those positions. It's probably true that AJ MacGinty remains the #1 flyhalf, and Gold might be pondering his options there. However, with the flyhalf players, the other three could all play some fullback.
Gold is certainly looking to reevaluate his depth chart at scrumhalf, while he just seems to have a bunch of good hookers and wanted to figure out where they all lie.
USA Men's 15s Summer Roster Named
GLENDALE, Colo.—USA Men's 15s Head Coach Gary Gold has selected a preliminary roster of 41 players for the USA's July test matches.
Facing England on July 4 and Ireland on July 10, both away matches, will mark the first time the Eagles have assembled since the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
Roughly 75% of the roster—a total of 31 players—represent Major League Rugby clubs, an indication of how important it is for players to get playing time. Another 15 players have the opportunity to be capped for the first time.
Gold and staff will continue to evaluate this roster over the coming weeks and make final selections for the 30 players who will travel to England and Ireland. Those who are not selected from this list will serve as injury reserves.
Kelsi Stockert Retires from International Rugby
Glendale, Colo. - After six years as an Eagle, USA wing Kelsi Stockert has decided to hang up the international boots.
Stockert got her start in rugby playing for the Budd Bay Steelheads in Olympia, Wash. After taking a break to have a baby, she returned to rugby with the goal of making the Pacific Northwest select side. She did that and more, playing for Seattle and helping them win a national title in 7s, and then earning his first 15s cap. That was against England in 2015, racking up a total of eight appearances with the Women’s Eagles.
As a resident athlete in sevens, she made her debut at the home stop of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in Las Vegas in 2016, making four World Series tournaments before jumping back to XVs.
World Rugby Test Schedule Set; Eagles Face England, Ireland
Glendale, Colo. – Nearly two years since they last assembled, the USA Men’s 15s National Team have confirmed two away tests against World Rugby No. 3 England on July 3 and No. 4 Ireland on July 10.
The matches will be played at Twickenham and Aviva Stadium, respectively, with KO times, broadcast details and spectator information to be confirmed.
Ranked No. 16, the Eagles are set for a sprint to Rugby World Cup 2023 in France, having not assembled in-person since 2019 in Japan. Head Coach Gary Gold and staff have spent the past year tracking players, leading remote programming and identifying new talent. It's very likely we will see a different USA team from the one that suited up for the World Cup games in Japan.
USA Men to England For Tourney With Ireland, Great Britain
The USA Men's 7s team is set to play in the International Rugby Sevens May 15-18 in St. George’s Park in England.
Head Coach Mike Friday has picked 14 players to be led by captain Madison Hughes. The event will be held behind closed doors with all matches streamed on England Rugby’s Facebook Page. Carlin Isles, who hadn't been seen on the USA squad for a while, is back in the lineup, and Friday has once again decided to mix up his squad with young players, and players hoping to break into the Olympic squad with veterans, while also saving some other veterans for later dates.
