Dan Payne Returns to USA Rugby as HP GM
Glendale, Colo. – Following an extensive two-month search and evaluation of applications, USA Rugby has appointed Men’s Eagle Alum, Dan Payne as General Manager of High Performance.
USA Women 3rd in Dubai Version 2: Details
Sevens tournaments can be fickle and certainly the 2nd leg of the Emirates Invitational 7s in Dubai was that for the USA women.
Despite playing a shade better overall in Pool Play, the Eagles wound up playing for this simply because France beat a somewhat flat-looking Canada in the first game of Day Two. Because of that, France, the USA, and Canada all ended Pool Play with 4-1 records. Points difference was not the USA's friend, so even though they beat France on Thursday and had beaten France twice the week before, the Americans played Brazil for 3rd instead of playing in the final.
USA Rugby to Hold Series of Talent ID Camps
Glendale, Colo. — Beginning in May, USA Rugby High Performance Pathways will host seven Talent Identification Camps to find emerging men’s and women’s players for its junior and senior national teams, as well as Major League Rugby.
Athletes at the U18, U20 and U23 levels are encouraged to review the performance criteria and sign up for a camp in their area at least 10 days before each event date. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, a limited number of spots are available for each age group at each camp to ensure athletes can test in accordance with local health and safety mandates.
USA Women 2-1 in Dubai
The USA Women’s Sevens National Team opened the second leg of the Emirates Invitational with a 2-1 Day One.
Wins over France and Brazil were tougher than last week's efforts as the United States struggled to find rhythm and consistency. They also lost to Canada for the second time in two weeks, although this game was also closer and perhaps showed evidence of some improvement.
They hung in there during a 19-12 loss despite seeing Ilona Maher taking off the field injured in the first minute.
“I was pretty gutted with our performance in the Brazil game as we did not represent ourselves well," said USA Head Coach Chris Brown. "Apart from a couple of soft defensive sets in the first half against Canada, we made a brave showing. We’ll start again tomorrow for another chance. Tournaments are never won on Day One.”
Eagle Women 2nd in Dubai, But Can Do More: Analysis
The stakes continue to get higher for the USA Women’s 7s team as the Olympics in Tokyo draw closer.
This past weekend's effort at Dubai showed all of that, as what looked pretty close to the Eagles' frontline team finished 2nd to Canada. If the USA is thinking of a medal, including gold, and they should, they will need to be able to beat the likes of Canada.
But ... what they also have to do is avoid what happened in the 2016 Olympics, when a lack of attacking flair and finishing ability locked the Eagles into low-scoring games, even against lesser opponents. The result was they were vulnerable to a bad-luck play. This part of the game the USA has shown they can take care of. They absolutely thrashed their non-Canadian opposition, playing only one relatively close game in the opener against France.
USA Women Chosen For Dubai Training Camp
CHULA VISTA, Calif.—USA Women's 7s team Head Coach Chris Brown has selected 15 players to attend a competitive training camp in Dubai for the first two weekends of April.
At the event, the USA Women’s Sevens will face other senior national teams as part of their ongoing preparation for the Olympic Games Tokyo this July.
Alongside the USA, participating women’s teams include Brazil, Kenya, Canada, Japan and France. The Emirates Invitational 7s will take place behind closed doors with no spectators in attendance. Tournament organizers have confirmed that a live stream will not be available.
Nate Ebner Gets All Clear To Try Out For Olympic 7s Team
New York Giants special teams captain Nate Ebner has joined the USA 7s program to once again try to make the Olympic team.
According to a story written by Michael Eisen for the Giants, the NFL team is fully behind Ebner's attempt to be a rugby Olympian for the second time, even though it means he will miss the beginning of training camp.
USA Rugby Names Men's U20, U23 Coaches
GLENDALE, Colo. — USA Rugby High Performance Pathways has announced its coaching staff for Men’s U20 and U23 Junior National Teams.
Both programs will be overseen by former Men’s 15s National Team Head Coach Mike Tolkin who currently serves as the Director of Rugby for New York Athletic Club.
The Under-20 program will be led by Eagle alumnus Kyle Sumsion, also the Director of Operations and assistant coach for Army West Point. Sumsion is supported by Colton Cariaga, who leads the USA Men’s U23 program in sevens. Central Washington University’s Todd Thornley will serve as Head Coach of the Men’s Under-23 program in 15s with assistance from current Old Blue Head Coach Dom Wareing.
David Fee and Brendan Keane continue in their roles as Head Coach of the Men’s U18 programs in 7s and 15s, respectively.
USA Rugby Names HP Eagle Eye Scouts
Glendale, Colo. — USA Rugby’s High Performance Pathways have today announced the 26 members of its Eagle Eye Scout Network, the network made up of regional coordinators and zone representatives who attend events in their region to identify top high school talent in the men’s and women’s game.
Eagle Eye Scout Network (EESN) spans the East, West and Central United States. Each region is led by two regional coordinators with support from another six zone representatives. Scouts collect and submit reports on players they see while working hand-in-hand with the local community to review player recommendations.
World Rugby Sevens Series Changing For 2021
World Rugby has announced the return of the Sevens World Series with a reduced XX-tournament schedule starting in May but mostly being played after the Olympics.
The 2021 Series kicks off with women’s events in Marcoussis, Paris on 15-16 and 22-23 May. The Series will then take a break for the countdown to the Olympic Games and recommence with a men’s event in Singapore on 29-30 October, followed by joint men’s and women’s rounds in Hong Kong on 5-7 November, Dubai on 3-4 December, followed by an exciting climax in Cape Town on 10-12 December.
Detailed discussions are continuing with London and Vancouver on the viability of hosting men’s events between the Olympic Games and the Singapore even in October.
All-Time American List: Chris Lippert
Chris Lippert was something of a trailblazer for the USA team.
He was one of the first Americans to play for the storied Barbarians touring side. He played ten years for the Eagles when playing five years was considered a long career. He was the first USA player to surpass 35 caps and his 38 caps was a USA record when he retired in 1998. The record has since been broken but it still speaks to how much of a fixture he was at prop for the Eagles in the 1990s.
All-Time American List: Chris Harju
Starting flyhalf for the USA team that won the 1991 Women's Rubgy World Cup, Harju was the table-setter for a dynamic and exciting USA backline.
Harju was the goalkicker and playmaker for the Eagles as they defeated England in the final, scoring seven of the USA's 19 points with a crucial first-half penalty that halved England's 6-0 lead, and then two conversions of the three tries the USA scored in the second half of that championship game.
That final was, in fact, her last game for the USA. At 33 and working as a critical care nurse, she had other things she needed to take care of. But the former Texas A&M Aggie, whose brother played rugby at A&M as well and so traveled in men;'s rugby circles as well as those of the women, was a great player before she was an Eagle.
Tough End In Madrid For USA
The USA men finished 4th in the Madrid 7s as the young players finished off the two weeks of tournaments.
The Eagles were somewhat shorthanded through the second day of the second tournament, and it showed as they lost 28-0 to Argentina, beat Spain 26-10, and then lost the 3rd-4th game to Spain 27-21.
That final game showed what happens when you don't have experienced heads on the team. At the same time, it was a mistake by one of those experienced heads that put the final nail in the USA coffin.
The Eagles did well with the ball in hand and got tries from Jake Lachina, Cody Melphy, and Joe Schreoder, all converted by Melphy. That staked the USA to a 21-20 lead over Spain—three tries for the USA and four for Spain, but Melphy's conversions the difference.
USA Women Pull Out Of Madrid 7s As COVID Precaution
USA Rugby has announced that it will be removing the USA Women's 7s team from the Madrid 7s.
The Eagles went 3-0 on Day One of the 2nd tournament in Spain, and were looking quite good. However, with reports of players from other teams testing positive for COVID (France pulled out just before the tournament started) prompted USA Rugby to make the decision to isolate and not play any more games.
All USA players and staff returned negative results before today’s matches began. Prior to travel, the full squad will be tested again and undergo any additional isolation or wellness protocols recommended by team medical personnel in accordance with CDC guidelines.
Madrid 7s Part 2 Day One; Positives For USA
After Day One of the second tournament of the Madrid 7s the USA women are in a very good position, and the USA men have work to do.
With France pulling out of the women's bracket at the last minute there was a bit of a change in the schedule. What meant for the USA is that their game with France didn't happen and they only got two games on Day One.
Those two games went mostly according to plan. The Eagles dominated in their two games, showcasing some solid and physical defense, which is improved from last week. Spain couldn't find any way through and had trouble getting out of their own 22. When they finally did, the Eagles moved the ball quickly and efficiently. Co-captain Kristin Thomas scored two tries, and Kristi Kirshe, Cheta Emba, Jazmine Gray, and Kayla Cannet all touched down in a 32-5 win.
