Eagles

HSAA Team to Face Argentina U18s

The High School All Americans have named their starting lineup to face Argentina's U18s Saturday at 4pm Argentina time (3pm Easrern) in Rio Cuarto, Argentina.

This is part of the Four Nations tournament between Argentina, USA, Italy, and Uruguay. Italy and Uruguay face off two 2pm. Ben Cima at flyhalf and Calvin Whiting at center are two of the team's more experienced backs, but two of the more experienced forwards, Hanco Germishuys and JUstin Allen, are not in the starting lineup. 

Also listed is Argentina's full squad for the tournament.

What Are Realistic WRWC Expectations?

The USA Women’s National Team is on its way to France now with an eye toward another Women’s World Cup.

It’s been a hard slog for the program for the past 16 years, since the Eagles were automatically considered one of the best in the world. This WWC is a chance to get back there.

Mike Friday New Eagles 7s Coach

USA Rugby confirmed in an announcement Friday morning that the new USA Men's 7s Head Coach will be former England and former Kenya Head Coach Mike Friday.

Friday will work alongside National Development Director for the Men’s Eagles Sevens Alex Magleby and Assistant Coach Chris Brown while continuing his duties at London Scottish for the 2014-15 Greene King IPA Championship season. Friday was appointed Director of Rugby at London Scottish July 2, shaking somewhat the commonly-held assumption that he was the top candidate for the USA job.

However, as time went on, the rumor mill was still hot for Friday to take the USA job, sharing his time with London Scottish. This was bolstered by the hiring of Chris Brown July 6 as USA assistant - Brown and Friday have worked together before.

Right Choice Puts Rogers on RWC Doorstep

When Hope Rogers showed up at her first rugby practice as a sophomore at Chambersburg HS in Pennsylvania, she was a little confused; you see, she had confused rugby and lacrosse, saw a bunch of people chasing a weirdly-shaped ball around with no sticks, and got ready to leave.

It’s a good thing she stayed.

A former baton-twirler, basketball player, and thrower in track & field, Rogers heard that her high school was forming a team, and decided to give it a try, Despite her worry that she’d found the wrong sport, “I soon found out I was at the right place and what rugby really was.”

The powerful prop forward learned a lot from her coach, Steve Wright, and he encouraged her to tried out for the Mid-Atlantic U19 select side her first year. She didn’t make it, but was later called in because coaches Tony DeRemer and Kevin Castner liked her potential.

USA Women's Team Looks to Youth Olympics

After a brief camp in California, the USA women’s team for the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China will reassemble in August to prepare for the event. 

Coach Richie Walker will bring the players together in Seattle to train leading up to the HS 7s competition to be held during the National Club 7s Championships.

Rough Start for HSAA Team

The High School All Americans lost their opening match of their four-game South American trip 48-8 to Cordoba Academy.

The result was a bit of a shock, as the HSAA spit their games - both code contests - with Cordoba Academy last year.

Reg 9 Could Have 7s World Series Impact

Regulation 9 is the rule within World Rugby that forces clubs to release players for international action during specific times of the year, and for specific special events.

Normally, the Regulation 9 windows are March (Six Nations), June (pretty much everybody), and November (everybody). In addition, 15s and 7s world cups, and world cup qualifiers fall under the regulation, too.

And so does Olympic qualification. This is important because the entire 2014-2015 IRB Sevens World Series is an Olympic qualification tool. The top four from the series standings go straight into the Olympics.

So, according to reports, Regulation 9 is going to be in effect for the entire 2014-2015 World Series season. For the USA, this could mean that players such as Chris Wyles, Brett Thompson, Blaine Scully, Todd Clever, and, if he is interested, Taku Ngwenya, could play.

Palamo Has Short Time to Make Pro Impression

USA center Thretton Palamo has three months to make an impression at Saracens, as he joins the London-based pro club on a three-month trial.

Palamo was a pro prospect over six years ago when he joined Biarritz on a short-term contract as a teenager. He didn't hook on then, and eventually, after enrolling at the University of Utah turned to football. That turned out to be a short deviation, as, upon graduation, Palamo returned to rugby, training at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, and stepping on the field for the 15s Eagles in June.

USOC Had Hand in 7s Coaching Change

The US Olympic Committee had a hand in the removal of Matt Hawkins as USA 7s team Head Coach.

The move came after an exhaustive post-season examination of both the men’s and women’s teams. Both were put under the microscope by USA Rugby representatives (including CEO Nigel Melville) and the USOC.

“When the USOC talks about a sport in the Olympics, they don’t talk about qualifying,” Melville told Goff Rugby Report. “They talk about winning a gold medal. We look at the entire program, at the goals for the year and whether we achieved those goals, and whether we did or not, how we can move forward.”

In the end, the lack of consistency in the USA performance, a desire to change the environment within the team, and a desire to address concerns around physical conditioning, forced the change.

Returning HSAA Players Set Tone

Leadership is an important factor in the early stages of a national team tour, especially with a team that has to handle turnover, such as the High School All Americans.

Head Coach Salty Thompson certainly expects his more experienced players to establish the tone.

"The returners are setting good examples on and off the field," said Thompson after the team's first session in Argentina.

The players covered a lot of ground in training - they had to, with a game coming up in a couple of days.

HSAA Team Arrives in Argentina

Are Colleges, High Schools Producing 7s HP Players?

The new Men’s USA 7s High Performance Camp is supposed to give players exposure to the new USA coaching staff, and it will; it might also put existing camp members on notice.

Many of the players invited were produced through college and high school programs, and it’s their youth, along with their athleticism, that the USA needs.

Reports - Friday to Sign with USA 7s Team

Mike Friday is going to be announced officially as the new USA Men's 7s Head Coach next week, according to reports by ESPNScrum and The Rugby Paper.

This report supports speculation that Friday was going to be the coach despite taking the Director of Rugby job with London Scottish. The hiring of Chris Brown as an assistant coach in residence also seemed to bolster the rumor, given that Brown was Friday's assistant with Kenya in 2012-2013. USA Rugby put out an arctic interview with Brown that mentioned Friday repeatedly, something the organization doesn't do unless the person mentioned is internationally iconic (which Friday isn't quite) or the person mentioned is going to be working with USA Rugby soon.

Eagles 7s High Performance Camp Next Week

USA Rugby has announced the players to attend it Men’s Eagles High Performance Sevens camp at the Olympic Training Center July 18-20.

The 7s national team coaching staff will evaluate the players currently in residence at the OTC, as well as 29 other players as the national team pool is put together.

National Development Director for the Eagles Sevens Alex Magleby has included a diverse collection of athletes in the key specialist areas, with a wide spectrum of experience. Welcomed back to Chula Vista are Eagles veterans Colin Hawley, Tai Enosa, Rocco Mauer, and Pila Taufa.

Thompson - Going to Bust my Butt and Go From There

The Blaine Scully story may well be told again about 300 miles to the north.

Edinburgh Rugby Club in the RaboDirect 12 has signed Brett Thompson, just as Leicester took a shot with Blaine Scully in 2013. Scully took his chances when he got them, emerged as an adventurous wing and a fan favorite. The hard-nosed Aviva Premiership season helped project Scully to a June where he scored three tries against Japan and two against Canada. Brett Thompson is another big, strong, athletic wing who cut his international teeth with the 7s team.