USA Men's 7s Picked for RAN Olympic 7s Qualifiers
USA Men's 7s team Head Coach Mike Friday announced his traveling roster for 2023 RAN Sevens as they continue their journey to Olympic qualification.
Thirteen men head to Langford, BC, where they will begin their tour with Mexico and Bermuda in Pool A. 2023 RAN Sevens kicks off Friday, August 18, live on The Rugby Network.
Ben Pinkelman rejoins the USA Men’s Sevens squad for the first time since 2021. Recovered from a back injury, the 2016 Olympian and on-field leader has worked his way back to the international stage through a stint with PR7s this summer. Perry Baker, who sat out the 2023 World Rugby Sevens Series finale tournament, is back to full health following a shoulder surgery and will make an appearance in Langford. The roster also features Utah Warriors Flanker, Lance Williams, who made his sevens debut last fall.
David Still Move to Football Several Weeks in Coming
USA 7s star David Still's decision to leave the program and pursue a pro football career was some time in coming.
GRR asked USA 7s Head Coach Mike Friday whether it was a surprise when Still announced his decision last week, he said it wasn't and instead had been a topic of discussion between the two some time ago.
David Still Leaves Sevens Eagles for Football
"It's his childhood dream," said Friday. "We kind of thought it might be coming."
Still, who was part of the Colorado XOs program that teaches rugby to crossover athletes, started well with the USA team but did have some difficult times—the odd ban for a dangerous tackle, some drops in form. But overall he brought a special combination of power and speed.
RAN Olympic Qualifier All About a Perfect 14 Minutes
Does it all come down to just 14 minutes?
All the hard work this summer seems like it does. Back in 2015 when the USA men’s 7s team had to play in an Olympic Qualifier, it, predictably, came down to a rather contentious final against Canada. That tournament actually came down to 20 minutes, because back then the final of a major 7s tournament was always 10-minute halves (until someone realized that was stupid).
That game started with three blistering tries from the USA before Folau Niua was yellow-carded for stepping too aggressively into a tackle. The tone of that game changed, with Canada scoring in the second half. But the USA hung on doggedly and won 21-5. It seemed a lot closer than that.
Eagles Poor as Portugal Wins
Portugal slice up the USA to the tune of 46-20 Saturday in Algarve, and it was a scoreline that could have been even worse had the final try not been called back.
The saying goes that the forwards decide who wins the game and the backs decide by how much. In this case, that wasn’t quite the case. While the Portugal forwards were good, this was most certainly a game won by the Lobos backs, while the Eagles backline executed poorly on both sides of the ball.
The game began with USA No. 8 Luke White dropping a pass, and while things didn’t fall apart immediately, it was a harbinger of things to come.
The Eagles actually took the first points of the game, and perhaps only a pessimistic viewer would have noted that a long period deep inside the Portugal 22 only yielded a Luke Carty penalty goal. Lineouts, mauls, and chances all yielded little.
Two Changes to Starting 15 for USA as they Face Portugal
One week removed from a convincing win over Romania in Bucharest, the USA Men’s Eagles have landed off the beaches of Algarve, by way of a short stay in Lisbon, for their Saturday match against Portugal.
A town otherwise known as a vacation destination, Faro will transform into a rugby town for the late-night showdown at Estadio do Algarve. Head Coach Scott Lawrence has made a few changes to the matchday 23 for the second of three tour stops, with two names in line to earn a first cap.
This is also a rematch of the last match of the Rugby World Cup Final Qualification Tournament in Dubai in 2022. In that game the USA needed to win, but were held to a 16-16 tie, a result partly due to, said lock Cam Dolan, the Eagles playing not to lose rather than playing to win. This iteration of the USA team is now looking at a key rankings matchup.
Test Rugby a Huge Step Up for Debutants
Nine players got their first USA Men’s 15s caps last weekend, and it’s always nice to combine a debut with a victory.
But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. While Chris Mattina has been on the world sevens circuit and Tomamso Boni has played 11 times for Italy, so they understand what it takes to play internationally, it’s a wakeup call for most.
We checked in with Sam Golla about that. Going from being captain East HS and then Cal and a Scholz Award finalist to a first-round pick for the Dallas Jackals and, this season, Rookie of the Year, you could say he has the most obvious pathway to the national team.
But that doesn’t mean it was easy.
Groundwork, Lineouts, and the 2023 Eagles
Following their convincing victory over Romania, the USA Men’s 15s team has come in for some enthusiastic kudos … but how do the players feel about it?
The first part of that is the fact that the Eagles were more fun to watch—more direct, more committed to continuity. It’s also fun to play.
Playing Fast
“A lot of it was fast,” said USA debutant Sam Golla. "We wanted to match them physically. A big part of our game plan was kick to their territory, use our fitness and speed to come up there, take that ball away, and then use our set piece to execute our attack. And that's pretty much what we practiced throughout the week, and I thought we did a really good job of that, especially in the first 60.”
David Still Leaves Sevens Eagles for Football
(USA Rugby Announcement)—David Still has announced that he will depart the USA Men’s Sevens program at the end of August to pursue opportunities with the XFL and NFL.
Still was a football standout at Saginaw Valley State University before finding his way to the USA Eagles via the RugbyTown National Training Center XO Academy.
While Still has had extraordinary success in rugby, he wants to pursue his dream to play professional football. After his departure this month, Still will play a year in the XFL to gain experience and prepare to pursue a spot in the NFL.
“I came to the decision when talking to my family and going to a few workouts, which showed me that I still have a chance at my true dream,” Still said.
RMA Podcast: Hall-of-Famer Mike Saunders
Alex Goff sits down with Mike Saunders to talk about his journey in rugby.
Labeled by his peers as the best USA scrumhalf of all time, and the best USA captain of all time, Saunders captained OMBAC and the USA in the 1980s and 1990s. A cerebral scrumhalf who worked enormously hard, Saunders is also a hugely successful coach, having helmed the USA 7s team and, in a departure from his Southern California roots, Snake River in Idaho.
It was with Snake River that he took a ragtag group of hard-nosed hunters and bashers into a national power in D2 club rugby.
A USA Rugby Hall of Famer, Saunders is an insightful, intelligent rugby player and coach who understands the psyche of the team as well as anyone.
Strong Start Powers USA to Win Over Romania
A torrid first half in which they dominated possession and field position stakes the USA Men’s 15s team to a big lead and set the Eagles up for a 31-17 victory over Romania on a very hot Saturday evening in Bucharest.
In this, the first game of a three-match tour of Europe, the USA saw nine players earn their first caps. The lineup was much changed from last year in part due to overseas professional clubs not having to release their players for international callus. Regardless, some of the debutants showed very well, and the USA set piece, especially in the first three quarters of the match, dominated.
Large Number of New Caps as USA Set to Face Romania
USA Men's 15s national team Head Coach Scott Lawrence has named his lineup to face Romania Saturday in Bucharest, with five players guaranteed to earn their first caps and four more with the potential to do that if they come off the bench.
The game kicks off from Stadionul Arcul de Triumf in the Romania Capital at 1PM ET and is live on The Rugby Network.
Who Are These Guys? The Eagle Summer Tour
Former Cal captain Sam Golla, Coventry flanker Paddy Ryan, and Chicago Hound Luke White, who has played all over the pack but this time rounds out a debutant back row.
Nick McCarthy, a very savvy and scrappy scrumhalf, starts at #9, and Tommaso Boni, who was capped 11 times for Italy before switching countries, starts at inside center.
Been There, Understands That; Barrett Talks Golden Eagles
Perhaps one of the most recognized and popular American rugby players, Danny Barrett is a true believer.
The game is paramount, and his new role as Executive Director of the Golden Eagles will allow him to further that ideal.
Danny Barrett Named New Executive Director of Golden Eagles
His appointment might come as a surprise to some, but there’s significant logic to it—Barrett is a recent player. He has had experience within the pathway at just about every level. He is smart, energetic, and understands the issues facing today’s international player.
And he’s a true believer.
Who Are These Guys? The Eagle Summer Tour
Saturday marks the beginning of the USA Men’s 15s summer tour with their match against Romania in Bucharest.
The Eagles will follow that up a week later with “Revenge on the Beach” as they take on Portugal in the resort town of Algarve. And then they traverse Europe once more to play Georgia in Tbilisi.
The Eagles have a long history with Romania, having played the Oaks in the 1924 Olympics. Over their 99-year history the two nations have played nine times, with the USA winning seven. Against Portugal they are 2-0-1 … that lone tie being the result that put Portugal into the Rugby World Cup and kept the USA out. Their record against Georgia is even at 3-3, with those games usually being nailbiters.
How Has the Summer Gone So Far?
The USA Women's U23 team were beaten quite convincingly in their second game with Canada's U23s and that result is a bit of a wakeup call.
While GRR only a week ago touted this two-game series as a coming-out party for a talented group of young USA players, it turned out more to be a celebration for Canada. The USA, it seems, has work to do.
Is U23 Border Battle The Start of RWC 2025 Push?
Of course, part of the reason for these games is to find out what work you have to do. The other part is to get experience—even for the senior teams, just following a World Cup (and since the men aren't playing in the 2023 World Cup their post-RWC period has started too) have something to learn.
Experience Matters as Men's Eagle 7s Target Olympic Qualification
While we have heard the big BIG news about World Rugby’s new SVNS branding and the return of the LA 7s (SVNS LAX!), before we get caught up in all that the USA Men’s 7s team has two pretty important tournaments to deal with.
World Sevens Circuit Reborn, Reimagined as HSBC SVNS
SVNS LAX: Los Angeles Back as Host on Sevens Circuit
Pan-Am Games
In October in Santiago, Chile, the Pan-Am Games will be held. For the USA Men’s 7s team this has traditionally been a tournament in which Head Coach Mike Friday tests out some younger players. This will be the case this year also.
