Work-Ons and Review on U20 Win Over Wales
The USA U20 women held on to win on July 4 despite giving up more tries than they scored.
The performance was very good for about 50 minutes but whether the Americans wilted a little in the heat or they just kind of lost some of their togetherness, they did see a dogged Welsh team mount a comeback. And certainly while Alissa Eisenhart had marginally easier kicks to kick, she made them.
RMA Podcast: Eagle, Mentor, Coach, Champion Matt Sherman
Most fans of college rugby will know of Matt Sherman as the Head Coach of West Point, but he's got a deeper rugby resume than that.
Sherman captained Cal and was an All American for the Golden Bears, leading him to be capped by the USA seven times before injuries curtailed his career. A skilled flyhalf and a wise student of the game who played high-level rugby on three continents, Sherman coached at San Diego State and Stanford before taking the West Point job in 2015.
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In 2022 he led the Black Knights to their first ever National Championship when they defeated Saint Mary's in the D1A Final.
USA Teams Active in the Right way in 2023
It's a simple request but at least it's being answers: let the national teams play.
With the exception of the USA Men's U23s, all levels of USA 15s teams are in action this year, with the summer being full of games.
USA Rugby's bankruptcy in 2020 and the poor results from both senior national teams (women bow out in the World Cup quarterfinals; men fail to qualify for the World Cup) many, including GRR, called for a re-emphasis on the age-grades. The young players will drive improvement, and when the USA hosts World Cups in 2031 and 2033, it's those young players who will be hugely important to those on-field efforts.
USA U20 Women Hold Off Wales
The USA Women’s U20 team held off Wales U20s 28-27 Tuesday in a Fourth of July victory in the Canadian Capital.
The Junior Eagles ran out to a 14-5 lead in the first half.
Wales mounted a comeback but couldn’t quite hail the USA in.
A key reason for that was flyhallf Alissa Eisenhart. The West Point freshman was perfect on her conversions, going 4-for-4 to help win the game by a point.
Lock Nikki Lynch (Pleasanton Cavaliers and now Brown University) , wing Serena Vualono (Chicago Lions), fullback Ashley Cowdrey (Sparta Rock and now Davenport University), and center Tiahna Padilla (Fallbrook HS and now Harvard) all scored tries.
It was a big day for Lynch who started her career as a center-wing but has managed the conversion to lock nicely.
A New Experience as USA U20 Women Face Wales in Canada
Twenty years after the the USA age-grade girls teams played their first games—against Canada and Wales—the USA U20s do the game thing and they celebrate the Fourth of July against the Welsh in Ottawa.
Head Coach Joel Bonnaud has named his roster to face Wales, with Dartmouth scrum half Sadie Schier captaining the squad.
USA Roster to Face Wales
1. Olivia Woods 2. Sia Mni 3. Kambria Hartrick 4. Nikki Lynch 5. Cindy Taulava 6. Lennox London 7. AJ Haughey 8. Amelia Clarke 9. Sadie Shier 10. Alissa Eisenhart 11. Serena Vualono 12. Tiahna Padilla 13. Katelyn Walker 14. Hattie Greenwood 15. Ashley Cowdrey
16. Cecilia Ellis 17. Akilah Cathey 18. Reece Woods 19. Jordan Duncan 20. Amelia Gibson 21. Cassidy Dugdale 22. Salome Schmitt 23. Julia Murray 24. Ella Slaby
Eagle Men To Assemble in Charlotte Before Summer Tour
With the USA Men’s Eagles returning to assembly on July 16, Interim Head Coach and General Manager Scott Lawrence has selected 33 names to gather in Charlotte, NC for a preparatory camp ahead of the upcoming August tour.
Of the players invited, 18 are uncapped at the senior international level, with 14 venturing to their first Men’s Eagles camp. Marking the official beginning of the program’s journey to Rugby World Cup 2027, Lawrence has put a focus on development and identification during this training camp and tour. With the August tour scheduled against three teams within seven positions of the USA on the World Rugby rankings, the three-match series will set a quality stage for the prospective new players. 30 of the Charlotte camp invites will be selected to the traveling squad departing for Romania at the end of the two-week camp.
RMA: Scott Lawrence and the Freedom of Being Interim
Scott Lawrence was on the RuggaMatrix America podcast with Bruce McLane and talked a lot about the freedom to do his job.
As head of HP and Head Coach of the Eagles, Lawrence has a lot of work ahead of him, and he's only "Interim" for both of these jobs ... for now. While many feel that Lawrence should just be given the ball to run with, the man himself told McLane that being "Interim" is actually freeing.
He knows he might not have the job for long, so he's dedicated himself to thinking long-term. He is laying down the groundwork to ensure that the USA Men's National Team environment is one that provides unity of coaching philosophy and approaches throughout the different levels; it is one where the different levels (U18, U20, U23/All American, USA Hawks, Senior Eagles) all understand what they are doing and all communicate with each other.
U18 Tour to Europe in Line with Overall Eagle Plans
The USA Boys U18s are returning to the Corendon Summer Tour event in the Netherlands after a successful showing in 2022.
The extra good news, really, is that the team is going back for another shot—the event doesn't seem to offer a U23 option, which is probably good because last year's wasn't great, while the USA U20s have other fish to fry. But for the U18s this was an idea tournament, with games against other national teams of the same age.
Some might be surprised, then, that with the tournament being the same place and same time of year, and being successful, that USA Rugby would actually go there twice in a row. Cynical to look at it that way, for sure, but it's worth pointing out that this event is a really good one for both the USA and Canada as it broadens horizons, plays like against like, and is a good practice run for would-be internationals.
Eagles Performing in UK; Can That Translate to USA Wins?
One of the interesting aspects of the USA Women's 15s situation is that while the team didn't light the world on fire in 2022, their players are doing exactly that.
It's worth noting that only one player made the 2022 World Dream Team whose team did not make the RWC semifinals, and that was USA prop Hope Rogers. This 2022-2023 professional season, as GRR pointed out this week, Premier 15s teams in the UK have benefited from a significant contribution from USA players, notably Rogers and Kate Zackary, who are the top two in tries in the entire league and are part of a massive North American cadre leading the Exeter Chiefs to tomorrow's final.
U20 Women Face Peers in July Series Up North
The USA U20 women will be in action this summer and that's the good news; the even better news is that they will be playing much more appropriate competition than they did last year.
Playing against two top Canadian college teams in 2022 was good education, but resulted in some lopsided losses and not a lot of chances to work with the ball in game situations. This time around, the Junior Eagles are back in Canada but playing Canada and Wales.
Sevens Eagles Look to Shake Off Frustration, Target Olympics
Which USA 7s team will we be watching in August at the Olympic Qualifiers in Langford BC?
Will it be the team that made the top three early in the World Series? Or will it be the team that crash-landed to three bottom four finishes in the last six World Series tournaments?
That’s the question Head Coach Mike Friday has to answer as the Eagles gear up for the Olympic Qualifier August 19-20 in Langford, BC. Friday doesn’t love the timing of it, saying it means his players don’t really have time off (especially those who are now playing in the PR 7s, which is most of them). And while this is the Rugby Americas North (RAN) qualifier, including Mexico and teams from the Caribbean, Langford is about as far from the Caribbean as you can get and still be in North America. Maybe Anchorage was booked.
Long Assembly, Recent Success Fuels USA U20 Men
Coming off a dominant showing in the U20 World Rugby Trophy qualifiers with Canada, the USA U20 men have every right to feel confident, but there's more work to be done.
The two victories over the Canadians, 43-21 and then 39-14 certainly were head-turners. And perhaps it would take a real pessimist to point out that Canada had the USA under some significant pressure early on in both games. And it might also be worth pointing out that a few of the USA tries were ... lucky? Well, as they say, you make your own luck.
And certainly if you add a dash of athleticism and some good team chemistry you can make things happen.
Qualified pic.twitter.com/UzLELf6Bmi
USA U23s Hold Off Colombia; Go 1-0-1 in South America
The USA Women's U23 team leaved South American after going 1-0-1 in their foray into the Americas Rugby Trophy.
The U23 Eagles tied Brazil's national team Sunday 15-15 in a game where the Americans looked like a group of players from disparate regions just getting to know each other. Despite some good moments, they also made some head-scratching decisions, including choosing not to pass to unmarked teammates and instead taking the ball into contact against multiple tacklers. As a result, the USA did not convert the many scoring opportunities they had.
USA U20s Impress in Win Over Canada
ThE USA U20s took a big step toward qualifying for the 2023 World Rugby Trophy with an emphatic defeat of Canada U20s 43-21 Tuesday in Spartanburg, SC.
Saint Mary's College center Dominic Besag scored two tries but really it was a dominant effort by the USA defense and good teamwork overall that produced the victory.
The Junior Eagles were hit with penalties early and that played into Canada's hands. They punished one series of infractions to set up a lineout and maul to put hooker Michael Di Lella Jr. over for the try. Owain Cormack converted for a 7-0 Canada lead.
USA U20s Set to Face Canada U20s Tonight
The North American qualifier series for the World Rugby Trophy kicks off at this evening at 6pm ET as USA U20s play Canada U20s in Spartanburg, SC.
The match will be live on FloRugby. As the first of a two-match series, the aggregate winner on victories or points will advance to the World Rugby Trophy in Kenya this July. The second match is scheduled for Saturday, June 10 from Spartanburg Regional Field at County University Stadium. Tickets are available.
Both teams have named their lineups for today's game (see below).
