Newcomer Ramsey Tackles Olympic Dream
Maybe not so much a rookie, Ariana Ramsey is still listed as uncapped for the USA Women’s 7s team; uncapped, but an Olympian.
Ramsey hasn’t played in the Sevens World Series yet, but did enough to garner a place on the Eagles squad for Tokyo. She says it’s because she knew where she was deficient, and fixed it.
“I wasn’t expecting to make the team but I was very excited when I found out,” said Ramsey, a rising junior at Dartmouth College who got her start with the White Horse team in Pennsylvania. “In the beginning my tackling wasn’t good. I didn’t make the team for the Spain tournament because, really, my tackling was terrible. So I worked my butt off to be able to make the team in Dubai, got my tackling down, and got selected.”
Fit, Strong, and Ready, Martin Iosefo Brings Skills to Team USA
Martin Iosefo came into this spring/summer USA 7s team assembly in the best shape of his life, and he is poised to make a big impact in Tokyo.
The Flyn’ Hawaiian was forced, like his teammates, to take time off during the COVID pandemic in 2020. For Iosefo, that time off coincided with his desire to re-format his training, and also support his wife’s career.
“I don’t know how many times I’ve tries different things in my training,” Iosefo told Goff Rugby Report. “but I’ve been working with [USA Head of Physical Performance] John Hood and looked for ways to challenge myself.”
At the same time, Iosefo’s wife, Danielle, was growing her fitness company, Iron Pineapple Fitness (ironpineapplefitness.com), and Martin started participating in her virtual workouts.
Hattingh Gets Four Weeks, Could Cut it Down to Three
Following his red card against Ireland, USA flanker Riekert Hattingh has been suspended four weeks by World Rugby.
Hattingh, who was cited and exonerated for a challenge in the air against England, was red-carded against Ireland for a dangerous tackle.
The World Rugby Disciplinary Committee chaired by Samantha Hillas QC (England) working with former internationals Leon Lloyd (England) and Bogdan Zebega (Romania), heard the case. They determined that"
Left Home in 2016, Emba's Olympic Chance That Much More Special
Like the USA men’s 7s team, the USA women had a long travel from Chula Vista, Calif. to Mimasaka, Japan, lasting about a day and a half, but the goal at the end of all that makes handling it easier.
In fact, said the players, the travel actually had kind of a giddy vibe. they played Heads Up and Hackey Sack, and just kept the positive mood going whether waiting, boarding, deplaning, or lugging bags.
For Cheta Emba, who barely missed selection in 2016, it wasn’t an onerous trip at all.
“It was probably the most enjoyable extended travel day I’ve had,” said the Harvard grad. “We were well taken care of by our staff. Everyone was making an effort to lean into it. From the people running the testing protocols during flights to on the ground here at Mimasaka our hosts have been super detailed, super organized, and welcoming. It’s been a great experience.”
After 36 Hours of Travel, Eagle Men Arrive in Japan With a Job To Do
Traveling to Japan was a big long slog for the USA 7s teams getting ready for the Olympics, but they’ve made it.
The trip from San Diego to LA to Seoul (where they took COVID tests) to Tokyo and then on the Mimasaka took 36 hours. Grueling, for sure, but worth it.
A Warm Welcome
“Considering everything, it actually went quite smoothly,” said Brett Thompson. “I’m sure it was a logistical nightmare, but we got here and our training pitch is beautiful and our gym is perfect—we couldn’t ask for more.”
As captain Madison Hughes was keeping an eye on the team and how they were feeling, and he was happy with what he saw.
“The guys did a really good job of focusing on what we could control during the travel,” he said. “They stayed positive throughout and now it’s about getting dialed in and used to the local time zone and climate.”
Column: Were the England and Ireland Games Worth It?
(This is an Opinion Column by Alex Goff)—Was it a waste of time to send the USA Men's 15s team to England and Ireland?
A simple yes-or-no question that begs a less simple follow-up: Why or why not?
Well, here goes:
No, it wasn't a waste of time. Why? That's where there's more to write.
You Don't Know What You Don't Know
My entire career as a rugby journalist and analyst comes down to two major premises: 1) Rugby is supposed to be fun and if we don't make it fun, why bother, and 2) You can't become good until you play somebody better than you and learn from them.
Men's HP Camp Attendees Names
GLENDALE, Colo.—USA Rugby has today announced the attendees for two Talent Confirmation and Development Camps to be held in Glendale, Colo. from July 15-18 and 20-25, for U18-20 and U23 players, respectively.
The camps are the next step leading on from the Talent ID Days held around the country during May and June and also include players identified through the Eagle Eye Scout Network, referrals from National Development Programs, MLR and the open Player Nomination process.
Ireland Steamrolls USA 71-10 in Dublin Ireland hammered an error-strewn USA team Saturday at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Ireland got four tries from hooker Ronan Kelleher, equaling Ireland hooker Keith Wood's four-try performance against the USA in 1999. The Eagles had a long period of possession and territory at the beginning of the game but failed to score, and after that Ireland took control of the game. And it didn't help the USA that they committed a number of mistakes, and then saw flanker Riekert Hattingh red-carded for a dangerous tackle with 27 minutes to go. The USA started the game getting the better of a battle of box kicks, and eventually got a penalty that was kickable for flyhalf Luke Carty. They opted to kick for the lineout, however, and were unable to win that lineout.
USA v Ireland Today The USA Men's 15s takes on Ireland at 2:15PM today, Saturday, July 10, with a chance to shake up the World Rugby #4. Eagles Head Coach Gary Gold has brought in a little bit more experience with hooker Joe Taufete'e coming in, bring his size, power, and 20 test match tries with him. He also has brought in Hanco Germishuys at flanker, another player who has been around for a while, and who has mobility and physicality, and he joins Riekert Hattingh, who gets his second cap, and No. 8 Cam Dolan, who will tie Paul Emerick and Dave Hodges for 9th all-time in caps today. Asked to talk about the impact @Cam_Dolan has on the @USARugby team's game, @Garygoldrugby had a lot to say on the topic. Easy to overlook what the @nolagoldrugby @lifeumrugby No. 8 has done day-in, day-out for the Eagles. pic.twitter.com/7DDPJn2uDw — Alex Goff (@goffrugbyreport) July 10, 2021 Kickoff is 2:15PM ET.
Stars and Stripes Women's Teams Picked for End of USA Assembly GLENDALE, Colo. – USA Women's 15s Head Coach Rob Cain and staff have selected rosters for the upcoming Stars vs Stripes match presented by DAC. Following a 60-minute pre-scrimmage on Tuesday, Cain evaluated player roles for the intra-squad match with a few adjustments and settled on rosters for the Saturday, July 10 curtain call. Kate Zackary will captain the Stars side while Emily Henrich will captain the opposing Stripes squad. Henrich, the 2019 MA Sorensen Award-winner as the top collegiate player in the country, is one of three Sorensen Award-winners in the squads, with prop Hope Rogers (2016), and center McKenzie Hawkins (2018) also there.
Campbell, Gold Wanted More, and Look for More Under no illusions that this weekend will be easy, both USA Head Coach Gary Gold and captain Bryce Campbell looked back at Sunday's game with England and said they think they should have won that game. "We were talking after the game and there was a bit of a good feeling but at the same time there's the knowledge that we could have won that game," said Campbell. Yes the Eagles had to deal with some last-minute shifts in the backline, and then losing fullback Marcel Brache to a suspected concussion. But the expectation internally in the team is that they can handle that. "We're not the only rugby team who had [changes,]" said Gold. "It really is good for our character, it's good for us as a group; it's not what we would want, not what we would plan. We're slowly but surely starting as a group over a number of years now to deal with adversity, deal with hiccups.
Heartbreak for Pinky as Injury Forces Ben Pinkelman Out of Olympics Ben Pinkelman announces his withdrawal from the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 CHULA VISTA, Calif — USA Men’s 7s National Team player Ben Pinkelman was forced to withdraw from the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 due to a chronic back injury. Following his selection, Pinkelman received an epidural that was meant to improve a recent flare up with his condition but the procedure saw no improvement. After exhausting all possible efforts with no progress in recovery, medical personnel had no choice but to deem the 2016 Olympian unfit to play for the Games. Brett Thompson (originally named as alternate 13th player) will take Pinkelman’s place while Cody Melphy is selected as the new alternate, pending approval from the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee.
USA Names Lineup to Face Ireland DUBLIN, IRE.— USA Men's 15s Head coach Gary Gold has made four changes to the starting lineup to face Ireland Saturday at 2:15PM ET. with three new faces on the bench as the USA Men’s XVs National Team faces Ireland for the first time since 2018 on Saturday, KO 2:15 PM ET, on florugby.com. The game will be live-streamed on florugby.com. Bryce Campbell returns as captain following an impressive performance against England last week at Twickenham. The USA struggled in the first half, coming back for a thrilling second-half performance that saw them outscore England 26-17 in the second period; England won 43-29. Joe Taufete’e, who has scored more tries than any tight five forward in World Rugby history, starts at hooker. Hanco Germishuys, who made an impact as a sub last week, starts at flanker.
Peterson Looks to Another Massive Challenge
Sunday’s test match with England at Twickenham was a battle, to be sure, and a result that the USA should be proud of, but, said Eagle lock Greg Peterson, the American team should remember one thing:
“We didn’t actually win that game.”
Oh, don’t get Peterson wrong, he’s impressed and he should be.
“It was a really good second half and we’re pretty proud of what we were able to do and do it at Twickenham,” said the Australian-born Peterson who has played professionally in Australia, Scotland, France, and, now, England. His latest season at Newcastle was probably his best simply because he got to play every week. He was the primary target for Newcastle’s lineout, and one of their best defenders.
In Praise of the Referee: Five Key Decision Points
Andrew Brace of Ireland put in a very solid showing as referee of the USA vs England test on July 4th.
Brace, from Ireland, handled the entire game with a calm demeanor, and, critically for the USA, did not approach his decisions (generally) with a pre-arranged notion of who knew what they were doing.
There were five moments that proved relatively important for the USA fortunes and, ultimately, Brace got these decisions right. Here’s a look:
1. The first scrum penalty. It’s easy to just assume that the USA is at fault in the scrum. Brace didn’t do that, and awarded a penalty off the scrum at midfield early in the game. It was a fair call, established Brace as a fair arbiter, and Luke Carty banged it over from 50 meters.
