HSAA Tour Teaches MuchThe High School All Americans come back to USA soil with a renewed understanding of what life on the international stage can be like. They played well - improved, in fact, over the last couple of years - and yet were stung whenever they weren’t completely vigilant. As always, not an easy lesson to learn, and not a lesson that’s easily earned before you get burned by it. Miss touch, drop the ball, expect a defense to crumble because you’re close to the line … all mistakes. Head Coach Salty Thompson talked earlier in the week about players used to starting on their other teams having to accept a sub’s role.
Eagle Women Enjoy Warm Normandy Welcome
Preparation has been intense for the USA women’s national team as they get ready for the Women’s Rugby World Cup in France.
The team has been training in Granville, right on the beach in Normandy, with the local Granville Rugby Club at their disposal.
And that means the entire club, as Saturday the Eagles played a scrimmage against the Granville men’s team (not full-tackle, but wrap and ruck).
This is all part of the Eagles looking to be one of the more physical teams at the World Cup.
HSAAs Beat Uruguay
The High School All Americans got a late try from captain Calvin Whiting and 12 points from the boot of flyhalf Ben Cima to get by Uruguay 27-17 in the 4 Naciones M18 rugby tournament in Rio Cuarto, Argentina Saturday.
HSAA Team Set for UruguayThe High School All Americans play Uruguay in the final game of their four-game tour to Argentina. HSAA team is winless so far, and is looking to defeat Uruguay to take third in the 4 Naciones tournament. Argentina plays Italy for 1st today also. Returning for the HSAA team is Calvin Whiting, who captains the squad after missing the Italy game with an ankle injury. Also back from injury is Vili Helu at No. 8. “We need to close out the game,” said Head Coach Salty Thompson, who watched his squad see close games get away from them against Argentina and Italy. “We split with Uruguay two years ago. We know they can maul. They have a hard edge to their game. They manage the game really well at nine and ten.
With Cal Years Behind Him, Kelly Looks Ahead
Former Xavier HS star and Cal captain Seamus Kelly is at an interesting crossroads as he looks ahead to an international fall.
After captaining Cal to the Varsity Cup final and a win at the CRC 7s invitational, Kelly has finished his five years of eligibility at Berkeley, having helped the Bears to two CRC titles and two DI/DIA titles. Cal also made the final of the CRC in his first season and the final of the Varsity Cup the last two years - losing out to BYU both times.
During that time he was capped by the USA Men’s National Team 11 times, earning his first cap against Canada in May of 2013, and his first start, against Ireland, two weeks later.
Kelly started all three games for the USA this past June, and he is now hard at work trying to cement a place with the Eagles as they look to the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Frustrated, HSAA Team Looks to UruguayThe High School All Americans came out of their loss to the Italy U18s with a deep sense of frustration.
The frustration came in many forms, such as JoJo Tikoisuva breaking through down to within five meters of the line within in the first few minutes. Brian Nault took the ball closer, and then Italy came in from offside to kill the ball. No try (and no yellow card), but three points from Ben Cima.
The frustration came in many forms, such as JoJo Tikoisuva breaking through down to within five meters of the line within in the first few minutes. Brian Nault took the ball closer, and then Italy came in from offside to kill the ball. No try (and no yellow card), but three points from Ben Cima.
HSAAs - Time to Shake it UpIt was a disappointing result for the High School All Americans against Italy’s U18s if only for the fact that they were leading well into the match, and had opportunities to win. But 20-9 is not a terrible scoreline, even if it flattered the young Azzurri a little. So it’s going to be that on Saturday the Americans will play Uruguay to see who finished 3rd in the Cuatro Naciones M18 in Rio Cuarto, while Italy plays Argentina for 1st place. Tuesday was a rest day for the players, as they took a trip to downtown Rio Cuarto. It’s not a huge city, but it’s a college town with some interesting things to see and good food. The players did some shopping, some sightseeing, and got to meet some local students. Then it was time to get back to the hotel and an interesting ritual, as they switched roommates.
Gollings Discusses Youth Olympics Prep
Former England 7s star Ben Gollings is slated to be the USA Men’s coach for the Junior Olympics, taking 12 under-18 players to Nanjing,China next month.
It will be a tough ask for Gollings, in part because he has only seen the players picked for the squad in fleeting opportunities. He has relied on HS All Americans Head Coach Salty Thompson and his staff to help select the players.
Italy Beats HSAAs LateThe High School All Americans fell 20-9 to Italy's U18s Tuesday in Rio Cuarto at the 4 Naciones tournament. The HSAA team led 9-7 late thanks to three Ben Cima penalty kicks, but a penalty kick and a late try saw the Italians through. HSAA lineup:1. Darien Pickett (Fort Hunt) 2. Steven Branham (Fallbrook) 3. Jack Iscaro (Gonzaga) 4. George Fotu (Penninsula Green) 5. Siaosi Mahoni (Peninsula Green) 6. Wes Parker (St. Xavier) 7. Malcolm May (Penn State) 8. Brian Nault (C) (Shelton) 9. Louis Mulholland (Chestnut) 10. Ben Cima (Gonzaga) 11. Aaron Matthews (Back Bay) 12. Lorenzo Thomas (Union) 13. Seth Halliman (Glendale) 14. Joeli Tikoisuva (Sacramento Islanders) 15. Mitchell Wilson (Orlando) 16. Connor Cudeback (Belmont Shore) 17. Suwaiter Poch (Hilo) 18. Derise Fuga (Liberty) 19.
Friday Sets the Tone
New USA 7s Men’t National Team Head Coach Mike Friday has laid down the law, and all players who want to be on the national team - at least the ones in the extended camp this past weekend - know what is expected of them.
Friday, who will share his time between the Eagles and his job as Director of Rugby at London Scottish made it very clear he wants fitter players, more competition among players, and a winning attitude.
Goff Rugby Report asked Friday if he was aware that the USA holds the record for winning the Shield the most times on the World Series circuit (the Shield is the lowest of the trophies, equivalent to 13th out of 16). And, how did he feel about it.
Women 7s Team Casting Net Wide
While the USA Men’s 7s team undergoes some upheaval and faces the uncomfortable question of whether they can qualify for the 2016 Olympics, the USA Women’s team is in a somewhat different situation.
They have coaching stability, with Ric Suggitt at the reins still. They have future stability, with knowledge that they have a much stronger chance of qualifying for Rio 2016.
That doesn’t mean all is comfortable. The USA Women’s 7s team finished 7th in the World Series last season, and failed t make the semifinals in any of the five tournaments. That was all part of the season audit conducted by USA Rugby and the US Olympic Committee, taking to task Suggitt and his program for not being medal contenders, at least last year.
HSAA Players Learning What's RequiredIt might be fair to say that the High School All American coaches were a little taken aback by their team’s scrimmage loss to Cordoba Academy. This was, after all, a Cordoba team that the Americans had beaten in 2013, so what gives with the 48-3 loss? There were reasons, for sure. Cordoba fielded a much older team (just about everyone was born in 1995, whereas the HSAA team had five freshmen or sophomores. The Cordoba No. 8 and scrumhalf were outstanding, and national U20 players … that sort of thing. But even so, Coach Salty Thompson and his staff decided this was time to send a message. The day after the scrimmage was not a recovery day, but a full-on, full-contact practice.
Inside the 22: Friday with Friday
On Friday Mike Friday ran the 7s players hard, was a constant voice at practice, and scared players a bit.
Good luck.
Argentina U18s Down Tough HSAAThe High School All Americans fell 35-13 in a creditable performance against the Argentina U18s Saturday in Rio Cuarto, Argentina.
Tough Job Ahead for HSAA Team
The USA”s High School All Americans will play Argentina’s U18s without hard-charging flanker Hanco Germishuys, who has been ruled out due to an ankle injury.
The HSAA team is coming off a 48-3 loss to Cordoba Academy, but that was a game treated as a scrimmage by Salty Thompson and his coaching staff.
Thompson used his entire 30-man roster.
“That experience was an eye opener for the debutants and they struggled to compete with the pace and accuracy of an accomplished Argentinian province u19 select side,” said Thompson.
