When the USA plays Romania this coming weekend, it’s highly likely that Lou Stanfill will be a part of it, and, should he play, he will notch 50 caps, a milestone reached by only six other Eagles.

The former captain of Jesuit HS in Sacramento and later Cal has been a tireless servant of American rugby. He helped lead NYAC to a Super League title and now plays for Seattle Saracens. He scored two tries in the 2007 Rugby World Cup, and has played flanker, lock, and No. 8 for the team.

He is only 29, but is in his 10th season playing for the Eagles. Goff Rugby Report caught up with Stanfill after the USA were beaten by New Zealand 74-6 Saturday at a sold-out Soldier Field in Chicago. Stanfill subbed in late in that game, and said he simply tried to “fit 80 minutes into 15.”

But he still got a taste of what the game was like.

“It was a priceless experience,” said Stanfill. “The game went how it went. There’s a reason that they’re number one in the world. But we take that experience, we bank it, and we build off of it. We’re very appreciative to have it, and we just have to continue to build on it.”

Did the USA garner some respect? Stanfill, who hates to lose, said “a little bit.

“I don’t like coming off the field catching a hiding like that, but we understand our obstacles as a national team, and the lack of time we get to spend together and the lack of it being professional. These challenges are not going to change so we take them head-on. I thought we had some really good training sessions and a really good week.”

And against Romania?

“I guarantee that when we go into Romania the game will seem a bit slower!”

And Stanfill has an excellent shot at starting to get his 50th. He shrugged off the milestone, as players often do, joking that it didn’t even make him old.

“I think I got to old a couple of years ago,” said Stanfill, who said when he started playing rugby at Jesuit he didn’t even know what a cap was, let alone think he’d get to 50. “I am more excited to go into these test matches against teams ranked around us in the rankings and get some wins. When it’s all said and done the amount of caps you have doesn’t matter, it’s what you do with the time you have.”