Chobot Taking American Raptors on Epic Road Trip

01.30.2023Int'l News

american raptors 2022 nov seth mcconnell

The American Raptors are set to start Super Rugby Americas action in a little more than two weeks, playing four games on the road to start the competition.

They kick-start it all with a game at the Seattle Seawolves in Tukwila, Wash. this coming weekend.

It’s a tough ask, but one the players are enthusiastic about. The Raptors are designed as a USA-heavy development team for the USA National Team. As a result, several players have chosen to play with them rather than Major League Rugby.

Others were a bit burned by the implosion of the Austin Gilgronis and LA Giltinis in MLR and found a home in Glendale with the Raptors.

We're ready to put the finishing touches on the preseason!

: Colton Strickler#RaptorsRugby pic.twitter.com/yCFHnHFvTr
— American Raptors (@AmericanRaptors) January 30, 2023

The roster includes 2020 Rudy Scholz Award-winner Payton Telea-Ilalio, who was a standout for Saint Mary’s, former HS All American Ethan McVeigh, who played his college rugby at Cardiff Met but is from San Diego, former Iowa Central standout Tavius Sykora-Matthess, Watson Filikitonga, a Scholz finalist out of Iona College, and Ronan Murphy, who was captain of Saint Mary’s and captains these Raptors, as well. Patrick Madden (Cal Poly) and Tommy Clark (AIC), both Scholz Finalists in 2020, have also signed on.

Meanwhile, the Raptors have a cadre of players who excelled at other sports (mostly football)—Cassh Maluia, Adagio Lopeti, Mikey Grandy, and Shawn Clark.

See more on signing on DJ Coil's Super Rugby Americas page>>

Many of the players have come to rugby late, or took a long time away from the game to concentrate on other sports in college. This is the offshoot of Glendale’s Crossover Academy program, which has put David Still on the USA 7s team and tracked many others to pro rugby contracts.

The team is coached by Sarah Chobot, who is breaking ground as a woman coaching a professional men’s team. Chobot has been with the Glendale crossover program since its inception.

“We’re really excited for the opportunity,” said Chobot. “Being in a new league and in a concept that until recently I wasn’t familiar with, it’s a little bit different in terms of preparation but we couldn’t be more excited to be a part of it. Through the first couple of years from the Colorado XOs through to becoming the American Raptors what we were doing was finding athletes who could take the next step into professional and international rugby, and what we’re going now is taking those players we think can take that step forward and combining them with some veterans.”

This Super Rugby Americas league will be a new world, for sure, with teams in there that are very, very close to a country’s national team (Chile, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay). The Raptors can't be caught up in that.

"The focus is still going to be about us and what we do," said Chobot. "It’s all about process."

aki pulu tempe 2020 photo christian echavarria

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Road Trip!

It's also about a couple of epic road trips. The Raptors will go to Seattle this coming weekend, and then return to Colorado for less than two days before they're off to Florida where they will train and potentially play another warmup game. And then it's off to South America for games in Santiago Chile, Montevideo, Uruguay, Bueanos Aires, Argentina, and Asunción Paraguay in successive weeks.

They will then return to Glendale for a long homestand before going South for two more games and (possibly) the playoffs. With that kind of schedule, keeping good team unity is a big part of the coach's job.

“You just have to think about those longer international tours," said Chobot. "You’ve got to make sure you carve out time for the guys to call home; you’ve got to carve out personal time and team time off the field. Being on the road can get stale, especially when you don’t have a home base. Every week is a new experience but at the same time you never really establish a home.”

The coaches also have to be detailed and efficient in training sessions. With so much going on—and the cultural side of the trip is not unimportant—they can't get bogged down in team-building issues during practice time. Practices will be concise and to the point said Chobot.

As far as the play on the field goes, "we want to keep things simple and well-executed," said the coach. "We want to play in the right areas of the field; we want to make sure our set piece is efficient and dependable. Defensively we'll give up some meters but we're looking to keep scores off the board."

Translation: this is an athletic team that might make defensive mistakes, but can't give up on plays.

The Players

All but maybe one or two players are USA eligible players, with the vast, vast majority born in the USA or American Samoa. It is a heavily Polynesian team, and the selections indicate a really interesting move toward bringing in players who might be playing other sports, but culturally have a knowledge of what rugby is about. Despite the influence Polynesian Americans have had on American rugby, the national team sometimes struggles to reflect that.

In addition, it's often the Polynesian players who excel in rugby and football and take the college scholarship or pro contract in football that wasn't available in rugby. But this Raptors team is a different animal, and it's notable that Aki Pulu, who was the straw that stirred the Tempe HS team's drink at HS Nationals last year is now, at 19, in Glendale, where he will get playing time.

As for the rugby players, Watson Filikitonga was in Gendale to get fit after injury and a car accident. He ended up essentially transforming his body, becoming bigger, stronger, and remaining quick. He will be a revelation. Telea-Ilalio will be an important voice of experience and knowledge in the tight five.

And then there's the captain, Ronan Murphy.

Video Interview with Ronan Murphy from 2019>>

A Scholk Award nominee the year his teammate Telea-Ilalio won it, Murphy is only half Irish, and he does an excellent job of bringing the players from all backgrounds together.

Said Chobot: "His style, how he is with the boys, his rugby knowledge ... he's going to be huge for us."

American Raptors, Super Rugby Americas

Road Trip!

The Players

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