Consistency, Restarts, and X-Factor Needed for 7s Eagle Men
Consistency, Restarts, and X-Factor Needed for 7s Eagle Men
USA Men's 7s Head Coach Mike Friday acknowledged that the 2023-24 SVNS opener in Dubai was up and down for the Eagles.
Consistency, and perhaps a little personal accountability, were the watchwords.
Tickets for the Los Angeles 7s stop in the SVNS world cricuit are on sale now!
"There is a little bit of reflection and recognizing that as a young, developing squad, you can only be deemed young for so long," Friday told GRR correspondent Hanno Van Vuuren. As the Eagles get set to face Ireland, Great Britain, and South Africa in Cape Town, they know it won't get any easier.
It's going to be tough, said Friday, "but you need to stay in that arm wrestle."
There are other aspects of the game where the USA could see some improvement. Strangely, restarts is one of them. The USA has spent many years among the best in the world, or THE best in the world, on restarts, but struggled this time around.
"With Folau Niua kicking and the aerialists we had ... we were on a kickoff chase of 50%," Friday told Van Vuuren. "So we were the best in the world by quite some way. And it is a hugely competitive part of the game now. But I think what's even more important is how well you deal with your kickoff receipt ... and that's where we need to be up around the 90% mark."
Friday spoke more about what he wants to see from his players—executing basic skills well and consistently is one thing, but he also wants them to try fancy plays.
"We've got bags of X-factor," said Friday. "Ultimately [though] the game is built upon executing the fundamentals every time all the time and being consistent in your tackle technique, being consistent in your pass and catch, being consistent on your ball [presentation], being consistent on your on attacking clear, being consistent on your decision-making and recognizing attacking pictures (and defensive) is the essence of the game."
Don't Forget
The USA will host the SVNS LAX March 2-3 at Dignity Health Sports Park. This will be, as all the SVNS tournaments are now, both the men and women in action at the site of the rugby event for the 2028 Olympic Games. This will also be a nice preview of the 2024 Olympic Games for fans. With a festival and music and food and a party atmosphere, the SVNS LAX cannot be missed.
