If there is one player (aside from AJ MacGinty) who raised his stock in the last few games with the USA, it’s hooker Zach Fenoglio.

The Glendale Raptors captain, former Regis Jesuit USA U19 player, and Loyola Marymount All American, had his best series of games for the Eagles.

Known for his leadership for the Raptors, and for his impressive work rate, Fenoglio sometimes seemed a bit at sea for the USA. But this year he strode more confidently onto the field, hit his marks in the lineouts, and produced some stellar defense - making his tackles and making them behind the gain line.

“It was great to get back into it with the guys,” said Fenoglio. “As a team we started to buy into the culture of both attack and defense. We’re not a finished product, and we definitely have things to work on, but it was good.”

Fenoglio has long been chasing a backup role behind Phil Thiel, but the two seem to be relatively event at the moment, and if you measure lineout throwing accuracy, Fenoglio has nudged ahead. The Raptor won’t agree to that assessment, saying he Thiel work well together and are both trying to make the World Cup squad. But it’s clear Fenoglio is playing better.

“For me, I want to be whatever the guys need me to be on the field,” he said. “I’ve received a lot of feedback in the past year or two on my game, and I have always wanted to be in the mix. The standard in club rugby has improved, but still for anybody on the US national team, there’s nothing like playing in an international match. Getting into the flow of the games was something I had to adjust to. I have learned to think ahead, and also not getting too frantic.”

It has helped, said Fenoglio, to take on a coaching role. Rugby has come full circle as Fenoglio is the Head Coach for the Regis Jesuit HS team he used to play for. Coaching, said the hooker, has taught him a lot about the game and how players at other positions fit into the scheme of the game.

“It has given me a unique perspective,” Fenoglio said. “It has helped me to continue to analyze areas of my game, as well as having a better idea of what’s going on from a tactical standpoint. And playing for the USA has helped me as a coach.”

As a player, Fenoglio said he tries to be a mobile hooker - like an extra loose forward - and at the same time he knows his bread is buttered at the set piece.

“I just want to make an impact,” he said. “I know the hooker has two primary responsibilities, the scrum and the lineout, and so for that I went back to the basics and made sure I produce the best execution there. But the big thing I worked on was my defense. I talked to [USA defense coach] Phil Bailey, who said I was making a lot of tackles, but not always the most dominant or effective tackles, so that’s what I want to bring to the game now.”

Fenoglio has a lot of coaches who helped him project through the ranks, from select-side coaches such as Salty Thompson (HS All Americans) and Matt Sherman (College All Americans), but also in everyday situations. His first high school coach was Dan O’Leary at Regis Jesuit, who was hugely influential in building Fenoglio’s love of the game, and Larry Docimo and Ray Thompson at Loyola Marymount.

“Regis gave me my start and I was also fortunate to have great coaches at LMU,” said Fenoglio. “We weren’t a top college team, but it was a point of pride for me to play my best regardless. We got to tour Japan, France, and the Cayman Islands, and that gave us high-level opportunities. And when I got to the college select sides and All Americans, I knew that all that mattered was whether I could play. So I got my homework done and focused on the small things.

Current All American Head Coach Gavin Hickie was Fenoglio’s first club coach, at Belmont Shore in Southern California, and helped him transition from prop to hooker, a key move as hooker is where Fenoglio has shone.

“That was big for me, and then I go to Glendale and I’ve got Andre Snyman and Robbie Dawe, and I’ve also been able to work with [USA Rugby] strength and conditioning coach Dave Williams. I’ve been blessed to have these guys.”

Fenoglio remains proof that you don’t have to go to BYU or Cal to make the national team, but also proof that anyone who wants to attain that dream has to work supremely hard to get there, and even harder to stay there. This summer of improve performances shows that Fenoglio may well be there to stay.