USA 7s Coach Mike Friday will probably not be confused for Clint Eastwood, but he saw the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in Hong Kong last week.

The Ugly was the loss of Folau Niua, who unintentionally caught England’s James Rodwell with his boot during a ruck. Niua’s boot his Rodwell’s shoulder and bounced into the England star’s face. Friday was hoping for a mid-range suspension (two, maybe three games) but instead it was a six-game ban for the USA flyhalf. He will have to sit out the first day of competition in Japan. Short suspension or long, the Eagles lost the services of Niua on Sunday in Hong Kong, and that was a tough blow.

“Obviously not having a player of Folau’s quality to pick from weakens us and reduces our flexibility,” said Friday. “But as a squad the boys adjusted well and played some first-class 7s at times on that Day Three.”

In fact, they were one pass away from winning the Plate. That pass - from Zack Test to Andrew Durutalo - would likely have resulted in the winning try over Australia, but Durutalo was up a shade flat, and Test’s pass was behind him, so the ball rolled off Durutalo’s fingers and into touch. It was the latest in a small series of misalignments from players on a break, where the support runner was so flat that he almost forced the pass to pass forward.

“That last pass could have been glory but it was not to be and illustrated the harshness of internationals 7s,” said Friday. “If your accuracy is slightly off you pay the price.” 

The USA would not have been in that Plate Final had they won their Cup Quarterfinal against Samoa. That game, on paper, seemed eminently winnable, and yet the USA lost 26-15 after falling behind 21-0.

That was the Bad - the opening three minutes against Samoa.

“We showed how fragile as a group we can be when we are unable to get our hands on the ball,” said Friday, who felt his team didn’t keep their cool in that game. “Had we managed to score that try just before halftime then who knows” But we didn't and then however well we played we were always chasing a very difficult task. We have all asked the question why and it was not so much the inability to control the restart but more a mental composure to be patient and confident that we will get possession back if we defend accurate and patiently. We did neither, and that is not because we can’t, but more because we allowed ourselves to be distracted by the emotion of the moment. We are continuing to learn as players in this area and all these knock backs will make us stronger and more able to cope moving forward as long as we learn from these moments.”

Winning restarts and keeping the ball if they did win the restart seemed to have a direct relation to scoring tries. When the Eagles controlled the restart, they won games. And on the positive end, they are still winning games. In the last four tournaments the Eagles have earned 50 points in the standings, and posted record of 12-10-1. That may not seem like a startling record, but in a standard tournament distribution of results, only six teams finish a tournament over .500.

And they were winning in Hong Kong. While losing to Samoa, and losing the Plate Final might be disappointments, remember that the Eagles were once again in the top half of the draw. The Good.

“We did play some really good 7s rugby,” said Friday. “Barring those first three minutes against Samoa we performed well and certainly moved forward as a group showing the characteristics and traits that need to become our DNA. We showed resilience and grittiness to come back against Kenya, and in our games against England and Australia, and but for some suspect referee calls we would have won those games. I was very pleased with the progress the boys made albeit for the growing pains we are enduring.”

So next it’s Tokyo, where the USA’s reward for playing well of late is a really tough pool. They face South Africa, again, as well as Canada and Kenya. None of those games will be easy, and with Niua out for the first day, things will be even tougher. This second week will be a true test of a team that is trying to minimize the Bad and the Ugly.

“We are certainly getting closer to the best teams in the world, and are feared by all on the circuit, but we are desperate to make that  breakthrough and driven to achieve that consistency in performance so we can continue to move forward, improve and challenge in Cup Finals,” said Friday.