New Eagles Earn Caps Says Gold

11.10.2022

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Gary Gold has faith in his new guys.

The USA Men’s 15s Head Coach will be starting Vili Helu, Cory Daniel, and Mitch Wilson for the second straight game after making their debuts last Friday against Kenya.

Wilson was a captain of Life University, where he was an All American, and has taken a nice step forward with the New England Free Jacks in MLR. Known for his leadership, composure, and shiftiness, Wilson brings a wide range of skills to the fullback position.

Vili Helu was also a captain in college, at Saint Mary’s, and suited up with Wilson for the All Americans back in 2019. Tall, speedy, and knowledgeable, Helu brings an added dimension to the Eagles. Daniel, meanwhile, is still new to the game but was an accomplished athlete in other sports. As an openside flanker all he needs to do in many ways is to be let loose and keep his penalty count down.

“One of the benefits of us being able to spend as much time together as we have we’ve been able to observe these guys in as good an environment as a professional club,” Gold told GRR. “Having mixed and matched during those games against the Cheetahs and the Pumas in the Western Province, we looked to see a few different combinations and those three guys and a couple of others were really impressive.”

Wilson showed plenty of poise while Helu, said Gold, added another dimension to their lineout.

“And Cory Daniel’s just got a ridiculous work rate,” added Gold. “These three guys have really stepped up to the plate. And I think one of the criticisms that was labeled, certainly against me, was what the inability to make changes and bring in fresh faces. Certainly after Chile we had a long, hard look at that and we wanted to give guys the chance to step up to the plate and, regardless of how many caps a guy has, we wanted to get the right guys on the field to make a difference.”

Not only those three but Jack Iscaro, Ryan Rees, and Nate Sylvia off the bench have also showed they belonged, said Gold.

New Eagles Earn Caps Says Gold

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