One of the aspects of playing with major select and touring teams is how you don't have to work so hard.
That's right, you heard us, not so hard. Players on the Eagle Impact Rugby Academy (EIRA) tour of Chile have learned that the overall quality of their teammates can make things a bit easier.
"Going into this tour I thought it would be harder, in a way," said Missoula Stampeder Bo Morrison. "When you start you almost over-work. But you learn to trust your teammates."
"Where I play at home we have no more than 10 teams in the state, and there's a lot of hero ball," said Drew Smith of the Greer 76ers in South Carolina. "Honestly it can be selfish rugby. But coming here I realize these guys have been playing rugby for a long time and are all good. It took me a while to realize I just have to do my job and rely on my 12 and my 15 and other teammates ... and just do my job."
It's an adjustment many players have to make, going from expecting to do a lot as the top player on a team, to being part of a more even group where you don't have to make someone else's tackle.
The key, added Liberty Patriot Marek Wright, is actual teamwork.
"This is such a tight-knit group," Wright added. "It's good that we are coming together and it allows you to develop as a leader too."
EIRA plays the Chilean U18 team at the Chilean national High Performance Center on Tuesday with games at 4PM and another match following after.
De La Salle HS
Saint Mary's (Rudy Scholz Finalist)
USA U20s (Captain)
USA Men's National 15s Team (Debut vs Georgia 2023 at age 20)
As a 17-year-old Spencer Huntley required a waiver to play for the USA U20s, an indication of how he was rated in the USA age-grade pathway. He got that waiver and impressed for the USA U20s, and then moved up to the USA U23s. He led the San Diego Mustangs to a national HS Club championship in 2024.
He also played in the SoCal single-school league for Cathedral Catholic.
Hope Rogers began playing rugby at age 16 in high school and continued to compete during her time at Penn State University. There, she won four National Championships, was crowned MVP on two occasions, was named to the USA Under-20s and earned Collegiate All-American honors for four years. Rogers was also an impressive discus player during her senior year in high school where she broke a school record and won Gold at Districts for the sport.
Mike played for Life College, Philly-Whitemarsh and played for the USA National 7s and 15s teams in the 1980s and 1990s.
He was also part of the Atlantis touring side, playing 7s for the team in several around the world.
