In this column by Goff Rugby Report Editor Alex Goff, the USA 7s team is examined through the blunt evaluation of its head coach.

So I asked Mike Friday what his thoughts were about his USA 7s team winning the Plate in South Africa, and his answer was, perhaps not surprising, but enlightening.

“Well it was nice,” said Friday. “But I don’t know if we should be high-fiving each other for finishing 5th.”

Well, that was direct. Friday is, of course, very direct. He makes it very plain what he wants and what he likes … and what he doesn’t like, such as losing.

“The takeaway from that tournament was, yes we took a step forward. But in the games against New Zealand and South Africa, we were in it at halftime. Had we been a bit more composed, we could have won those games.”

Friday said the team has needed a change of attitude, both in terms of how they work as a unit and how they approach games. He thinks the team needs to embrace a championship work ethic, and he was blunt, to put it bluntly, after the Eagles bowed out in the Bowl Semis in Dubai.

“It was a volatile two weeks,” said Friday of the Dubai/South Africa trip. “We had some sharp words, not only from me to them, but from them, too. I encourage that. We need honesty both ways, we need an honest environment. But we need to be more collaborative now. The players need to be helping each other. And we need to adjust how we look at success.”

Friday didn’t exactly say this - that winning the Bowl in Australia seemed a good outcome to the team, and so they weren’t satisfied so much as moderately OK with that. The result a tournament later, of course, as a level low than that. That’s not acceptable for Friday. 

“We did better in parts in Port Elizabeth,” said Friday of the South African effort. “But in Dubai and Gold Coast we missed it. We need to be consistent, otherwise we’re in for some harsh treatment. Our goal is to be successful and play well both Day One and Day Two. And on Day Two we want to be playing well in the main competition [i.e. top eight].”

So that’s the message. Hey great, winning the Plate is nice, but it’s four teams did better, so let’s beat those four teams.

The Eagles actually have the talent and ability right now to beat those teams. But they don’t have that consistency of purpose. In Gold Coast, New Zealand missed the semifinals, ending a string of 25 straight tournaments where they’ve been among the top four. That doesn’t just take talent and coaching, it takes enormous will and consistency of purpose. That’s the consistency Friday wants. It’s also worth looking at that perspective; what the Eagles celebrated in Port Elizabeth (winning the Plate) was treated with dismay by New Zealand in Gold Coast.