Former USA star Zack Test coaches the USA Falcon's men's 7s team which kicks off tonight (Wednesday) at the Coral Coast 7s in Fiji.
The tournament will be streamed at https://www.fbcsports.com.fj/stream/day-1-coral-coast-7s and costs about US$22.
Former Chuckanut and Central Washington star, and a former Rudy Scholz Award finalists, Jack Wendling, will captain the squad, which includes a mix of senior residents and young athletes starting or continuing their journey in the USA pathways. In addition to the U23s players who stood out at RugbyTown 7s, Chicago Hounds winger Michael Hand joins the team. Also making his Falcons debut following an impressive Rugby Town 7s this past August, is Peter Sio, who was a standout for Belmont Shore's HS team and also qualifies for Samoa. He is the nephew of USA Eagle Alum Peter Sio who appeared on the Sevens Series from 2006-10 and now is Head Coach at Cal State Long Beach.
“This tournament is at a great point in these players’ development trajectory," said Test. "The speed, intensity, and playing style of the teams competing is a great opportunity to test ourselves to understand where we all are and how we close the gap for all to reach the best version of ourselves. Players have brought really good focus and competitiveness the week buildup and put themselves in a great place heading onto the plane down to Fiji. We are going to focus on our connection, our trust, and our discipline to drive us forward to handle, adapt, and solve any situation that we face."
Currently Assistant Coach with the USA Women's Sevens senior team, Test will head from Fiji to Australia to join the team for Perth SVNS the following weekend.
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"I am personally very excited to see this group in action," added Test. "We have players coming back from a long stint away for multiple reasons, Maceo Brown returns bringing his attacking prowess and experience along with the physical Lorenzo Thomas. With the experience comes newer faces to the scene and I am excited to see Peter Sio, Tucker Trickey, and Ulu Niutupuivaha showcase their abilities at a high level.”
