A Closer Look at the Eagle Men Player Pool
A Closer Look at the Eagle Men Player Pool
Ruben de Haas, Hanco Germyshuys, and Bryce Campbell. David Barpal photo.
After Gary Gold named 41 players as his player pool for the USA Men's 15s team for this summer, we figured we would take a closer look at the players.
Fans will know most of the players, but a few are very new to the USA program. With 41 players you'd expect two or three players per position, but Gold has four flyhalves, four hookers, and four scrumhalves, indicating that he is looking to audition players for those positions. It's probably true that AJ MacGinty remains the #1 flyhalf, and Gold might be pondering his options there. However, with the flyhalf players, the other three could all play some fullback.
Gold is certainly looking to reevaluate his depth chart at scrumhalf, while he just seems to have a bunch of good hookers and wanted to figure out where they all lie.
With no Paul Lasike he's looking for a center option, and remember that several of the players listed at wing can also play center.
Of the 41 players named, 13 have never been capped, and one was capped twice, but four years ago. We're two years from a Rugby World Cup and four months from RWC qualifiers, and Gold has to start seeing what younger players will help him long-term.
Here's a look at the 41 USA players with some info on their style of play, their background, and, when necessary, how they qualify for the USA. (If we don't say anything about a player's USA qualification it's because he's US born).
| David Ainu'u | Prop | Toulouse (FRA) | Playing relatively regularly for Toulouse. Played his HS rugby with Liberty HS in Washington state. |
| Malon Al-Jiboori | Flanker | Ealing Trailfinders (ENG) | Playing some time on Ealing, which leads the RFU Championship. Played his HS rugby at Union in Oklahoma, and in college at Lindenwood. |
| Harry Barlow | Center | New England Free Jacks | Played for England U19s but qualifies for the USA because his dad was born in the United States. Effective attacker and finisher who can play center or wing. |
| Michael Baska | Scrumhalf | Utah Warriors | Played his HS rugby at St. Thomas Aquinas and his college rugby at Arkansas State where he was an excellent 7s player as well as 15s. A very tenacious, scrappy player, he's been in good form for Utah. |
| Nick Boyer | Scrumhalf | Houston Sabercats | A tall, somewhat imposing scrumhalf with a good boot, tackling skills, and attacking flair, Boyer was a standout at Cal and before that Jesuit of Sacramento. He's been having a very good season for Houston. |
| Marcel Brache | Wing | Western Force (AUS) | Got some time with the Western Force and showed his ablity on a regular basis. |
| Nate Brakeley | Lock | Rugby United New York | Played his HS rugby at St. John's Prep in Massachusetts, and then went on to Dartmouth. He's been in excellent form for RUNY. He just puts in a ton of work, especially on defense. |
| Bryce Campbell | Center | Austin Gilgronis | Played his HS rugby at Royal Irish in Indianapolis and then won the Scholz Award at Indiana. He continues to be a huge presence in the midfield for Austin. |
| Luke Carty | Flyhalf | LA Giltinis | From Ireland (his older brother pays flyhalf for Connacht), His paternal grandmother was born in the United States and that'show he qualifies for the Eagles. |
| Nick Civetta | Lock | Rugby United New York | A hard-nosed lock who brings intelligence and a bit of a street fighter attitude to the game. Civetta played at Notre Dame, is working toward a graduate degree at Oxford ... oh and is a big reason why RUNY is in MLR's top three. |
| Ryan Rees | Scrumhalf | Rugby ATL | A product of Lake Travis HS and Life University, the 2020 Scholz Award finalist is a tenacious defender and opportunistic scrumhalf. |
| Mike Dabulas | Fullback | Old Glory DC | A star for the Union Mudturtles in New Jersey and then Penn State, "Chicken" played a lot of flyhalf but has find a place at fullback, where his ability to read the game, elude tacklers, and kick can shine. |
| Ruben De Haas | Scrumhalf | Austin Gilgronis | After shining for the Toyota Cheetahs, and before he joins Saracens, De Haas is with Austin now, and he remains perhaps the most unflappable young rugby player in the USA system. He was a HS All American while captaining the Little Rock Jr. Stormers, and was capped while still a teenager. |
| Cam Dolan | No. 8 | NOLA Gold | Still only 31, he has 51 caps and is a hugely effective No. 8 who has a habit of scoring important tries. Dolan started with the Naples (Fla.) program in HS and then won a championship with Life University before getting some time overseas. He's one of the best American rugby players. |
| Jamason Fa'anana Schultz | Flanker | Old Glory DC | He qualifies for the USA because his dad was born in the USA. Born in Australia, Fa'anana Schultz is a flanker and No. 8 who just gets work done. |
| Dylan Fawsitt | Hooker | Rugby United New York | "Butcher" is a hardworking hooker who throws well, scrums well, mauls well, and keeps on going. Irish by birth, Fawsitt qualifies for the USA by residency. |
| Mike Sosene Feagai | Hooker | Old Glory DC | Born in the USA, the Old Glory #2 is one of five (!) hookers on Gold's list. He hasn't had a lot of time on the field for the USA and will be working hard to get that time now. |
| Hanco Germishuys | Flanker | Rugby United New York | Germishuys was a HS All American while playing for Westside HS in Nebraska. He exploded onto the USA scene in 2018 but was a little up and down in 2019. A year working on his game at RUNY will have done him a lot of good. |
| Andrew Guerra | Flanker | NOLA Gold | Played his HS rugby in Illinois for Mt. Carmel HS and then at Notre Dame College, where he was a huge part of their DIAA success. He's not tall for an international loose forward but he's a battler and an athlete. |
| Riekert Hattingh | No. 8 | Seattle Seawolves | A big, hard-hitting No. 8 who gets on the Eagles thanks to residency. Highly respected in MLR circles. |
| Will Hooley | Flyhalf | Saracens (ENG) | With Saracens getting dropped down into the RFU Championship, Hooley has actually found more playing time, at flyhalf and at fullback. |
| Ryan James | Wing | LA Giltinis | A speedster out of Cathedral Catholic and a HS All American, James signed with LA through the Dallas dispersal draft. He's bulked up nicely, which he needed to do. |
| Mika Kruse | Center/Wing | Utah Warriors | Kruse played for Bullard HS, a team that was very physical and athletic. He is a big, powerful player who sees space like a flyhalf and is powerful enough to play center. |
| Titi Lamositele | Prop | Montpellier (FRA) | Still a young guy he made the move to France and has seen regular time with Montpellier. Lamositele started his rugby with the Chuckanut program in Washington state. |
| Matt Harmon | Prop | NOLA Gold | Harmon played for Lake Forest in HS, Kansas University, and then Life University. He's a very intense player and while at 5-10 he's not the tallest, that doesn't always matter at prop. |
| AJ MacGinty | Flyhalf | Sale Sharks (ENG) | Played at Life University. The Irish-born MacGinty qualified for the Eagles on residency. He's back with Sale in the UK and could be the best #10 in the league. Surely he had to have some British & Irish Lions selectors wondering if they can get an Irish-born USA player on the squad. He's been excellent this year. |
| Will Magie | Flyhalf | Austin Gilgronis | A smooth flyhalf who is a little different from MacGinty in that he runs less and probably kicks more. A former USA U20 captain who qualifies for the USA through parentage, Magie has been getting a lot of playing time, which is good. |
| Siaosi Mahoni | Lock | San Diego Legion | A HSAA and Junior All American with Penn Green, Mahoni was capped at a young age (20) while at Life West. Big, jovial (off the field), menacing (on the field), Mahoni needed time, which he's received. He's only 24, and is 6-8. |
| Ryan Matyas | Wing | San Diego Legion | An opportunistic and very smart wing. Played his HS rugby at Tempe and then was an All American at Arizona. |
| Conner Mooneyham | Wing | Austin Gilgronis | The #1 Draft Pick in the first MLR draft, the Woodlands HS and Life University product was dispersed to Austin and is doing just fine, thank you. He can play center or wing and is a very smart pick for a young uncapped player in this roster. |
| Gannon Moore | Wing | North Harbour (NZ) | Playing in New Zealand, Moore has continued to try to make his game better. He's a finisher. Played football in college but rugby for Siouxland in Nebraska. |
| Paul Mullen | Prop | Utah Warriors | Now with 18 caps this experienced, Irish-born prop has established himself as a big team player in the front row for the USA. |
| Greg Peterson | Lock | Newcastle Falcons | Peterson qualified as an Eagle thanks to an American grandfather. The Aussie-born lock has been excellent for Newcastle this season. He is their main lineout target, he defends, and he hits rucks, all day. |
| KP Pifeleti | Hooker | Saracens | Pifeleti qualified for the USA when he lived in the country for several years when he was young, which is kind of a new way to do it. He's been playing for Saracens and, with the new situation for that team, is getting more and more playing time and scoring tries. The pro playing time has done him a lot of good. |
| John Ryberg | Wing | LA Giltinis | Ryberg started his rugby at the University of Iowa and he quickly became a go-to try-scorer. And now with the Giltinis he has found a place to showcase his skills. |
| Joe Taufete'e | Hooker | Lyon (FRA) | The USa star hooker, who started his rugby with Belmont Shore Youth, hasn't played a ton for Lyon but he had been playing a lot so he was due for a rest. Still a central part of the USA pack. |
| Mike Te'o | Wing | Utah Warriors | An explosive player, as everyone knows, Te'o started playing with the Belmont Shore youth program. He breaks open games. |
| Moni Tonga’uiha | Center | NOLA Gold | A rock-hard center who played for the Oakland Warthogs in HS, and then Life West and the USA Islanders, Tonga'uiha is an imposing figure. He can provide some power in the midfield. |
| Dino Waldren | Prop | NOLA Gold | Played football at De La Salle and then rugby at Saint Mary's, Waldren has played professionally overseas and is now getting lots of time with NOLA. He can carry the rock but is really there to be an excellent scrummager and ruck-winner. |
| Chance Wenglewski | Prop | Rugby ATL | Played at Union HS in Oklahoma and Lindenwood University, where he was when he earned his first cap. Wenglewski really liked the scrum and it's the scrum and on defense where he shines. |
| Psalm Wooching | Flanker | San Diego Legion | Played HS in Hawaii and then rugby and football at the University of Washington. He was a potential NFL prospect, but opted for rugby and has been working his way toward higher honors. He's been capped four times but really he was rushed. He needed time and playing regularly for the last couple of years with the Legion has been important for him. He is a teeth-rattling tackler and a very effective runner. |
