USA Men Look to Dubai and Owe Thanks to the PR7s All-Star Tournament
USA Men Look to Dubai and Owe Thanks to the PR7s All-Star Tournament
Already it's clear that the PR7s All-Star Tournament was a massive success.
Putting PR7s All-Stars up against a provisional USA team was an important test for all of those players. This was especially true given that the PR7s All-Stars also had USA hopefuls on their squads.
For the men's teams, new USA Coach Simon Amor got a chance to see how young players competed.
And they did, indeed, compete. Darius Law was dangerous throughout for the PR7s All-Stars and was a scoring threat against the USA. The result was the former Charlotte Tiger / Life University Running Eagle is on the USA squad to play in Dubai and Cape Town.
Darrell Williams had been selected for the PR7s All-Stars but was switched out onto the USA team and that was an indication that he would probably get a USA nod. But either way, the powerful Williams was there to show leadership and be a physical presence. He proved himself in both areas. Michael Hand was another player on the All-Stars team that has been named to the USA squad for Dubai and Cape Town. Hand, who learned his rugby in Ireland but also played at Baylor, is another big, powerful player with a big engine. He showcased a nifty sidestep, too, and it was this tournament, playing against international-level competition, that earned him another USA look.
Meanwhile, players who were on the USA side in Portland had some pressure to show their abilities, too. Peter Sio, Jr. made a series of big plays for the USA, and that tight game with the All-Stars, won bby the USA 31-24 on the final play, can owe much to the former Belmont Shore/CSULB star. Sio picked his opposite's pocket off a scrum to set up one try, and forced another turnover to set up his team's fourth try.
We wouldn't know whether Sio could do this without the All-Star Tournament.
Add to that Porter Goodrum. A smart field general with a good boot, Goodrum showed off some nice space awareness and a turn of pace to score the game-winner for the USA. It was nice to see his former Charlotte Tiger teammate, Law, congratulate him. They are both on the USA team.
All of this is to say that Amor is making some speculative selections because he has to—retirements have meant he is starting from scratch for much of his team. However, the PR7s All-Star Tournament gave Amor and the USA program a dress rehearsal for Dubai and Cape Town. No, it wasn't exactly a SVNS-level tournament, but it was close, and without it Amor might have been selecting somewhat blind.
And finally, we found out something we knew already—Aaron Cummings is a leader and a player to look up to. His work rate, his intelligence, and his unselfishness makes him an ideal captain for the USA.
Here is the USA Men's 7s team:
| USA Men's Sevens Roster | Dubai & Cape Town SVNS | |
| Name | SVNS Tournaments |
| 1. Aaron Cummings (C) | 22 |
| 6. David Still III | 18 |
| 7. Peter Sio Jr. | Debut |
| 8. Lance Williams | 6 |
| 10. Faitala Talapusi (C) | 19 |
| 12. Lucas Lacamp | 20 |
| 13. Jack Wendling | 5 |
| 14. Darius Law | Debut |
| 15. Michael Hand | Debut |
| 22. Porter Goodrum | Debut |
| 25. Pita Vi | 9 |
| 27. Marcus Tupuola | 32 |
| 33. Darrell Williams | Debut |
SVNS Opening Tournaments:
Dubai November 30-Dec 1
USA vs New Zealand 1:06AM ET Nov 30
USA vs Fiji 4:52AM ET Nov 30
USA vs Spain 9:54AM ET Nov 30
Knockout games Dec 1
Cape Town December 7-8
