The USA Men’s 7s team have won the London 7s.

Think about that for a moment.

For the first time ever in the international Sevens World Series history, the USA has won a tournament. They won it. The whole thing.

Martin Seras Lima photo.

After wining their pool, beating France, Portugal, and South Africa, the Eagles entered Day Two realizing that everyone on the team is valuable, and that winning restart ball and making tackles are always important.

And what happened on Day Two was that they not only beat teams, they absolutely crushed them. 29-10 over Canada; a 43-12 humbling of the home team, England, in the semi, and then the final.

In the final Australia opened the scoring, but then Danny Barrett barrelled through to set up Madison Hughes for a try, and moments later the Eagles won the restart and Barrett steamrolled over for another USA score. The former Cal All American made it three for three as he was there on the wing after good work from Maka Unufe,  Hughes, and Matai Leuta.

Australia replied and it was 19-10 late in the first half when a brilliant sequence with Leuta, Unufe, Folau Niua, and then back to Unufe again created another try.

The crowd was screaming … for the USA.

Up 26-10 at halftime the Eagles now ere in danger of thinking the game needed to be closed down. But there was ten minutes left, and they needed to attack more, and that’s what they did.

Having not used Perry Baker in the first half because the power runners were doing the job, the Eagles sent it out to Baker from a lineout. He beat two men, swerved to the sideline, and was over.

Niua hit another tough conversion to make it 33-10.

Australia replied, but then the USA ran a penalty move that seemed to be going nowhere until Unufe took a gap just outside his 22 and took an angle to the corner … just like that. 38-15.

With three minutes to go it seemed like it was all settled, and while the USA had to defend their line thanks to a missed lineout throw and a really dodgy penalty call, once again their defense, including Madison Hughes and Barrett, was there.

That was Barrett’s last play, in fact, and maybe he was the talisman as a weird bounce fell to Ausssie hands for a try and it was 38-22.

But then, to cap it off, Thretton Palamo, who had hardly seen any time this week, got a chance. The Saracens player who was brought in as an injury replacement for Zack Test, Palamo sold a huge dummy and went for the corner, with his team yelling for him to go. 45-22, and that was it.

Not only did they play, they played brilliantly, they did it without Zack Test, who was injured. They did it  without Garret Bender, who was serving a suspension. They did it not only by winning, but by blowing teams out. They won all six games, and humbled really good teams.

“Their work ethic has bee fantastic and they’ve played some fantastic 7s today,” said Head Coach Mike Friday, who credited hard work and not only to the players on the field, but also the players back at Chula Vista and the work they did. “They are a credit to their country.”