Former USA flanker Inaki Basauri is back in his home area working with players in a series of sessions in Burtonsville, MD.

USA Eagle #378, Basauri played for the Maryland Exiles U19 team and also the USA U19s before going on to play professionally in Europe and make the full Eagles squad. He played in the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France.

Currently a professional coach in France, he is also coaching with the Denmark national team and continuing his coaching education.

This week, he is back in Maryland and ran a session at Fairland Recreation Park in Burtonsville, and will do another at 7PM on Thursday, July 11.

All players and coaches in the area are invited to attend.

Despite his long professional and international rugby history, Basauri demurred when discussing what knowledge he had to impart.

"I just want to see what are some of the needs the team has and see if I can work with the coaches to put together a session," he said.

Basauri has just finished received his coaching diploma from the French Rugby Federation (FFR), which is slightly more intensive that World Rugby's Level 3 accreditation.

"I started in August of 2018," he said. "It was 530 hours space our over one-week sessions every month at the national center for rugby in Marcoussis. Now I am trying to coach as much as possible with all different types of levels to learn and get as much experience as possible."  

For the past three years Basauri has been coaching with Nantes, Le Rheu, and Le XV de L’Erdre in France, and also served as the forwards and defense coach for Demark in the past year.

He has just signed a one-year contract with Angers in France's Federal 3 league, serving as Director of Rugby and running their academy program. But his long-term plan is toe return to the Washington DC area.

"I want to get to my family and hopefully start giving back to the rugby community," he said.

Just show up at Fairland Recreation Park at 7PM on Thursday for the next session.

And Rugby Maryland is also in action this week, hosting the Yarn School out of England on July 13.