GRR: Eagle Men
USA 7s Coach Mike Friday will probably not be confused for Clint Eastwood, but he saw the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in Hong Kong last week.
HONG KONG – The USA Men’s Eagles Sevens finished Hong Kong runners up in the Plate after something of a let-down on Day Three of the grueling tournament.
After winning their pool in the first two days of competition, the Eagles lost their Cup Quarterfinal against Samoa, defeated Argentina in the Plate Semi, and then lost a close one to Australia in the Plate FInal.
In a thrilling game the USA tied England 21-21 in pool play in Hong Kong and won their pool on points difference, setting up Sunday’s Cup Quarterfinal against Samoa.
The Eagles went into the game knowing they were ahead of England on points difference, and thus a tie would see them pool winners. Won or lose, the USA was in the Cup Quarters.
The USA is into the Cup Quarterfinals in the Hong Kong 7s after crushing Wales 40-12 in the second game of pool play.
Well it wasn’t easy, but the USA did open their account in Hong Kong with a victory; it just took them seven minutes to get in the game.
The teams play just one game on Friday night in Hong Kong, and so the game has a special character - there’s no other game to save yourself for, and one bad loss can make for a long night.
Pages
