International Rugby News
The US Olympic Committee had a hand in the removal of Matt Hawkins as USA 7s team Head Coach.
The move came after an exhaustive post-season examination of both the men’s and women’s teams. Both were put under the microscope by USA Rugby representatives (including CEO Nigel Melville) and the USOC.
Leadership is an important factor in the early stages of a national team tour, especially with a team that has to handle turnover, such as the High School All Americans.
Head Coach Salty Thompson certainly expects his more experienced players to establish the tone.
The USA v New Zealand test match looks set to be a massive financial windfall for USA Rugby.
tickets sales have topped 40,000 and are expected to go above 50,000 before kickoff November 1 at Soldier Field in Chicago. This game was a bit of a risk for USA Rugby, but it appears, at present, to have paid off with easily the biggest paying crowd at an American rugby event.
The new Men’s USA 7s High Performance Camp is supposed to give players exposure to the new USA coaching staff, and it will; it might also put existing camp members on notice.