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New era for USA Men’s Sevens with five debutants named for SVNS opener
By Finn Morton
New head coach Simon Amor has ushered in the dawn of a new era for the USA Men’s Sevens side by selecting five debutants in the 13-player squad for Dubai and Cape Town. The new HSBC SVNS Series season gets underway this weekend in Dubai from November 30 to December 1.
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Peter Sio Jr, Darius Law, Michael Hand, Porter Goodrum and Darrell Willaims have all been named to make their HSBC SVNS debuts at Dubai’s The Sevens Stadium. Sio Jr and Goodrum recently represented the USA at the Premier Rugby Sevens All-Star Tournament in Portland.
Law, Hand, and Darrell Williams join a talented roster that includes a mix of experience and youthful potential. Aaron Cummings and Faitala Talapusi will serve as co-captains, and the squad boasts four 2024 Olympians among its ranks.
Cummings, Lucas Lacamp, Marcus Tupuola, and Pita Vi played for Team USA at the Paris Olympic Games earlier this year. The Americans made the quarter-finals but were knocked out of medal contention 18-nil by an Australian side that brought its A-game to Stade de France.
Jack Wendling, David Still III, Faitala Talapusi and Lance Williams are a quartet of returning Eagles who will need to step up as leaders and veterans within this squad with some legends having retired, including Perry ‘The Speedstick’ Baker and Madison Hughes.
This is the coaching debut for Amor, who was unveiled about 55 days ago as Mike Friday’s successor. Amor, who was the inaugural recipient of World Rugby’s Sevens Player of the Year honour in 2004, is looking forward to the 2024/25 season with a new-look USA side.
“With a number of great and long-standing players retiring after the Paris Olympics, Dubai becomes the first step for a new group on our journey aiming to win a medal at our LA 2028 Olympics,” head coach Simon Amor said in a statement.
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“The team selected for Dubai therefore has five players making their debuts, as we go from one of the most experienced and oldest teams on the HSBC SVNS, to one of the least experienced and youngest.
“We are looking to evolve how we play, using our talent and speed, and while our inexperience means we will not be perfect, we will always show the grit and togetherness that is at the heart of any great USA team.”
The Dubai Sevens is from November 30 to December 1, while Cape Town will host the second event of the season the following week from December 7 to 8 – all live on RugbyPass TV. It’s free to sign up for RugbyPass TV.
Perth, Vancouver, Hong Kong China and Singapore will host the other four regular season events during the 2024/25 campaign, while Los Angeles will host the World Championship event which is not to be missed.
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USA Men’s Sevens roster
Aaron Cummings (c), David Still III, Peter Sio Jr*, Lance Williams, Faitala Talapusi (c), Lucas Lacamp, Jack Wendling, Darius Law*, Michael Hand*, Porter Goodrum*, Pita Vi, Marcus Tupuola, Darrell Williams*
*Denotes HSBC SVNS debut