Why previously unheralded USA have risen to number one in Sevens
Mike Friday, the USA Eagles head coach, has transformed our whole Sevens programme and five successive HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series finals appearances with back-to-back titles in Las Vegas is testament to his vision and hard work.
Mike and his team of coaches and staff have masterminded our rise to the top of the table and given everyone in the squad the belief we can win the title and then aim for gold at the Olympic Games in Tokyo next year. This is all like a dream and it is one I don’t want to wake up from.
I like to think of Mike as our guardrail because he keeps us on track and moving in the right direction to achieve our goals and he won’t take any personal credit and gives it all to the players. Ben Ryan rightly received lots of praise while he was in charge of Fiji, taking them to Olympic gold in Rio. However, Ben was working with players from a country where rugby – and sevens in particular- is a national sport. Mike is operating in the USA where many people still don’t know anything about the game and he changes everything for a Tier 2 team and puts them into a position where they are No1 in the Sevens rankings. That speaks volumes for Mike and shows how smart he is and it is great time to be involved with USA rugby.
Of course, our success in the HSBC Series, along with the strides being made by our 15s who are competing in this year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan, is helping raise the profile of rugby at home and we saw clear evidence of this in Las Vegas where the fans were incredible and invaded the pitch after we beat Samoa to retain the title. The party went on all night long!
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In case you missed it: News RoundUp – 8th March 2019
I was part of the television commentary team and had to fight really hard to control my excitement as the guys powered their way to the title. I was so pumped because I know what the squad had been through. A lot of fans were asking when I was going to be back and it is going to be a race against time to make Hong Kong or Singapore and it will all depend on when I get the metalwork taken out of my mouth following the double break of the jaw I suffered in Hamilton.
As a squad, we always believed we could reach the top and everything we have been doing is aimed at playing consistently. Five successive final appearance this season confirms just how far we have come and we have also dealt with injury problems during that period. Having grabbed the No1 position in the Series we have set our sights on staying there to give us a wonderful lead into the Olympic Games. It took a bit of time for people to get on board and see that we can become No1 and now we are expected to get to the final and people have to understand just how hard it is to reach five in a row.
The excitement generated by our win in Las Vegas is something that we can build on to get more players involved in the game at all ages in North America. At the HSBC Canada Sevens in Vancouver, where the USA squad will be aiming for more success this weekend, they are putting a lot of work into the successful HSBC Rookie Rugby Programme which since 2017 has introduced an amazing 90,000 Canadian youngster to rugby, including 43,000 girls.
Any programme aimed at boosting playing number benefits greatly from having a player who captures the headlines and in Canada that is the incredible Ghislaine Landry, who was initially told she was too small to play rugby and is now the all-time leading points scorer on the women’s Series. Ghislaine is this season’s top points scorer to highlight her amazing consistency and HSBC have put together a film charting her rise to the top of the women’s game and it has been released to coincide with International Women’s Day.
The women’s Sevens series is currently led by New Zealand with USA and Canada battling for top spot and the competition is really intense. This really is a great time to be involved with Sevens and Vancouver is going to be another example of why the sport has become so popular.
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Comments on RugbyPass
Sometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to comments