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With the pressure of qualifying for the Olympics out of the way, USA Rugby’s attention turns towards the Eagles preparation for the upcoming Rugby World Cup. The squad has a full slate of matches scheduled this Summer to prepare the side as they head to England as the underdog looking for an upset. The Eagles are slotted into Pool B alongside South Africa, Samoa, Scotland, and Japan.
With a jam-packed Summer ahead of them, Eagles’ Head Coach Mike Tolkin has named his Rugby World Cup training squad. The 50-man squad is a mix of experience, potential, and youth. Of the players in the training squad, 20 are playing their trade professionally overseas and five are in the Residency program with the USA Sevens team. The remaining players are based with domestic clubs. The Seattle Saracens commit the most to the roster as nine of their players have been named to the squad.
Fresh off of Olympic qualification, forwards Danny Barrett and Andrew Durutalo join the roster along with backs Zach Test, Brett Thompson, and Folau Niua. Notably absent from the roster is Madison Hughes who many have pegged for a shot at an Eagles 15s cap to go along with his World-Class sevens play.
Back in the mix is Taku Ngwenya who saw action last Fall with the Eagles and still has some striking power. He’ll face stiff competition for a roster spot with a solid group of wings. Inaki Basauri also returns to the fold after being absent from the roster for most of the past two years. He’ll also be in for a battle as the Eagles are extremely deep in the 2nd and 3rd rows.
“In the last World Cup cycle, we didn’t have nearly the same level of depth as we do this go-round,” Tolkin said in a release from USA Rugby. “It gives you a little bit of relief to think that, if someone were to go down or wasn’t playing well, there are some quality choices that you can make experience-wise.”
The Eagles are most notably loaded in their back-row forwards as they have star-power in Samu Manoa, Scott LaValla, Danny Barrett, Cam Dolan, and the aging Captain Todd Clever. The depth of the Eagles’ back row allows Head Coach Mike Tolkin to employ Manoa and LaValla in the 2nd row as well providing a capable and mobile forward pack. The battle for roster spots in the Eagles’ back row should be one of the most interesting competitions this Summer.
The Eagles’ training camp begins on the West Coast on July 11th as the team prepares for the Pacific Nations Cup. The Eagles face off against two of their World Cup opponents as they take on Samoa on July 18th at the new Avaya Stadium in San Jose, CA and then battle Japan on July 24th at Bonney Field in Sacramento.
After the first two rounds of the PNC, the games shift to Canada as the Eagles play Tonga on July 29th at BMO Field in Toronto. The PNC Finals take place on August 3rd at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, Canada.
The USA finishes off their pre-RWC preparations in August with a match against English Premiership side Harlequins before taking on Australia at Soldier Field in Chicago in their final World Cup warm up match.
Men’s Eagles | Rugby World Cup 2015 Training Squad
Danny Barrett – Men’s Eagles Sevens
Inaki Basauri – Tarbes (France)
Chris Baumann – Santa Monica RFC
Todd Clever – OMBAC
Tom Coolican – Sydney Stars (Australia)
John Cullen – Seattle Saracens RFC
Cameron Dolan – Cardiff RFC (Wales)
Andrew Durutalo – Men’s Eagles Sevens
Zach Fenoglio – Glendale Raptors RFC
LeMoto Filikitonga – Metropolis RFC
Eric Fry – Newcastle RFC (England)
Troy Hall – NYAC
Seamus Kelly – San Francisco Golden Gate RFC
Olive Kilifi – Seattle Saracens RFC
Niku Kruger – Kutztown University
Titi Lamositele – Saracens RFC (England)
Ben Landry – Seattle Saracens RFC
Scott LaValla – Stade Francais (France)
Toby L’Estrange – NYAC
Chad London – Glendale Raptors RFC
Samu Manoa – Toulon RFC (France)
Tim Maupin – Trinity College (Ireland)
Al McFarland – NYAC
AJ MacGinty – Life Rugby
Ronnie McLean – Ealing RFC (England)
Matekitonga Moeakiola – Castenet (France)
Louis Mulholland – University of Bath (England)
Takudzwa Ngwenya – Biarritz (France)
Folau Niua – Men’s Eagles Sevens
Thretton Palamo – Saracens RFC (England)
Zach Pangelinan – OMBAC
Greg Peterson – Glasgow Warriors (Scotland)
Mike Petri – NYAC
John Quill – NYAC
Blaine Scully – Cardiff RFC (Wales)
Robbie Shaw – Bristol RFC (England)
Mike Shepherd – Seattle Saracens RFC
Hayden Smith – Saracens RFC (England)
Louis Stanfill – Seattle Saracens RFC
Tim Stanfill – Seattle Saracens RFC
Kyle Sumsion – Brigham Young University
Andrew Suniula – CSM Bucuresti (Romania)
Shalom Suniula – Seattle Saracens RFC
Zach Test – Men’s Eagles Sevens
Phil Thiel – Life Rugby
Brett Thompson – Men’s Eagles Sevens
Matt Trouville – Seattle Saracens RFC
Tai Tuisamoa – London Scottish RFC (England)
Nick Wallace – Glendale Raptors RFC
Chris Wyles – Saracens RFC (England)
Men’s Eagles | Staff
Mike Tolkin – Head Coach
Justin Fitzpatrick – Assistant Coach (Forwards)
Nate Osborne – Assistant Coach (Backs/Attack)
Phil Bailey – Assistant Coach (Defense)
David Williams – Strength and Conditioning Coach
Chris O’Brien – Assistant Coach
Paul Goulding – Video Analyst
Richard Quincy – Physiotherapist
Zach Vyhnanek – Physiotherapist
Sarah Sall – Massage Therapist
Matt Schmitz – Doctor
Sam Akhavan – Doctor
Steve Durant – Sports Psychologist
Matt McCarthy – Media Manager
Kevin Battle – Assistant Team Manager
Tristan Lewis – Team Manager
