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It has already been a busy year for the Eagles and they have yet to crack the seal on their Summer. The squad is in the midst of their busiest year to date and are getting ready to embark on a whirlwind tour that will take the Eagles to California, Canada, Philadelphia, and Chicago before they head off to England for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
To help navigate the busy Summer schedule and determine the RWC squad, Eagles’ Head Coach Mike Tolkin has named a 50-man training squad for the Summer. With a few key positions that need settled before heading to England, Tolkin should have plenty of opportunities to get a good look at his roster.
The Summer series of matches include a sneak peak at RWC pool opponents Samoa and Japan as well as matches against Tonga, Harlequins, and Australia.
The USA’s Pacific Nations Cup campaign kicks off in July as the Eagles take on Samoa July 18th at the new Avaya Stadium in San Jose, CA. Samoa should provide a stern test for the USA, especially since they are the first on the Summer schedule. The Eagles have proven to be notoriously slow starters when it comes to their rugby tours. They generally struggle, especially on offense, in early matches and as they spend more time together start to build momentum. The results in the Samoa match should not be taken lightly, but they also shouldn’t serve as a sign of what will happen at the RWC.
The Eagles follow Samoa with another West Coast test match as they take on Japan on July 24th at Bonney Field in Sacramento. The USA gave Japan everything they could handle last Summer and will be looking to set a marker against a side that they’ll face at the RWC. Jitters from the Eagles’ first match should be over and this match could prove to be more indicative of how the Eagles will play over the next few months.
After the first two rounds of the PNC, the action moves to Canada as the USA takes on Tonga on July 29th at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The two sides have played some very close matches in recent history with Tonga coming out on the winning end. The Eagles will look to break that trend as this match could present one of their best opportunities to pick up a win this Summer.
The finals of the PNC will be played on August 3rd at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada with the Eagles opponent to be determined by how they play in their three PNC pool matches.
The Eagles follow their PNC run with a one-off match against the Harlequins from the Aviva Premiership. Set to take place in Philadelphia, the Harlequins match should provide Tolkin one last look at settling his RWC roster. It also presents a good opportunity for the Eagles to get a win as Harlequins won’t be at full strength. The Eagles have faced a few professional clubs in recent years and have yet to defeat one.
Last, but not least, the Eagles head to Chicago’s Soldier Field for the second year in a row to take on one of the Southern Hemisphere’s best. The Wallabies come to the USA to face the USA in a final warm up match before both sides depart for the RWC. The USA look to improve upon their performance against the All Blacks last year when the Kiwis ran in tries seemingly at will. They’ll face a tough opponent in the Wallabies.
There is a very real possibility that the Eagles could finish the Summer winless. A proposition they’d hate to face as they head to the World Cup and face a pool that could hand them four more losses. On the other hand, the Eagles have shown that they can be dangerous when they get momentum. A couple wins over the Summer could vault them towards an upset at the World Cup.
It is going to be a very busy next three months for the Eagles as they prepare and ultimately play at the 2015 Rugby World Cup. With six matches against solid competition and a long build up there should be little concern about whether or not the team will be given the greatest possible opportunity to put forth their best efforts in England at the World Cup.
