Five Pros who could play for USA

The USA certainly has a lot of players to comb through when it comes to Eagles consideration, with competitions in all corners of the massive country and of course one new professional competition. While PRO is a very welcome addition to the landscape, the caliber of players at the very top of the tree remain perhaps slightly below where coach John Mitchell would like them to be.

Already in Mitchell’s tenure we’ve seen James King and Tony Lamborn come out of the woodwork when few knew of their eligibility, while James Hilterbrand and Mike Sosene-Feagai were added during the Americas Rugby Championship. Below are five professional players who remain eligible for the Eagles, though the likelihood of them doing so is not necessarily high.

 

Jeremy Loughman – Loosehead Prop – Leinster

The front row has long been an area of difficulty for the Eagles, though a young cohort led by Titi Lamositele is showing promise. Loughman is a highly-rated youngster fresh out of Ireland’s u20 program, where he was first choice loosehead during the 2015 u20 Six Nations and was set to reprise that role in the World Rugby u20 Championship until an unlucky collision with a teammate shattered his nose in the opening minutes against Argentina. Born in Reno, Nevada, the 21-year-old is certainly Irish but with Jack McGrath and Peter Dooley at Leinster, and others such as Munster’s James Cronin and Denis Buckley at Connacht all striving for the green jersey, could he be tempted to opt for the stars and stripes?

 

Paddy Ryan – Tighthead Prop – Newcastle Falcons

At 25 the youngest of the Ryan brothers who qualify via their American mother. In fact Paddy is the only one of the three – Tim now retired and Dave at Agen – who is actually born state-side in Chicago. Another former Ireland u20 representative, it doesn’t seem far-fetched at all that he might see a call-up to the Eagles with his best years likely ahead of him. A huge man weighing over 120kg (265lbs), Ryan has struggled with injury since a very good 2014-15 season with Libourne in France saw him land a three-year Aviva Premiership contract. If he can get himself back on the pitch with Newcastle, a call from Mitchell might not be far behind.

 

Sam Underhill – Openside Flanker – Ospreys

A bit of a pipe dream, but worth a mention for humor’s sake. One of the golden boys in European rugby at the moment, Underhill is being openly pursued by England coach Eddie Jones but is also courted by the Welsh management. The fun part is that he was actually born in Dayton, Ohio, to English parents and is therefore eligible for the Eagles. With multiple Premiership suitors offering big money for his signature and a shot at the British & Irish Lions surely down the road, his future is most assuredly at Twickenham, not Bonney Field.

 

Marcel Brache – Centre / Wing – Western Force

Born in Los Angeles, Brache moved to South Africa at age four and has built a solid professional CV in the Currie Cup, Super Rugby, and lately in Australia’s National Rugby Championship. A regular in the midfield for Western Province but unable to quite crack the Stormers, he signed for the Western Force in 2014 and has been in Australia since. Tall and pacy, his ability to cover all across the three-quarter line is useful but nearing his 29th birthday his chance to declare for the Eagles has likely come and gone.

 

Toni Pulu – Outside Back – Chiefs

Another native of Los Angeles, Pulu enjoyed his finest year as a professional this past season, first starring as a fullback with Counties Manukau in the ITM (now Mitre 10) Cup and then as a blazing winger in a breakthrough season with the Chiefs in Super Rugby. He represented Niue on the HSBC Sevens Series in 2011 but is once again eligible for the USA thanks to the Olympic 7s loophole. To play for the Eagles in XVs he would have to fit in four tournaments during the upcoming season, an achievable target though he would have to miss out on the majority of the Super Rugby pre-season. At 26 years old that looks his only avenue to test rugby, though his future contracts in New Zealand might be put in jeopardy.

 

THREE OTHERS

 

Callum Black – Loosehead Prop – Ulster

Long talked about as a possible by Eagles fans, it’s time to move on. Born in Washington, DC, and raised in England, Black has never shown any inclination to play for the USA and with his Ulster contract dependent on him qualifying for Ireland the best USA fans can hope for is a stint in PRO Rugby down the line.

 

Dave Ryan – Tighthead Prop – Agen

The middle child of the Ryan clan, Dave was invited to join the Eagles setup and tentatively accepted, only to turn it down in favor of a contract in Italy. At 30 years old he remains a solid customer for Agen in France but is out of the frame as far as the USA is concerned, with eyes now turned to younger Paddy.

 

Pasqualle Dunn – Centre/Wing – Auckland

A former Leicester Tigers academy member who has now returned from a stint in rugby league to play for Auckland in the Mitre 10 Cup. An unusual case in that he qualifies via an American grandparent, Dunn has previously shown interest in representing the USA u20 side and at 22 years old the hard-running three-quarter seems like an ideal target for PRO next season.

 

ONE THAT GOT AWAY

 

Alex Corbisiero – Loosehead Prop – England

Yes, we are all aware that Ronan O’Gara was born in San Diego, but the real ‘escapee’ is a certain British & Irish Lions test starter. Born in New York City to an Italian-American father and English mother, he moved to England at five and the rest, as they say, is history. A lesser-known fact that may be upsetting for Eagles fans – he actually played once for the USA at u19 level before being convinced that England was his best course of action. Currently on sabbatical from playing, there have been recent suggestions that he could make a surprise return in PRO next season. Fingers firmly crossed.