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It’s been a busy week for USA Rugby and their Men’s National Team. The squad just finished playing against the Harlequins in Philadelphia, named their World Cup Roster and the governing body struck a deal with the English side while they were in town. Today’s Talking Rugby segment is going to take a look at the Eagles’ roster announcement as well as delve into some thoughts and concerns regarding the Harlequins added involvement in USA Rugby.
Eagles Headed to the RWC
Yesterday, Eagles Head Coach Mike Tolkin named his 31-man roster for the upcoming Rugby World Cup in England. There weren’t a whole lot of surprises in the roster as it was easy to see what direction Tolkin was headed as the Summer developed. The clear break-out players of the Summer were flyhalf AJ MacGinty and flanker Andrew Durutalo. MacGinty was all but handed the flyhalf position from the start, but Durutalo crashed his way into a crowded back row picture with a handful of strong performances.
Front Row
The key to the Eagles success at the RWC is going to be in the front row and their ability to hold up against superior scrums. The combination of Eric Fry and Titi Lamositele at prop was excellent this Summer. However, there is a big dropoff at prop when those two are off the pitch. Tolkin opted to bring extra front row help (6 total props) to help navigate the inevitable moments when Fry and/or Lamositele need rest. Pray for their health though… seriously. Phil Thiel and Zach Fenoglio are a solid duo at hooker and should share the duties throughout the RWC. Newcomer Joseph Taufete’e is the only uncapped player on the roster.
Second Row
No surprises in the second row selections as Greg Peterson, Hayden Smith, Cam Dolan, and Louis Stanfill were near locks (no pun intended) to make the cut. The biggest question is where the piece fit together. Stanfill is the late game impact sub. Dolan may have edged his way into a starting role with some good performances this Summer. That would leave Peterson and Smith to share time.
Back Row
In a bit of a surprise, Tolkin opted to carry six flankers as John Quill and Al McFarland weren’t both expected to make the roster. With four games over a month, it does give the USA some extra cover in the back row, but is it necessary? Durutalo, Danny Barrett, Scott Lavalla, and Samu Manoa are expected to eat up back row minutes and are very capable of playing 80 minutes. Throw in Dolan and Stanfill and there is now eight players on the roster capable of playing in the back row. Seems like a bit of overkill although the depth at other positions was lacking. Tolkin may have been hard pressed to find another back or two more deserving than Quill or McFarland.
Halfbacks
The real surprise selection was Niku Kruger. Kruger had little action during the Summer and when he did looked like he still needed seasoning. I guess a World Cup is a great place to get more seasoning although it will be a surprise is he gets on the pitch save for a blowout situation. Mike Petri had a solid Summer and is deserving of the starting nod. Shalom Suniula provides cover at both scrumhalf and flyhalf. AJ MacGinty is a star on the rise and gives the Eagles and element that has been sorely missing in recent years.
Centers
The Eagles lack depth in the centers, so the load should fall on Thretton Palamo and Seamus Kelly. Andrew Suniula is plenty capable of starting and should be a solid second half impact sub. Folau Niua can play both flyhalf and center, but should see the bulk of any playing time at center. The USA centers will have their hand full during the RWC as they face some tough opposition.
Back Three
Aside from Captain Chris Wyles and Blaine Scully, the Eagles aren’t settled with their other starting wing. This is likely why Tolkin chose to bring three extra wings to cover. Taku Ngwenya is back and is accompanied by Brett Thompson and Zach Test who is another mild surprise given his lack of time playing 15s. Those three should battle it out for minutes on the wing with Ngwenya having a slight edge.
All in all, it is a solid roster. You’d be hard pressed to find another player in the Eagles pool that could make a strong claim for inclusion. How it all shakes out at the RWC is still a mystery, but it is conceivable to believe that the USA can be competitive in three of their four matches (South Africa being the one that they are outclassed). While winning two or even three matches is an extreme longshot, the Eagles could come away with a win and a couple good showings.
What’s Up with the Harlequins Deal?
Once news broke of the Harlequins making a deal with USA Rugby, I was almost immediately questioned about it. The fact that the announcement came with very little details led to an abundance of speculation. The hints at the Harlequins helping USA Rugby bridge the gap between club and pro rugby did not go unnoticed.
First, let me say that I am all for anything that helps rugby in the USA keep moving forward, especially at the grassroots level. We are in desperate need of help with getting coaches up to speed to keep up with the growth in youth numbers. I also agree that USA Rugby needs help bridging from top level club play to professional.
My gut tells me that the Harlequins will have little involvement in grassroots rugby. Their interest lies in helping along the pro process. We all know that USA Rugby is working on a pro competition. Rumors suggest that they are closer than ever and have a solid foundation. We could see it launched as early as 2017. The RFU’s recent investment in RIM suggests that English rugby is going to have a hand in whatever happens with pro rugby in the USA. It was no surprise that the Harlequins jumped on board. I suspect more Premiership clubs to sign similar agreements.
It could be that all of the squads in the USA backed league will each have a Premiership club as their partner. Given the way things are developing, it wouldn’t be unexpected.
Where I have questions is how it all shakes out?
Is the USA Rugby backed pro competition going to stand alone? Something that is going to try to grow and build into something strong. Or is it going to serve as a minor league to the English Premiership? There is a good chance that developing English players could be sent to the USA to cut their teeth. I don’t have a problem with that as long as there are plenty of American players getting their shot as well.
I am also worried that if the teams are “farm teams” that every time a good player (American or not) comes along that they’ll be swept off to Europe leaving fans high and dry. Have you ever tried to follow a Minor League baseball team? Kind of hard to stay passionate when the team has player turnover every season and every great player ends up moving away. If that is the approach that is taken, then I think the competition will be forever doomed to being a developmental league. It will never break through the wall to become even a mid-level professional sport in the USA.
Think Major League Lacrosse except with rugby.
It’s going to be interesting to see how it all plays out. There is no doubt that we need pro rugby here to continue to progress. That is extremely clear. As with the recent pro rugby debacles and false starts , we need to be very careful how the first step into the land of professionalism is taken. Once it happens there is no going back. No mulligans.
