ARC Preview – USA

This coming weekend the USA Eagles launch their Americas Rugby Championship campaign in Houston against Argentina. The new competition is just the start of the next World Cup cycle and what is expected to be a season of change for the Eagles.

First on the list is the debut of new head coach John Mitchell. Having just set foot in America, Mitchell is now tasked with bringing along a USA side that has been burdened with the ‘potential’ mantle for some time. Mitchell named a side mixed with veterans that are only available for a few tests and up and coming Eagles. Even with some youth and inexperience in the squad, Mitchell’s charges will be expected to produce results against the likes of Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay.

2015 FORM

The Eagles are coming off five straight test match losses and six total if you count their pre-World Cup friendly loss to Harlequins. Before the skid it was a solid start to the year, going 2-2 in the Pacific Nations Cup with wins over Japan and Canada. Another victory over Canada – their third in a row – in Ottawa followed the PNC and gave them some momentum heading into their final preparations.

After the disappointing loss to Harlequins, the USA fell to Australia in at Soldier Field in Chicago. The match against the Wallabies was a sign of things to come as the USA battled hard in the first half, but fell apart in the second.

The World Cup opened with a loss to Samoa in what was their best chance at victory. They followed with an incomplete performance against Scotland and then were blasted by South Africa. The Eagles finished their campaign with a lackluster loss to Japan, finishing the year with a 3-7 record in tests.

POST-RWC 2015

In the wake of the disappointing World Cup results, USA Rugby sought to make changes. They started with opening up the search for a new head coach which ultimately ended up with the hiring of Mitchell. Next was a near cleaning of house of the support staff for the Eagles, with three former professional players adding their expertise and subsequently naming of a surprisingly solid roster for the ARC.

The biggest news was the return of former skipper Todd Clever to the squad after he was sacked by now-departed Mike Tolkin prior to the PNC. In one door came Clever, and out the other goes Chris Wyles, who has called it a day at test level and is joined by a handful of other regulars, including flanker Scott LaValla and scrumhalf Mike Petri. Others have seemingly been discarded and all of a sudden there is a very different feel to the team.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

There’s no question who the stars in the side are, but the professionals who are available will only be around for a game or two. After that, it’s up to some new names to make things happen.

Hefty prop Joe Taufete’e was a shock inclusion in the World Cup squad but showed that he is surprisingly light on his feet for such a large body. He should get a chance to start at tighthead at some point and possibly throw his name into the mix for a regular role in the team. His new Belmont Shore teammate Mike Sosene-Feagai (real first name Michelangelo) is a former Samoa u20 cap who is set to compete with USA u20 standout Cameron Falcon for the vacant hooker role.

The second-most colorfully named character in the team is athletic loose forward Aladdin Schirmer. Born in Seattle to American Samoan parents, the Central Washington standout is already on the watch list of Eagles 7s coach Mike Friday as someone with big potential. Possibly even more hyped is 19-year-old flanker Hanco Germishuys, a South African-born dynamo who has just returned from a season with Gloucester Academy.

Everybody knows Mike Te’o has talent, the question is where does he fit in the team? He’s moved from hooker to scrumhalf to centre and is also a versatile sevens player. He’s joined by former u20 teammate Kingsley McGowan, a wing with searing pace who has lately found himself playing in the midfield and even flyhalf for Trinity College in Dublin.

VERDICT

The Eagles come in ranked as the second seed in the tournament but with a few big guns and a home match to start against Argentina, they could very conceivably kick things off with an upset win. That said they could just as easily fall to Uruguay in Montevideo with a significantly less experienced traveling team. A full-on battle against Canada in Austin will likely be the match that determines whether or not the tournament is a success.

FIXTURES

Feb 6	vs Argentina	Houston	20:00 EST, 19:00 CST
Feb 13	vs Canada	Austin	19:00 EST, 18:00 CST
Feb 20	vs Chile	Fort Lauderdale	18:00 EST, 20:00 Chile
Feb 27	vs Brazil	São Paulo	12:00 EST, 14:00 Brasilia
Mar 5	vs Uruguay	Montevideo	16:00 EST, 18:00 UYT

SQUAD

NAME	POS	HGT	WGT	DOB	CAPS	CLUB
Baumann, Chris	PR	1.88 6-2	122 270	May 18 1987	7	Austin Blacks
Beach, Demecus	PR	1.89 6-2	120 265	Dec 28 1987	0	Life University
Fry, Eric	PR	1.93 6-4	119 260	Sep 14 1987	36	Newcastle Falcons (UK)
Kilifi, Olive	PR	1.80 5-11	124 275	Sep 18 1986	15	Seattle Saracens
Taufete’e, Joseph	PR/HO	1.84 6-0	128 280	Apr 10 1992	1	Belmont Shore
Falcon, Cameron	HO	1.82 6-0	107 235	Aug 18 1993	0	New Orleans
Hilterbrand, James	HO	1.84 6-0	112 245	May 21 1989	0	North Harbour Rays (AU)
Sosene-Feagai, Mike	HO	1.85 6-1	105 230	Apr 17 1993	0	Belmont Shore
Brakeley, Nate	LO/FL	1.96 6-5	110 240	Aug 31 1989	0	N.Y.A.C.
King, James	LO	2.00 6-7	111 245	Mar 16 1987	0	Yakult Levins (JP)
Landry, Ben	LO	1.98 6-6	123 270	Mar 26 1991	0	Seattle Saracens
Orth, Brodie	LO	2.01 6-7	118 260	1982	0	Kansas City Blues
Peterson, Greg	LO	2.04 6-8	123 270	Mar 26 1991	11	Glasgow Warriors (UK)
Blair, Pat	FL	1.87 6-2	102 225	Jan 27 1990	0	Seattle Saracens
Clever, Todd	FL	1.93 6-4	103 225	Jan 16 1983	63	Newcastle Falcons (UK)
Davis, Aaron	FL	1.90 6-3	112 245	Jun 20 1989	0	Belmont Shore
Dolan, Cam	FL/N8	1.98 6-6	113 250	Mar 7 1990	20	Cardiff Blues (UK)
Germishuys, Hanco	FL	1.86 6-1	102 225	Aug 24 1996	0	Glendale Raptors
Gletzer, Alec	FL	1.85 6-1	103 225	Oct 10 1991	0	Olympic
Schirmer, Aladdin	N8/FL	1.90 6-3	102 225	Dec 13 1992	0	Central Washington
Tameilau, David	N8	1.95 6-5	123 270	Jan 22 1990	0	Life West
Bliss, Tom	SH	1.79 5-10	90 200	Mar 12 1993	0	Ealing Trailfinders (UK)
Kruger, Niku	SH	1.72 5-8	80 175	Oct 9 1991	2	Glendale Raptors
Te’o, Mike	SH/FB	1.72 5-8	93 205	Jul 23 1993	0	Belmont Shore
Bird, James	FH	1.78 5-10	93 205	Jan 14 1989	0	Old Blue
Eloff, J.P.	FH	1.78 5-10	84 185	May 28 1991	0	Chicago Lions
Filikitonga, Lemoto	CE	1.85 6-1	111 245	May 25 1993	0	Metropolis
Garrity, Mike	CE	1.88 6-2	102 225	Jan 11 1989	0	Seattle Saracens
London, Chad	CE	1.85 6-1	101 220	Sep 27 1988	1	Glendale Raptors
Matyas, Ryan	CE/WI	1.83 6-0	86 190	Dec 24 1990	0	Old Blue
Suniula, Andrew	CE	1.86 6-1	108 240	May 1 1982	38	CSM Bucuresti (RO)
Thomas, Lorenzo	CE	1.90 6-3	106 235	Jan 22 1997	0	Lindenwood
Edwards, Nick	WI	1.87 6-2	98 215	Feb 24 1984	0	N.Y.A.C.
Hume, Luke	WI	1.75 5-9	87 190	Feb 1 1988	17	Old Blue
McGowan, Kingsley	WI	1.76 5-9	88 195	Dec 18 1992	0	Trinity College (IR)
Deion Mikesell	WI	1.83 6-0	100 220	1997	0	Lindenwood
Ngwenya, Takudzwa	WI	1.78 5-10	86 190	Jul 22 1985	35	Biarritz (FR)
Stanfill, Tim	WI	1.78 5-10	85 185	Apr 7 1989	4	Seattle Saracens
Anderson, Jake	FB	1.88 6-2	95 210	Jan 22 1992	0	Olympic
Scully, Blaine	FB	1.90 6-3	100 220	Feb 29 1988	29	Cardiff Blues (UK)