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Mike Friday has named his Men’s Eagles squad for the first event of the 2022-23 World Sevens Series, and has left out Folau Niua. The 37-year-old is not among the 13 players who will travel to Hong Kong and has now confirmed his international career has come to an end.
Niua has been an ever-present on the USA squad for over a decade, debuting at the 2011 Pan-Am Games. He is the most-capped sevens player in USA history with 76 tournaments on the world circuit. The star playmaker notably recovered from a badly-broken leg to earn a place at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, having also played at Rio 2016.
The Eagles will be without a number of senior players unavailable due to injury and other reasons. Perry Baker will captain the squad as the experienced man by a distance with names like Kevon Williams, Stephen Tomasin, and Maka Unufe all absent.
Four players are set to make their World Sevens debuts, three summoned from outside the core residency group named last week. Sam Walsh is joined by Indiana University duo Noah Brown and Will Chevalier, with Rugby ATL winger Nolan Tuamoheloa a late call-up in place of Maceo Brown.
The USA finished 7th on the overall standings during the pandemic-adjusted 2021-2022 campaign. This season will double as an Olympic Qualifier with the top four finishers advancing directly to Paris 2024.
Hong Kong, the circuit’s most famous venue, returns as a host after a two-year hiatus caused by COVID-19 restrictions. The Eagles have been drawn in Pool C along with Fiji, Spain, and Japan.
MEN’S EAGLES 7s
Perry Baker (capt.), Ben Broselle, Noah Brown, Adam Channel, Will Chevalier, Aaron Cummings, Gavan D’Amore-Morrison, Malacchi Esdale, Cody Melphy, David Still, Nolan Tuamoheloa, Marcus Tupuola, Sam Walsh
