http://www.rugbymag.com/index.php?o...edges-usa-in-rain&catid=39:usa-men&Itemid=194 Japan Edges USA in Rain Japan edged the USA 20-14 in the final pre-World Cup warmup for both teams Sunday evening at Prince Chichubu Stadium in a heavy rain. Making his record-tying 62nd USA appearance, Mike MacDonald put in a full 80 Sunday. Numina Photo Both teams ran out less than full-strength sides as they tried to test a few more players just a few hours before the announcement of their final World Cup squads. And both teams struggled with the wet ball on a rainy evening, but in the end Japan won by being just a little bit better at the breakdown, and because the USA’s lineout was not hitting. The Eagles, playing without injured captain Todd Clever, continued to encounter difficulty making real inroads into a defense, running multiple phases multiple times where they didn’t make any ground. With time up and the Eagles down six, the Americans had one more shot. A series of pick-and-jams by the forwards inched them toward the line, but a knock-on in the ruck ended the match. The Eagles kicked off and charged into the fray with energy, forcing a knock-on at Japan’s initial touch. From that scrum the Eagles got their wings involved early and ran seven phases, but failed to gain much and eventually kicked into space. Still the Americans pressed and use their forwards and backs equally. The Japan defense held. Japan looked content to defend, and when they finally got the ball, they looked very dangerous. A switch in the centers put Alisi Tupuailei through and he linked with fullback Tahei Ueda for the try. Japan were up 5-0 and looked like if they got more ball, they could run up a huge score. But the Eagles replied right off the restart. No Japanese claimed the ball and wing Kevin Swiryn raced in to pick it up and sprint to the line. Nese Malifa hit the difficult conversion and the USA led 7-5. Japan scored immediately. Tai Enosa was cruelly called for an obstruction call, and center Ryan Nichols hit the penalty for an 8-7 Japanese lead. Japan had another big scoring chance later in the half. Tupuailei broke through again – this time off a loose lineout – and was just stopped. With Japan on the line Paul Emerick, who had a terrific game in all aspects, was called for interfering with the scrumhalf from the ground. He was lucky not to be yellow-carded. Japan opted for a scrum, and superb tackles from Pat Danahy and Scott LaValla stole the ball and relieved pressure. The Eagles had weathered a difficult period, marked by some uncharacteristic handling errors by scrumhalf and captain Mike Petri. But the rest of the USA team weren’t helping themselves, kicking won scrum ball onto the Japan side, and losing their lineout through what appeared to be mistimed jumps. With the wet ball making first-receivers take their time catching the ball, there were several charge-downs. One put the USA on attack, but a knock-on by Malifa stopped that. Malifa was also charged down, but he tackled Nasoki Kawamate right after to force a drop. Japan appeared to score with about ten minutes left in the half, as they ran a loop move off the back of the scrum. Debutant James Paterson, Lou Stanfill and LaValla were all there to make tackles, and while Tadusuke Nishihara dove over to touch down, he was penalized, possibly for not releasing. The USA dodged a bullet and soon made Japan pay with about two minutes left. The Japanese had the ball but after a knock-on near one touchline, Paterson somehow made the ball available for his teammates. Stepping in as scrumhalf, Paterson passed to fullback Blaine Scully, who lofted a kick into midfield. Japan worked a switch move on counter, but Emerick came flying in; his tackle taking out both passer and receiver. The ball spilled loose. Prop Mike MacDonald, making his record-equaling 62nd appearance for the USA, nudged the ball with his foot over to Swiryn, who happily gathered it up and ran 48 meters to score. The Eagles led 14-8 at halftime thanks in large part to two broken plays, and the play of Emerick, who had as good a 40 minutes at inside center as any Eagle has had in recent memory. But the second half did not hold the promise of the first. Japan were far better at the breakdown in the second half and hit the rucks with ferocity. This gave them continuity, and prevented the Eagles from turning the ball over. When they did have the ball, the Americans could not make big breaks, and their lineout still struggled. Nic Johnson came on at halftime to replace a hurting Hayden Smith. Johnson moved to No. 8 and was outstanding, until he, too, had to leave due to injury. Ryan Chapman ended the game at No. 8. The Eagles could have extended their lead early in the second half. Emerick dove over the ruck to disrupt the pass from scrumhalf, and from the turnover Malifa kicked ahead for Paterson. The wing raced in to boot the ball toward the tryline, but he was a hair too late, and the ball had rolled into touch. Then Japan saw a chance go begging. Malifa’s clearance kick off his left foot doesn’t find touch, and Japan counters well, especially after Paterson blitzes ineffectually. Scully made it back in time to stop a try. Stuck in their own end, the Eagles held the line for a good eight minutes. But finally, the inevitable happened. A series of phases made it a walk for captain and No. 8 Takashi Kikutani. Webb’s conversion made it 15-14. Japan almost made it 20-14 as wing Hirotoki Onozawa scampered behind three of his teammates. No obstruction call here, but Phil Thiel made a huge tackle at the line. Moments later, Paul Emerick made a tackle, poached the ball, and was off and running. He would have been fully away but was just forced to step on the touchline. Another almost-try. Japan extended their lead at 69 minutes, when a block in midfield allowed them to break through. Paterson was pushed aside and wing .Takehashi Uszuki made it just ahead of Scully’s tackle. 20-14. The Eagles had three more chances to score, with their best being a lineout in the Japanese 22 that they lost, and compounded it when sub scrumhalf Tim Usasz was in from the side. Finally, they looked like they might get the try they needed at the end, but the wet ball didn’t stay to hand. In the end, the Eagles had to have left feeling as if they put in an effort. They defended well except for a couple of lapses out wide, and didn’t give up when they were on their line. Petri recovered from some early scary moments to play extremely well, and in open play 62-capper MacDonald, Thiel, LaValla and Stanfill were standouts in the forwards. Paul Emerick was brilliant, and Blaine Scully continues to play better and better. Kevin Swiryn had his best game in a while, while Tai Enosa had some great moments and some not-so-great. On debut, wing James Paterson never got the ball with a head of steam up, but got involved a great deal and really only had one major error. The USA forwards defended the maul exceptionally well, got better at the scrum, which generally just held on. The Eagles could have done much better, though, had they been able to win their lineouts consistently. Too many balls went over the top. And the forwards were generally beaten at the rucks in the latter part of the match. Japan made a few subs, and the Eagles suffered a couple of injuries, but it was speed and technique at the breakdown which won the game for Japan. USA 14 Tries: Swiryn 2 Convs: Malifa 2 Japan 20 Tries: Ueda, Kikutani, Usuzuki Convs: Webb Pens: Nichols USA Lineup 1.Mike MacDonalf, 2. Phil Thiel (Chris Biller, 3. Eric Fry (Shawn Pittman), 4. Scott LaValla, 5. Hayden Smith (Nic Johnson) (Ryan Chapman), 6. Pat Danahy, 7. Lou Stanfill, 8. JJ Gagiano, 9. Mike Petri (capt) (Tim Usasz) , 10. Nese Malifa (Roland Suniula), 11. Kevin Swiryn, 12. Paul Emerick (Andrew Suniula), 13. Tai Enosa, 14. James Paterson, 15. Blaine Scully Japan Lineup 1. Naoski Kawamate, 2. Yusuke Aoki, 3. Nozomu Fujita, 4. Hitoshi Ono, 5. Luke Thompson, 6. Sione Vatuvei, 7. Tadusuke Nishihara, 8. Takashi Kikutani, 9. Tomoki Yoshida, 10. Murray Williams, 11. Hirotoki Onozawa 12. Ryan Nicholas 13. Alisi Tupuailei 14.Takehashi Uszuki15. Taihei Ueda Ref: Jerome Garces (France Asst. Referees: Teagarden (USA, Koda (Japan), Tubo (Japan)
my thoughts from elsewhere: Eagles have no fly half and no #4 prop. A weak scrum, a backline that can't move the ball forward steadily, no reliable goalkicker, plus the backs are poor at tactical kicking during play. On the bright side the defense was better Saturday night as the Eagles didn't let the Japanese have anything from broken play unlike the two Canada games. They had to be though as they were on defense almost all of the 2nd half as when the Eagles got the ball they'd kick it right back to the Japanese.
The kicking.............. Oh my God. I mean this is a country of 307 million people. We have citizens spread around the world, we have islands in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans, we have one of the best high school athletics programs on the planet. I mean.......we even put a man on the moon (probably). Why can we not find one guy to be able to play rugby and kick. What really really disheartened me was the game vs Canada. They had two reliable, accurate, athletic and good kickers. TWO!!! This is a country the size of California in population. We can't find one guy....just one! Anyways, I felt the forwards were playing as a co-hesive unit and we were very willing to throw the ball out to the backs. Both staples of successful rugby.
http://www.rugbymag.com/index.php?o...ger-is-good&catid=96:goff-on-rugby&Itemid=292 GoffonRugby: Anger is Good One of the upshots of the recent string of games by the USA Men’s National Team is that fans are angry. They are frustrated because they see a team that should have come out of August with three victories, and a team that squandered opportunities. All that is fine. But what is gratifying to me is the anger. Go ahead, be angry. Care. It’s what we all should be doing. The most disturbing thing for me during 2006 when the Eagles lost 56-7 to Canada in a World Cup Qualifier that they were simply not prepared for, was that fans just seemed to shrug. Having been sold, at the time, a bill of goods on how helpless we all were to control our rugby destiny, many fans simply gave up on the dream. I still remember one comment sent to me that year, which said something like: “Wow, the United States will never compete in my lifetime.” I found the sentiment to be pervasive, and sad. We are better than that. Losing to Canada by 49 points is not acceptable, and fans now see that losing 27-7, especially when you have the game by the throat, is unacceptable. The anger, and I hope the players understand this, is just the other side of the coin that contains elation. We don’t want a shrug of the shoulders during a loss, and nor do we want one during a win. I personally would like to see USA fans be more demonstrative and passionate during internationals. And I hope those that converge on New Zealand this September will be boisterous and proud. We have nothing to lose by caring.
[sarcasm] There's this league... it's called the NFL... Try taking their wide receivers and get em into rugby somehow. [/sarcasm] Joking aside, the reason that a nation of 300 million has trouble fielding a good rugby team is simply the infrastructure for rugby isn't there, just like with soccer at one point. It takes a lot of time, effort, and funds to get that infrastructure in place to find those players, but you already know that. Oh, and if you're angry with a team's performance, just Fire Bob Bradley. It did wonders for the US Men's Soccer Team. :
You're talking to experienced US rugby watchers here. The Eagles have gone backwards at an alarming rate over the past 8 years or so. There isn't one current Eagle (maybe Wyles) who would make my Eagle XV from the time I started watching rugby in 1998. We had several quality pros from 1998-2003 or so. After Tommy Billups got run out of town by USA Rugby, the team has gone totally into the toilet. Picking below-average foreign players with tenuous USA connections, going on expensive jaunts on IRB money while neglecting the college and high school game, failing to get results while not even coming close to building a legacy. The NBC/Universal Sports deal which means ordinary Americans are going to be watching the World Cup via live streams is the final straw for me. I'll support the boys but I just loathe the sick joke USA Rugby has become. And we've never been able to produce a flyhalf worth a crap, esp. one that can kick goals. It's the one position that's almost always been manned by a foreign player.
I think Yankee Rob's post by Goff, regarding being angry at the USNT is bang on correct. I'm not seeing any kind of progression, the first game in Toronto especially, we had Canada down and were outplaying them, but the same missed tackles, the same penalties, the same knock on's keep happening. Master O - PCeltic actually answered your post better than I could. I agree with him 100 percent, we have a national body that was offered a fantastic opportunity by the IRB and England Rugby Union of money, matches and a yearly tournament. We rely on guys from American Somoa, Americans born here and raised abroad, guys who emigrated here in their teens with their folks or born and raised abroad to an American parent for probably 50-60 percent of the starters on the team. For every Todd Clever or Mike Petri (homegrown) there is a Mike Hercus or Hayden Smith (tenuous links to USA). BTW - where is Billups now? That 2003 WC was the best results under him. Victory over Japan, a nailbiting loss to Fiji and a respectable finish against France.
Well, Hercus is a US citizen and his spell in 2003 was the best I've ever seen an Eagle 10 play. He's basically the kind of foreign guy we should be picking. A guy who is good enough to play professional rugby and be a star on the team. Plus, it's just personal preference, but at least the guy is actually an American - like, is a US citizen and everything. In this squad, Z is basically that guy (James Paterson has spent a significant amount of time in the US, so hard to say whether you think he counts as an import). But Tim Usasz? I've seen him play, and he's an average English second division scrumhalf. JJ Gagiano is entirely forgettable, certainly no better than Scott LaValla.
Assistant coach at Cal under Clark. Regarding the tenuous foreigners link, on another board people asked for poaches and we're no worse than other countries in that regard when asking for non-natives. Basauri in no way can be considered a genuine poach, he's a homegrown player. I couldn't find out when Moeakiola moved to the U.S. from Tonga but he played university rugby at Utah and I think that's the case for him as well. Paterson is probably a semantics case depending on what angle you come from. Ngwenya moved here late but he was playing amateur club rugby for a few years until he blossomed on the big stage, is that a poach? I don't know. When he moved here everyone already knew he was seriously fast. PyschadelicCeltic, you've watched the game a lot longer than I have (I pretty much started in 2007). What do you think of the talent you saw in the CPD? Do you think they'll become a lot or no? We did have a person in Blaine Scully that walked off of Cal's rugby team and came right onto the national team and IMO he has acquitted himself well (although where we need players is not the back three).
I didn't see much CPD, but college rugby is the future of the US game. Club rugby, sadly, isn't even close in terms of generating interest. And I'm a club guy (which must be said in a community where a TON of people have an axe to grind). The list is better than I thought, though I fail to see the point of Usasz and Gagiano on the team - they just aren't that good to justify picking them over an actual US player. Also, whose parents move to apartheid-era South Africa? That's weird.
Ya there are a couple of others. I don't mind the poaches, we need them frankly. I've often liked the idea of a Seattle team playing in the BC Premier League for more competition. Hayden Smith Born in Australia (IIRC grew up in NZ) moved to the USA for a basketball scholorship Chris Wyles Born in Connecticut and grew up in London. Mate Moeakiola - born in Tongatapu, Tonga; grew up in Tonga, Univ in Utah IIRC - JJ Gagiano's mom was American who married a South African guy whilst living in London or somewhere. I heard his mom emailed USA rugby who then emailed JJ or his team asking if he had a US passport. I can't find where I read that online, but that was my memory of an interview.
That explains American rugby in a nutshell. An Aussie/Kiwi comes to the U.S. to play basketball and he plays for our national team in rugby. I also missed Junior Sifa apparently. He was born in American Samoa. By place of birth in Rugby World Cup: http://forum.planet-rugby.com/index.php?t=getfile&id=39968&private=0
Wyles lived in Pennsylvania until he was 11, though he fails the accent test. Paterson actually played for our U-19s, making him one of the few Eagles to do so! Also Ryan, if you want a funny story, google Richard Tardits. One of the better flankers in US history.
well, so did Brad Friedel Paterson actually played for our U-19s, making him one of the few Eagles to do so! Will do. Regarding Hayden Smith, was listening to the Rugbymag Japan review/World Cup preview show, and Goff was saying that Smith never really started playing rugby seriously til he got over here. As for U-19 stuff, Goff wrote up this article up back in July on the 36-man squad: