I took my stab at predicting the roster. It's not perfect but I think it is what I would do if I were Eddie O'Sullivan. Let me know what you think?
Good predictions! Seems that our pool of players keeps growing.....especially when you consider that some good players with professional contracts might be left off the RWC squad. I wish this kid Patterson had committed to the Eagles earlier. We could have used him last Fall in our European Tour. Zee, Wyles and Patterson as a back three would be powerful. Do you know the details of the injury? The Eagles both 15s and 7s really need proper funding, not CIPP funding in order to have 4 years of meaningful competition with the same coach leading up to the 2015 RWC and 2016 Olympics.
I really like Seta Tuilevuka over Paul Emerick. Emerick is a great player and has played in the big games bringing experience. However he is also a loose cannon, if I'm being frank. That spear tackle in the last world cup where he got the red card was simply outrageous. However he topped himself when playing Canada in the home and home to see who got the Americas qualifying, when he decided it was a brilliant idea to stamp on the face of Dth van de Merwe. We were up after the 12-6 win in Charleston and Canada won the lottery when Emerick got tossed. Just a first class jack@55 move. Really hurt the team.
Tuilevuka didn't even make the 50-man to 36-man roster cut. Emerick can be a hothead, but in our 4 most recent tests against Russia, Tonga, Georgia, and Portugal, he's gotten 4 tries (1 in each game). Every other player on the squad has 5 combined. There is something to be said for that. And we were going to lose that Canada game in Edmonton regardless. I look at the squad, we're awesome 11 thru 15 and we're really crap in the forwards. Unfortunately our most winnable game after Russia are the Italians who are all scrum, no backs.
Do you think the US has a chance of winning a match in their group stage? Last World Cup, they went home winless.
Malifa had a terrible game at flyhalf in the first Canada match. Someone on another rugby forum has actually suggested moving Petri to 10, which I think could be a good idea. I wonder if coach EOS will give Malifa another start in the second match against Canada.