Eagles XV Squad for Summer Tests

May 12, 2017

Eagles XV Squad for Summer Tests

Doug Coil

Head Coach John Mitchell has selected the USA Men’s Eagles XV squad for the Emirates Airline Summer Series and the Rugby World Cup 2019 Qualifiers this June and July. Thirty capped Eagles are part of the squad, with 23 of them from the squad that won the Americas Rugby Championship in March.

The Eagles squad consists of 18 forwards and 12 backs as they play 3rd ranked Ireland at Red Bull Arena on June 10th and 12th ranked Georgia at Kennesaw Stadium in Georgia on June 17. The Eagles then will play against Canada in a two match Series with hopes to secure qualification for the2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan as the Americas 1 representative. The first match will be at Hamilton, Canada on June 24 and the second leg at the University of San Diego’s Torero Stadium on July 1.

Co-captains for the team have also been selected. Nate Augspurger and Todd Clever will share those responsibilities.

In the article release by USA Rugby, John Mitchell indicates that “We’ve all worked hard – staff and players – to be able to present consistency in our squad mix with healthy competition in all positions which will enable us to step up our level in this summer of test matches because each will become a greater challenge than the one before it. We are definitely going to get a high-tempo game against Ireland, which is fantastic. It’ll allow the guys to get a really good feel for the tempo and intensity that comes with playing a top-three rugby nation. Being a top-three-ranked nation in the world does not arrive by accident. Then Georgia, who have huge forward strengths and will come at us in different areas of the game, which will prepare us well for our Canadian test matches.”

The Eagles were an offensive force, going undefeated in the Americas Rugby Championship and scoring 29 tries. Many of the ARC squad returned to domestic club play, while 3 players each returned to either overseas professional play or to the Men’s Eagles Sevens team.

The Glendale Raptors have six representatives on the squad, while Old Blue of New York have four. Ben Landry, who turned to football with Seattle, has returned to rugby and has returned to form for the Glendale Raptors. Both Titi lamositele and Joe Taufete’e have returned from Aviva Premership play and will bolster a front row that performed well at the ARC.

The Men’s Eagles Sevens players Andrew Durutalo will bolster the forwards in the backrow, while both Martin Iosefo and Madison Hughes will contribute to the versatility of the backline.

AJ MacGinty should be the starting flyhalf, however Ben Cima and Will Magie could appear there, as well as Ben at fullback or Will at Center, while MacGinty appeared at the ARC as a inside center. Both Nate Augspurger and Shaun Davies are the scrumhalves, with Augspurger also available on the wing. Bryce Campbell will be one of the centers, while Mike Te’o adds versatility the backs.

Marcel Brache at center, Luke Hume and Ryan Matyas also will compliment the other backs, as wings or in Matyas’ case, a center.

The front row was a strength at the ARC, with Chris Baumann, Ben Tarr, Anthony Purpura and Dino Waldren seeing significant playing time. James Hilerbrand and Peter Malcolm performed well as hookers. The combination of Nate Brakeley and Nick Civetta were outstanding on the US leg of the ARC, while Matt Jensen, Cam Dolan and David Tameilau also found playing time as locks, while the later two also played in the backrow.

The backrow will consist to co-captain Todd Clever, who like Cam Dolan, are now healthy after injuries. Andrew Durutalo, Tony Lamborn, John Quill and David Tameilau are the other loose forwards.

Samu Manoa, Blaine Scully, Thretton Palamo, Olive Kilifi and Al McFarland were unavailable for selection this summer.

Eagles Squad to Face Ireland, Georgia and Canada