Eagles 7s & HSBC Sevens Series – Hamilton 7s
The Eagles 7s teams hope to take the momentum of their fourth-place finish at the Sydney 7s to the Hamilton 7s this weekend. Based on their finish last weekend, the team moved up in the HSBC Sevens Series standings to 7th place.
The Eagles Sevens suffered a narrow loss to Australia, the Sydney 7s Champions, and rebounded to beat Scotland and Canada in Pool play. In the Cup quarterfinals, the team had a dominant win against Fiji.
Ben Pinkelman assumed the captain’s role against Argentina and was selected to the tournament Dream Team. He will also captain the team at the Hamilton 7s in New Zealand in Madison Hughes absence.
Perry Baker came back from a concussion in the first match at the Dubai 7s to lead the tournament in tries with nine. He is now within one try of tying all-time USA Rugby try leader, Zack Test.
Folau Niua is the team’s playmaker and how he performs is an indicator of the team’s performance. Martin Iosefo stepping and passing ability sets up many scoring opportunities.
The team is built on speed and power. Maka Unufe, Carlin Isles, and Kenyon Williams add speed. Danny Barrett, Ben Pinkelman, Matai Leuta, and Joe Schroeder add power. Newly capped player, Chris Mattina adds guile and is a very capable young player.
Both Steven Tomasin and Madison Hughes will be missed and it is hoped that they recover quickly from knee injuries. The team added Nick Boyer, who played at the Sudamérica Sevens with the USA Falcons, who scored 3 tries during the South American tour. The Eagles Sevens team will have a 12 man squad at the Hamilton 7s without any coverage for possible injury.
The Eagles have will be in Pool D along with rival Canada (10th), Somoa (11th) and Kenya (9th). The tournament may be viewed on ESPN3 in the United States.
Men’s Eagles Sevens Roster – Hamilton 7s: (Estimated numbers) 1 Carlin Isles 2 Ben Pinkelman 3 Danny Barrett 4 Matai Leuta 5 Joe Schroeder 6 Chris Mattina 7 Folau Niua 8 Maka Unufe 9/10 Kevon Williams/Nick Boyer 11 Perry Baker 12 Martin Iosefo
Men’s Eagles Sevens Staff – Hamilton 7s
Head Coach – Mike Friday
Assistant Coach – Chris Brown
Assistant Coach – Phil Greening
Physiotherapist – Brian Green
Men’s Eagles Sevens Schedule – Pool D Hamilton 7s
LIVE on ESPN3
vs. Canada| Fri, Feb. 2 – 5:22 PM ET
vs. Samoa | Fri, Feb. 2 – 8:48 PM ET
vs. Kenya| Sat, Feb. 3 – 12:22 AM ET
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