The USA Men’s Eagles made history with back-to-back USA Sevens Cup wins and moved into sole possession first-place in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series standings.
The USA Men’s Eagles Sevens team advanced to the USA Sevens Cup Quarterfinals after defeating Kenya 26-10, losing to Argentina 26-24 and then defeating France 19-10. The USA then defeated South Africa 29-10 in the Cup Quarterfinals, New Zealand 24-19 in the Semifinals and won the USA Sevens Cup Finals after a 27-0 win over Samoa.
USA Sevens Cup Quarterfinals – USA vs South Africa
The USA Men’s Eagles Sevens took a tighthead from South Africa and attacked to within the 22. Danny Barrett then barrelled over the try line for a 5-0 lead. Stephen Tomasin then took an offload from Carlin Isles for a try and a Hughes conversion.
Carlin Isles found a seam and offloaded the ball to Martin Iosefo for a try and another Madison Hughes conversion to push the lead to 19-0.
South Africa then had a scoring opportunity, but a penalty thwarted their effort and the USA took a 19-0 lead into the break.
The Eagles opened the second half with Carlin Isles scoring in the corner after offloads by Pinkelman and Iosefo. They then claimed the restart and Matai Leuta added another try for a 29-0 lead.
South Africa’s Pretorius and Gans then added tries to make the final score 29-10 to the U.S. This moved the Eagles into the Cup Semifinals against New Zealand.
Cup Semifinals: USA vs New Zealand
New Zealand jumped out to a 7-0 lead after a try by Molia and a conversion by Baker. They then pushed the lead to 12-0 after a Baker try. Folau Niua then raced up the middle for a try and after Madison Hughes slotted the conversion the lead was cut to 12-7 at the break.
The U.S. then took a 14-12 lead after Carlin Isles scored a try from a restart turnover and Hughes converted. They then extended the lead after Tomasin reached to within 5-meters of the line before recycling the ball to Isles for a try and a 19-12 lead.
New Zealand then leveled the match at 19 all from a try by Tim Mikkelson and a conversion by Kurt Baker. The Eagles then snatched the victory at the death with another try by Isles to move the team into their fifth consecutive cup final.
Cup Final: USA vs Samoa
The USA Men’s Eagles faced Samoa, who were appearing in their first final since 2012 when they defeated the U.S. The Eagles, meanwhile were seeking to win back to back championships at the USA Sevens.
A Matai Leuta poach on Perez at the breakdown got the U.S. started with a Ben Pinkelman try for a 5-0 lead. The team then added another try by Leuta after offloads by Pinkelman and Iosefo.
The Eagles gathered the second half restart and a line break by Ben Pinkelman led to a Madison Hughes try and conversion. Pinkelman and Maceo Brown then added additional tries to capture the USA Sevens Cup Final 27-0.
With the win, the Eagles Sevens team is in sole possession of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series after the fifth of ten stops. This is an Olympic Qualification year where the top four teams will qualify for the 2020 Olympics in Japan.
🎥 Reaction: @MikeFriday09 on what it means for @USARugby to go back to back with #USA7s titles in Las Vegas pic.twitter.com/CmNIIESTT7
— World Rugby Sevens (@WorldRugby7s) March 4, 2019
Winning the USA Sevens was a real team effort and four players were honored on the Dream Team.
The USA Men’s Eagles also extended the team’s first-place lead in the HSBC Sevens Series standings after the win.
The team will travel to Vancouver for the Canada Sevens next weekend. The Pools have been decided with the USA facing Wales, Chile, and South Africa.
USA Men’s Eagles Sevens Squad
USA: 1 Carlin Isles 2 Ben Pinkelman 3 Danny Barrett 4 Matai Leuta 5 Brett Thompson 6 Kevon Williams 7 Folau Niua 8 Maceo Brown 9 Stephen Tomasin 10 Madison Hughes (C) 11 Marcus Tupuola 12 Martin Iosefo 13 Ben Broselle
Men’s Eagles Sevens Staff
- Head Coach Mike Friday
- Assistant Coach Anthony Roques
- Assistant Coach Phil Greening
- Strength & Conditioning Coach Jon Hood
- Athletic Trainer Brian Green
- Team Manager Scott Novack
HSBC USA Sevens Schedule
- Pool B Preview
- vs Kenya W 26-10
- vs Argentina L 26-24
- Recap of Kenya and Argentina matches
- vs France W 19-10
- Cup QFs vs South Africa W 29-10
- Cup SFs vs New Zealand W 24-19
- Cup Final vs Samoa W 27-0
- Photos – Mike Lee, KLC Fotos
Stephen Tomasin Awarded Unsung Hero Award
Congratulations to @STomasin09 for being awarded the inaugural #USARugby Unsung Hero Award in honor of A. Jon Prusmack.
MORE » https://t.co/VRq3zKcR6r#USA7s | #EaglesUnited 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/6nmUfScsr9
— #USA7s Champs (@USARugby) March 3, 2019
USA Rugby Release
Men’s Eagles Sevens’ Stephen Tomasin has been awarded USA Rugby’s inaugural Unsung Hero Award in honor of the late American rugby hero, A. Jon Prusmack.
Beginning today, the bi-annual award will be delivered at each home stop of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series on both the USA Men’s and Women’s Sevens sides. The award will be given to athletes who exemplify the qualities synonymous with Prusmack legacy including leadership, inspiration, perseverance, and humility.
Prusmack, who passed just last December, was the owner of United World Sports and its properties which include the annual HSBC USA Sevens in Las Vegas, the Collegiate Rugby Championship, Rugby Today and Rhino Rugby USA. A noble pioneer for the sport, Prusmack dedicated his life to engage and inspire American sports communities across all facets, to build a foundation for the growth of rugby in the United States.
A U.S. Rugby Hall of Famer for his extensive contribution to media, Prusmack’s legacy was cemented by his relentless spirit to continuously fight for the betterment of the sport as it pertained to both teams and fans. Prusmack was a coach and referee for several years, first falling in love with the game in the 1960s with Westchester RFC and moving on to play for two teams at one time in the New York Athletic Club’s inaugural season. He would later become a member of the New York Athletic Club’s Hall of Fame.
As a true believer in the value and impact of the collegiate game, Prusmack invested heavily in facilities for the rugby program at his alma mater, the U.S. Naval Academy in 2016. There, his contributions were acknowledged with another induction, this time to the U.S. Naval Academy’s Rugby Hall of Fame.
The USA Rugby Unsung Hero Award has been established to acknowledge an athlete who has gone above and beyond for her or his teammates in a capacity that extends far beyond the field of play. And, this weekend, Stephen Tomasin has served as an invaluable support to guide his teammates through the peaks and valleys of the HSBC USA Sevens 2019.
USA Rugby Board Chair Barbara O’Brien said: “The Board of USA Rugby is honored to create the Unsung Hero Award in honor of A. Jon Prusmack. Jon was a generous supporter of growth in American rugby and both understood and embodied the values of the sport in his relentless pursuit of personal, professional and rugby-focused goals. This award will carry on his legacy with athletes who are on the same quest to grow American rugby.”
Head Coach Mike Friday said: “Stephen fully deserves and epitomizes the spirit of this award. This entire weekend he has been selfless and maintained a work rate on both sides of the ball that has set an example for the rest of the boys. Just as Jon was, Stephen has been a man who gets the job done no matter the cost so he and his teammates can have the best chance to succeed.”
The USA Rugby Unsung Hero Award will also be awarded to a Women’s Eagles Sevens player during next season’s home stop of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in Glendale, CO.
