USA Men's Sevens Extended Squad: AF International Sevens & RugbyX

USA Men’s Sevens Head Coach Mike Friday has selected a 16-player extended squad for two preseason tournaments in AF International Sevens (Oct 25-26) and RugbyX (Oct 29) which are being held in England.

The squad includes a mix of players from the USA Sevens Residency Program, with Carlin Isles, Perry Baker, Danny Barrett, Stephen Tomasin joining others to develop cohesion and to increase depth ahead of the Olympic year ahead. Maku Unufe also returns to the team after missing last season.

The Athlete Factory International Sevens will include England, France, Spain and Ireland joining the USA again along with South Africa, Hong Kong, Nigeria, Jamaica and an Invitational team, The Ramblin Jesters.

The AF International Sevens permits rolling subs, so all 16 players could see action. The RugbyX competition is restricted to 12 players, so that roster will be decided after the AFI7s concludes.

Mike Friday said “Both of these tournaments are a good opportunity for us to assess where we are as a group in this pre-season against some very strong opposition. It will be important to give our younger players valuable experience against these teams while also getting the more experienced players some competitive reps for a crucial season.”

“We have no doubt both events will bring the best out of everyone starting with the continuation of a great tournament in Manchester, followed by a unique new challenge in RugbyX.”

All AFI7s matches will be broadcast LIVE on florugby.com.

Following Manchester, the Eagles Sevens will depart for RugbyX, a new five-on-five version of the sport which includes both men’s and women’s teams at The O2 in London.

The U.S. men are joined by pool opponents Argentina and France; as well as England, Ireland and The Barbarians in a full-contact version of rugby with a slight twist. RugbyX will be played on a half-sized pitch with the details on format listed below curtesy of rugbyx.com. Broadcast information is still to be confirmed.

USA Men’s Sevens Extended Squad: 1 – Carlin Isles 2 – Matai Leuta 3 – Danny Barrett 4 – Pat Blair 5 – Maceo Brown 6 – Maka Unufe 7 – Cody Melphy 8 – Harley Wheeler 9 – Stephen Tomasin 10 – Naima Fuala’au 11 – Perry Baker 12 – Joe Schroeder 13 – Kevon Williams 15 – Will Holder 17 – Marcus Tupuola 18- Ben Broselle

USA Staff: Head Coach Mike Friday, Assistant Coach Phil Greening, Strength & Conditioning Coach Jon Hood, Athletic Trainer Brian Green, Team Manager Scott Novack

AF INTERNATIONAL SEVENS SCHEDULE

Broadcast LIVE on florugby.com

vs Nigeria Fri, Oct 25 – 9:20 AM ET
vs Ireland Fri, Oct 25 – 10:40 AM ET
vs France Fri, Oct 25 – 3 PM ET
vs Jamaica Sat, Oct 26 – 6:20 AM ET

*Knockout stages begin at 8:40 AM ET

RUGBYX SCHEDULE & Rules

Broadcast info TBD, updates on @USARugby social media

OCT 29
vs Argentina | 10:55 AM ET
vs France | 11:40 AM ET

*Finals begin at 3 PM ET.

DETAILED OVERVIEW OF RugbyX Trial Laws
Full Contact Rugby on a Half Sized Pitch	55m x 32m pitch dimensions plus 5m runoffs.
Five Players Per Side Plus Seven Rolling Substitutes	Rolling subs allowed at breaks in play following tries.
Single Scoring Unit	Five points for a try, no conversions, no drop goals, no penalty goals.
Tap Starts & Restarts Replace Kick-Offs	To take place on the 5m line, with opposing team 10m back.
Chip kicks allowed; no box kicks or up and unders	Referee to receive real-time notification using Sportable ball-tracking technology when a kick is over 10m in height, resulting in tap and play.
Quick Throws Replace Line Outs	All line outs to be quick throws taken by a substitute from the team awarded the throw with any match ball. In practice each team stations one substitute on each sideline, with a match ball in hand ready to take a quick throw when required. Offside line as per 7s and 15s quick throws.
Scrums	Three-person scrums with no pushing. Hooking is allowed.
Rucks	Maximum two players per team.
Mauls	Maximum three players per team.
Sin Bin	Yellow card results in sin bin until the next try is scored.
Drawn Matches Settled by One on One	Settled by a ‘one on one’ involving one defender on 5m line and one attacker 30m from goal with a ball. The attacker has 10 seconds to score. This is played as per a sudden death penalty shoot-out – if Team A scores, Team B must then score or Team A wins the match.