USA Rugby Release
Head coach Gary Gold has selected 31-players for the opening stage of Rugby World Cup qualification against rivals Canada.
The first match takes place on Sept 4 (KO 3 PM NT) in St. John’s, NL with the second on Sept 11 (KO 7 PM MT) at Infinity Park in Glendale, CO. Broadcast info will be confirmed closer to date. Tickets for the Glendale match are available at www.usa.rugby/tickets.
A total of 24 players will return from the Eagles’ July tests against England (L 29-43) and Ireland (L 10-71) with Flyhalf AJ MacGinty returning as Captain. MacGinty recently healed from an injury that forced him to miss the aforementioned summer fixtures.
Additional roster highlights include:
- Ryan Matyas who last featured in 2018 against Romania
- Nate Augspurger, Dylan Fawsitt, and Chance Wenglewski who last featured at Rugby World Cup 2019
- Luke Carty and Christian Dyer return after promising performances in July
- Benjamin Bonasso and Moni Tonga’uiha could earn their first cap
- Will Hooley remains out to continue rehab from injury
- Assistant Coach Shawn Pittman is back with the squad after being named MLR Head Coach of the Season with the Utah Warriors
Head Coach Gary Gold said: “We’re looking forward to picking up where we left off in July with the bulk of our players from that group and some returning faces to compliment the squad. Obviously, we’re all excited to have AJ back and to see him lead the team as Captain. Bryce did an excellent job as Captain against England and Ireland, as well, so having them both to guide this group will be a huge benefit.
“Canada has certainly improved as a team, they are a well-coached and formidable opponent that we need to respect. It is extremely important for us to be efficient and effective in our training so we can execute effectively, gain success on the field and hopefully progress. Overall, I’m excited to get this group back together and hit the ground running.”
Men’s XVs National Team Roster
|
PLAYER NAME |
POSITION |
CLUB |
CAPS |
|
David Ainu’u |
Prop |
Toulouse |
11 |
|
Nate Augspurger |
Scrumhalf / Wing |
San Diego Legion |
26 |
|
Michael Baska |
Scrumhalf |
Utah Warriors |
2 |
|
Benjamin Bonasso |
Back Row |
Rugby United New York |
Uncapped |
|
Marcel Brache |
Center / Fullback |
Unattached |
24 |
|
Nate Brakeley |
Lock |
Rugby United New York |
25 |
|
Bryce Campbell |
Center |
Austin Gilgronis |
34 |
|
Luke Carty |
Flyhalf / Center |
LA Giltinis |
2 |
|
Nick Civetta |
Lock |
Rugby United New York |
28 |
|
Ruben de Haas |
Scrumhalf |
Saracens (ENG) |
19 |
|
Cam Dolan |
No. 8 |
NOLA Gold |
53 |
|
Christian Dyer |
Wing |
USA Sevens |
2 |
|
Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz |
Flanker / No. 8 |
Old Glory DC |
3 |
|
Dylan Fawsitt |
Hooker |
Rugby United New York |
15 |
|
Hanco Germishuys |
Flanker |
Rugby United New York |
23 |
|
Andrew Guerra |
Flanker |
NOLA Gold |
1 |
|
Matt Harmon |
Prop |
NOLA Gold |
2 |
|
Ryan James |
Wing |
LA Giltinis |
uncapped |
|
Mika Kruse |
Wing / Center |
Utah Warriors |
2 |
|
AJ MacGinty |
Flyhalf |
Sale Sharks (ENG) |
28 |
|
Will Magie |
Fullback |
Austin Gilgronis |
27 |
|
Siaosi Mahoni |
Lock |
San Diego Legion |
2 |
|
Ryan Matyas |
Wing / Center |
San Diego Legion |
12 |
|
Paul Mullen |
Prop |
Utah Warriors |
20 |
|
Gregory Peterson |
Lock |
Newcastle Falcons |
32 |
|
Kapeliele Pifeleti |
Hooker |
Saracens (ENG) |
4 |
|
Mikey Sosene-Feagai |
Hooker |
Old Glory DC |
6 |
|
Joe Taufete’e |
Prop |
Lyon (FRA) |
29 |
|
Tesimoni Tonga’uiha |
Flanker |
NOLA Gold |
uncapped |
|
Dino Waldren |
Prop |
NOLA Gold |
21 |
|
Chance Wenglewski |
Prop |
Rugby ATL |
6 |
Men’s XVs National Team Staff
- Head Coach Gary Gold
- Asst Coach Rob Hoadley
- Asst Coach Steve Brett
- Asst Coach Shawn Pittman
- Head of Strength & Conditioning Huw Bevan
- Asst Strength & Conditioning Josh Schnell
- Performance Analyst Jimmy Harrison
- Team Doctor Sam Akhavan
- Head Physiotherapist Kristen Douhan
- Athletic Trainer Ron Klingensmith
- Sports Massage Therapist Dahlia Hurwitz
- Team Manager Oscar Alvarez
Men’s XVs National Team Fall Schedule
Broadcast details are TBA
September 4, 2021, vs Canada, KO 3 PM NT, Swilers Rugby Club, St John’s, Newfoundland
September 11, 2021, vs Canada, KO 7 PM MT, Infinity Park, Glendale, CO Tickets Here
October 2, 2021, vs South America TBC KO 6 PM MT, Infinity Park, Glendale, CO, Tickets Here
October 11, 2021, vs South America TBC, Time and location TBC
October 23, 2021, vs All Blacks, KO 3 PM ET FedEx Field, Washington, D.C. Tickets Here
October 30, 2021, vs Ireland, KO To be Confirmed, Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, NV, Tickets Here
The Americas Qualification Process
Round 1 – USA vs Canada
-
USA at Canada | September 4
-
Canada at USA | September 11
*Winner on net points is North America 1
*Loser on net points is North America 2
Round 2 – North America vs South America
-
Uruguay (South America 1) at North America 1 | October 2
-
North America 1 at Uruguay | October 9
*Winner on net points earns automatic qualification in RWC 2023 as Americas 1
*The loser on net points plays the winner of below for Americas 2
-
Chile (South America 2) at North America 2 | October 2
-
North America 2 at Chile | October 9
*Winner on net points stays in the qualification process and plays the loser of North America 1 & Uruguay series for Americas 2
Round 3 – TBD in 2022
-
The loser of Uruguay v North America 1 series plays the winner of Chile v North America 2
-
The winner of this net points series qualifies automatically for RWC ‘23 as Americas 2
-
The loser of Round 3 still has one last opportunity to qualify for the RWC by representing the Americas in the Repechage tournament.
**Argentina automatically qualified for the 2023 RWC based on their performance in the 2019 RWC
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