Following a year postponement, the Men’s Eagles Sevens have finally taken the pitch in Tokyo going 2-0 on day one, with a classic opening win against Kenya, where Captain Madison Hughes sealed the comeback with a try at the death and 19-17 victory over Ireland. The opening matches were an exciting welcome back to rugby on the Olympic stage. Team USA will close out Pool C play on Monday night against South Africa, 10:30pm EST streaming live at NBCOlympics.com. The Women’s Eagles Sevens will subsequently kickoff their competition on July 29.
Match play got underway with a short pause as Danny Barrett received attention following the opening kickoff. With some quick wrapping, Barrett remained on the pitch with no set back and continued the prominent force we’ve come to expect. The United States did well to force penalties in the first match with two off Kenya during the first drive, earning ground for a Carlin Isles try from just over five meters out. Keeping the ball in Kenya’s end, Joe Schroeder would carry two defenders with him to the line, pull up from the ruck and find Martin Iosefo for the second try and 12-0 lead.
Kenya climbed back into contention with two quick tries and a two-point lead around the break, however it was Matai Leuta with the MVP defensive play, reaching for a loose ball in our own end zone to break up a third try after TMO review. Cut to the next phase, Kevon Williams picks up from the scrum and speeds ahead into space. Hughes would be there to reel in the offload and score the decider with one second left. Match one goes the USA way, 19-14.
Hughes on the game one win, “It’s great to get the win. I caught the ball, it looked a long, long way to the tryline and I know Kenya, you’ve got some fast guys, so it was amazing to fight through because at the end of the day, that’s what counts. I think we’ll have to take a look at a few of the reasons we allowed them to get back into the match and that middle period, see what we can improve upon and prevent those small errors from creeping in.”
Match two saw another close one against Ireland, but the Eagles had this one in hand. Perry Baker notched his first try of the Olympics with a juke, slipped tackle and break away on the left side. A proven sequence for him as one of the most elusive players in rugby sevens. Almost immediately after, Hughes dazzled by kicking the loose ball through the line, sprinting ahead and reeling it in himself before dribbling outside the tryzone. Halftime rolls around after a Harry McNulty try, USA up 12-5.
Continuing to do well finding space, Brett Thompson raced forward at midfield with the defense and Stephen Tomasin on his tail. Tomasin would open up and carry the offload in for his first points in Tokyo. As the last few minutes ticked away, the USA held tight on defense and kept possession to watch time fade away and seal the win. Ireland picked up a late score from Foster Horan, but it’s not enough. Eagles come out on top, 19-17 and close out day one at Tokyo Stadium, 2-0.
Matai Leuta noted after a strong day, “You know, we got tested against Ireland. They were a strong squad, physical, fast and that’s what we’re going to expect from South Africa tomorrow. They definitely push us to the limits so that we know what we need to work on going into that game.”
Leuta continued, “I mean obviously it’s day one, so everybody wants to come out performing their best and put their front foot forward, just be able to carry that momentum into day two. We have a few things we need to work on, but that’s with everything and sharpen those tools.”
“It’s the biggest stage in sports and so everybody’s bringing their A game, we just have to be prepared to bring ours as well. Match the effort.”
The Men’s Eagles Sevens will be back at 10:30pm ET on Monday, July 26 to face South Africa and decide who will top Pool C. South Africa similarly finished day one 2-0. Stay tuned to usarug.by/watchtokyo and USA Rugby social media channels for broadcast details across the NBC family of networks and streaming.
USA vs KENYA
TRIES » C. Isles, M. Hughes, M. Iosefo
CONVERSIONS » S. Tomasin (1), M. Hughes (1)
USA v IRELAND
TRIES » P. Baker, M. Hughes, S. Tomasin
CONVERSIONS » M. Hughes (2)
