LAST TOURNAMENT | NINTH IN CAPE TOWN
Drawn in the pool of death alongside Fiji, Japan and home team South Africa, the USA men went 1-2 in group play, were unable to reach the Cup Quarterfinals and finished ninth in Cape Town.
In the opening matchup against Fiji, neither side were particularly on form; and despite a number of penalties and two yellow cards against the Fijians, the opposing side simply converted more of its opportunities to win 14-28.
Day Two opened with a statement performance against Japan, where the USA won 42-0 and five players crossed the tryline. By this stage, Fiji and South Africa held the edge in the group, where the only way the USA could advance was to beat the home team.
The final matchup of Pool A was intense, to say the least. Where an army of fans were screaming in favor of South Africa’s 5-21 lead, the Eagles Sevens were relentless in pursuit of the win. Tries by Matai Leuta and Perry Baker supported a comeback in the final minute until a penalty gave the ball back to the home team who kicked to touch for the victory.
Devastated, the United States concluded its Cape Town run by beating England 17-12 in the Ninth Place Play Off.
THE SQUAD
Head Coach Mike Friday has made three changes from the previous tournament with Ben Pinkelman, Martin Iosefo and Marcus Tupuola back in the group.
Pinkelman and Iosefo were both rested after competing in Rugby World Cup Japan 2019 and will take their respective places in the starting lineup. Tupuola will be ready to jump in as an injury reserve where all three players prepare for their first tournament of the season.
Hamilton will also see another USA Sevens staple cross the half century mark as Captain Madison Hughes appears in his 50th World Series event.
Since his sevens debut at Wellington in 2014, Hughes has gone on to become the highest overall points scorer in team history (1,450 pts) and has served as Captain for the Olympic Games Rio 2016 and Rugby World Cup Sevens 2018.
In seven years, Hughes has helped lead the Eagles to some of their highest achievements including a first ever gold medal at London 2015, No. 1 world ranking in 2018-19 and qualification to the upcoming Olympics in Tokyo.
Led by Hughes, the full squad owns 416 World Rugby Sevens Series tournaments.
| PLAYER NAME | POSITION | HSBC TOURNAMENTS TO DATE |
| 1. Carlin Isles | Wing | 53 |
| 2. Ben Pinkelman | Prop/Hooker | 33 |
| 3. Danny Barrett | Prop | 50 |
| 4. Matai Leuta | Prop | 38 |
| 5. Naima Fua’laau | Halfback | 4 |
| 6. Kevon Williams | Halfback/Wing | 23 |
| 7. Ben Broselle | Wing/Prop | 5 |
| 8. Maka Unufe | Center | 39 |
| 9. Stephen Tomasin | Hooker | 33 |
| 10. Madison Hughes (C) | Halfback | 49 |
| 11. Perry Baker | Wing | 43 |
| 12. Martin Iosefo | Center | 42 |
| 13. Marcus Tupuola | Wing | 4 |
STAFF
Head Coach | Mike Friday
Assistant Coach | Anthony Roques
Strength & Conditioning | John Hood
Athletic Trainer | Kevin Ng
Team Manager | Scott Novack
THE COMPETITION
The USA Men’s Sevens will face Scotland, New Zealand and Wales in a new adjustment to the competition structure for Hamilton:
- No Cup Quarterfinals will be held and teams who finish first in their respective pools will advance directly to the Cup Semifinals.
- The two highest ranked teams remaining will face one another in the 5th Place playoff while the two highest ranked teams after them will face one another in the 7th Place play off. This sequence continues for the 9th place, 11th place, 13th place and 15th place rounds, respectively.
Scotland, currently in 13th place overall, will be up first on Friday, Jan 24 at 8:09 PM ET. Home team and No. 1 New Zealand will be next after claiming silver and gold medals in the opening two tournaments of the season, respectively. The U.S. will conclude group play against No. 15 Wales.
HAMILTON SCHEDULE
vs Scotland | Friday, Jan 24 - 8:09 PM ET
vs New Zealand | Saturday, Jan 25 - 2:33 AM ET
vs Wales | Saturday, Jan 25 - 7:19 PM ET
Knockout rounds begin at 10:20 PM ET on Saturday, Jan 25
WHERE TO WATCH / FOLLOW
All matches are broadcast LIVE and On-Demand through NBC Sports Gold’s rugby pass. To purchase rugby pass, click here.
Score updates are available by following @USARugby on Twitter, Instagram Story and Facebook Story. Match recaps are posted within 90 minutes of full time on www.usa.rugby, as well as Facebook and Twitter.
HEAR IT FROM HEAD COACH MIKE FRIDAY
“We have hugely reflected as a group since returning to training at the start of 2020. We were unhappy with some of our moments in the first two legs which were in our control and we continue to work hard as a group to be better at taking those moments.”
“On pitch we have had a huge focus on our basics where we felt our pass and catch let us down together with the fundamentals of our lineout and kick off execution. Physically we still have a lot more to give and impose in terms of speed and power as well as repeated effort.
“It’s great for the squad to have Martin and Ben rested and now sevens ready for these two legs and their ability and experience will be a huge positive to the squad. This is going to be another extremely difficult group to progress from due to the enforced changes to format which means we have to win our pool.”
“It is great to see Madison reach his 50th tournament. He has been not only a great player for the Dawgs but an immense leader who is balanced, measured and passionate in everything he does. To have been Captain for 46 of that 50 epitomizes him as Captain America. We are very fortunate to have him.”
TO SUM IT UP
More than a month’s break and restored depth bring a fresh USA Men’s Sevens side to Hamilton.
While pool play matchups remain competitive and the adjusted format will add new challenges to the competition, the Eagles Sevens have a renewed opportunity in front of them.
Captain Madison Hughes’ 50th tournament certainly adds an inspirational factor to the group’s campaign, but as the meat of the season kicks into high gear, all teams will be positioned to make or break the road to the Olympics in Tokyo this July.
JOIN US IN LA
The USA Men’s Sevens will return to home soil for the fifth round of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in Los Angeles, CA from February 29 to March 1, 2020.
Previously held in Las Vegas, the tournament’s new location at Dignity Health Sports Park will bring sevens fans to the sunny shores of Southern California as the Eagles Sevens aim to win their third straight gold in front of a home crowd. Tickets and event information for HSBC LA Sevens 2020 are available now at lasevensrugby.com.
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