LAST TOURNAMENT | SIXTH IN HAMILTON
The USA Men’s Sevens suffered another uncharacteristic finish with sixth in Hamilton. Picking up 12 series points against a new and challenging format, the United States fell to second in their pool and were subsequently placed in the Fifth Place Final.
Opening against Scotland, the United States finished with an impressive 24-7 result; paved by two try-saving tackles by Stephen Tomasin which ripped momentum away from the Scottish. The U.S. met the Achilles heel of its campaign next, with penalties creating a platform for home team New Zealand to win possession, score easy tries and claim first in the group.
Still, the Eagles Sevens had one more chance to qualify for the Semifinals. If Scotland beat New Zealand, and the U.S. put up enough points against Wales, then the Americans would claim the top spot on points differential.
The U.S. easily put up 42 points against Wales, holding nothing back and not allowing a single point in the opposition’s favor. But as New Zealand completed a rout of Scotland, favor rippled away and the home team eventually finished on the podium.
Against Canada in the Fifth Place Final, the USA’s performance struggled. Canada ran away with a 7-28 finale off the backend of a near complete dominance in possession.
Now ranked eighth with 30 total series points, the U.S. have seven stops left to improve their position. The squad are five points behind fifth-place Australia, 18 points behind third-place France and 33 points away from first-place New Zealand.
THE SQUAD
Head Coach Mike Friday has made two changes to the roster for Sydney.
Ben Broselle will fly home after being pulled out of Hamilton due to Head Injury Assessment (HIA) protocol; Marcus Tupuola will take his place.
Cody Melphy will jump in for Madison Hughes who was pulled out as a precaution with Ben Pinkelman taking over as Captain.
Hamilton saw young Naima Fuala’au score his first two career World Series tries which were scored in back-to-back fashion against Wales.
Stephen Tomasin and Carlin Isles had standout performances as well. Tomasin completed the aforementioned two try-saving tackles and scored 7 points of his own against Scotland. Isles was instrumental in preserving the shut out of Wales, capturing the opening try, making two try-saving tackles and adding a massive counter ruck to win possession.
The full squad has 375 cumulative HSBC tournaments.
| PLAYER NAME | POSITION | HSBC TOURNAMENTS TO DATE |
| 1. Carlin Isles | Wing | 54 |
| 2. Ben Pinkelman (C) | Prop/Hooker | 34 |
| 3. Danny Barrett | Prop | 51 |
| 4. Matai Leuta | Prop | 39 |
| 5. Marcus Tupuola | Wing/Hooker | 7 |
| 6. Kevon Williams | Halfback/Wing | 24 |
| 7. Naima Fuala’au | Halfback | 4 |
| 8. Maka Unufe | Center | 40 |
| 9. Stephen Tomasin | Hooker | 34 |
| 10. Cody Melphy | Halfback | 3 |
| 11. Perry Baker | Wing | 44 |
| 12. Martin Iosefo | Center | 43 |
STAFF
Head Coach | Mike Friday
Assistant Coach | Anthony Roques
Strength & Conditioning | John Hood
Athletic Trainer | Kevin Ng
Team Manager | Scott Novack
THE COMPETITION
The United States will again open against Scotland on Friday, Jan 31 at 7:57 PM ET in the same revised format from 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 play for Fifth Place while the two highest ranked teams after them will face one another for 7th Place. This sequence continues for the 9th place, 11th place, 13th place and 15th place rounds, respectively.
Scotland are ranked 13th after finishing 11th last weekend. Their best finish so far has been Cape Town when they came away eighth. Japan will be up next, having last faced the U.S. in Cape Town where they suffered a 42-0 loss. The Japanese are currently 15th.
Group play concludes with fifth-place Australia who won bronze in Hamilton.
SYDNEY SCHEDULE | POOL C
vs Scotland | Friday, Jan 31 -7:57 PM ET
vs Japan | Sat, Feb 1 - 1:24 AM ET
vs Australia | Sat, Feb 1 - 7:29 PM ET
Knockout rounds begin at 12:20 AM ET on Sun, Feb 2
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
“It has been very up and down on our side after the first three legs. We are all fully aware we have yet to hit our straps as a group but the endeavor and effort to get better, is very much alive and burning even if it hasn’t translated yet. We know that right now, we are not showing our maximum level of accuracy and composure on the pitch.
“We are very determined to work through this dip in cohesion — especially in our attack — which can have ruthless effects on our results. This has caused disappointment and frustration for the players, perhaps even leading to the boys, at times, trying too hard to solve problems individually rather than collectively.
“Regardless, we will persevere in building confidence and belief with an awareness that managing our emotions in the moment, as well as our clarity in communication and collective trust, are what gets the job done.
“In this format, it is unfortunately a lottery once again for all. With that, our primary focus is the challenge of Scotland in Game One as that is all that matters. Only after that can we turn our attention to Japan and hosts Australia.”
TO SUM IT UP
Another difficult task lies ahead with the same challenging format in Sydney which is the final tournament before the USA men return home for HSBC LA Sevens. Group play will see Scotland and Australia attempting to prove their dominance while Japan rectifies their unfavorable result from Cape Town.
Performances have not been a reflection of the USA’s capability and standards; however, with seven stops remaining on the circuit, time and determination are in favor of a rise in position.
The Eagles Sevens are five series points away from breaking the top five while Fiji (7th) are four points away and Argentina are tied with fifth place Australia. New Zealand holds a measurable advantage in first with a 15 point lead over both South Africa and France who are tied second.
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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