Royall Rugby

Steinberg Signs Two-Year Extension with Women’s Eagles

oktane-admin — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 18:05:14 +0000

BOULDER, Colo. — USA Women’s Eagles Head Coach, Peter Steinberg, has signed an extension to his current contract, keeping him in the role through 2013.

“The performance of the team and the feedback from the players has shown that Peter is the right person to lead the program,” said Nigel Melville, CEO and President of Rugby Operations at USA Rugby. “The Women’s Eagles are a flagship for the development of the game, and Peter will drive them to perform at the highest level.”

Steinberg led the Eagles to a 1-3 record at the Nations Cup earlier this year including a 11-15 loss against England, a team that placed second in the 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cup.

“The performance at the Nations Cup was strong even if the outcomes were not,” said Steinberg. “It was tough to lose two games on the last play, particularly against England when we believed we had won the game.”

Despite the results, the tournament allowed Steinberg to begin the process of building for the 2014 World Cup, capping 11 new players in the tournament. The player identification process for the Eagles is now the priority for 2012.

“We are a bit behind some of the other countries in identifying players and building the player pool,” said Steinberg. “That means that 2012 will be a year of player identification and development. We have started that process at the Women’s Division I playoffs and will continue next weekend when we scout the Women’s Premier League and the Division II club playoffs.”

Steinberg has been impressed with the level of athleticism of players at all levels, but knows that skill level is an area that needs improvement. Players that come into the pool in 2012 will get individual development programs for skills, strength and conditioning, nutrition, and mental skills.

“We want to know who is in our expanded pool for 2014 by the end of next year,” said Steinberg. “We are looking for players who do not just want to be Eagles, but are committed to becoming world-class players. This means finding out who is willing to make the sacrifices every day to be a better player.”

The Women’s Eagles year will finish 2011 with a December mini-camp in Chicago for local players and start next year with the winter Elite Camp in January.

-USA Rugby

2011 Mens Ivy Sevens Championships

oktane-admin — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:49:35 +0000

The 2011 Mens Ivy Sevens Championships kicks off Saturday November 5th at 9am. All eight Ivies will battle it out. Who will dominate?

For scheduling and information check out Ivy Rugby

BRAVE PERFORMANCE MARKS END OF EAGLES’ WORLD CUP CAMPAIGN

oktane-admin — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 19:49:52 +0000

BOULDER, Colo. – The USA Eagles put everything on the line in their final match at the 2011 Rugby World Cup (RWC). They lost to Italy 27-10 at Trafalgar Park in Nelson, but have gained thousands of new fans across New Zealand and the world.

“I am very proud of how the team performed in our final game at the RWC. I felt they showed tremendous spirit and commitment for the full 80 minutes. We really made Italy work hard for their victory, and stayed in the game until near the end,” said Eagles Head Coach, Eddie O’Sullivan.

The United States scored one try in the match, and after 26 minutes and scores were level at 10-10. On the stroke of halftime, Italy added a try to their total giving the them a 20-10 advantage at the break. In the second period they scored twice more, despite being put under pressure from the Eagles.

“For some reason we got on the wrong side of the referee and a penalty count of 19 to 7, which mitigated against us in sustaining continued pressure on Italy. Once we got some flow to our game, we put them under pressure on numerous occasions,” continued O’Sullivan.

Italy had a dream start to the match as captain Sergio Parisse found a hole in the defense and dived over for the opening points in the third minute. Mirco Bergamasco kicked the conversion for a 7-0 lead.

The Eagles came back strongly, and scored a fantastic try. Todd Clever took an excellent lineout, with Roland Suniula finding Paul Emerick on the run. The powerful center broke through two tacklers, and with a deft back hand flick pass, sent Chris Wyles over for the try. Wyles added the two points, and it was 7-7 after 20 minutes.

Prop Mike MacDonald had another monster game, rumbling through the Italian defense. His work rate was outstanding, and was highlighted as one of the Eagles players of the tournament along with Clever. MacDonald also became the most capped USA player at a RWC with 11 appearances.

Later in the half Wyles traded penalties with Italy’s Bergamasco to make the score 10-10. The Eagles had plenty of attacking opportunities playing an expansive game plan, but could not convert opportunities into points. On the Italian side, nippy flyhalf Luciano Orquera dived over to score his team’s second try. Bruising prop Martin Castrogiovanni bulldozed his way over on the stroke of half time, putting Italy in front by 20-10.

In the second period some amazing Eagle defense prevented scores from Italy. Louis Stanfill, Hayden Smith, and Emerick were all heavily involved shutting down certain Italian tries.

The Italians pressured the Eagles in the final 20 minutes seeing a penalty try awarded to Italy during scrum time, and Stanfill receiving a yellow card in the process. One would not have noticed the Eagles were a man down as they defended their line fiercely, and on attack carried the ball through some great phases.

Italy defended extremely well, and the score remained 27-10, with the Eagles exiting the RWC in 4th place in Pool C ahead of Russia.

“Overall it’s been a very enjoyable World Cup. We set our goal of beating Russia and pushing some of the tier one nations, which we achieved. The Eagles have definitely won over a lot of supporters in New Zealand during this RWC,” said the Head Coach.

The USA squad will depart for America tomorrow, with many players returning to their day jobs following almost two months on tour. The Eagles can hold their heads high for what was a very brave and spirited performance at the 2011 RWC. Every member of the USA team were presented with medals for taking part in the RWC tournament.

USA EAGLES

15 Chris Wyles (Saracens)

14 Takudzwa Ngwenya (Biarritz)

13 Paul Emerick (Life University)

12 Andrew Suniula (Chicago Griffins)

11 James Paterson (Highlanders)

10 Roland Suniula (Boston Rugby)

9 Mike Petri (New York Athletic Club)

1 Mike MacDonald (Leeds Carnegie)

2 Chris Biller (San Francisco Golden Gate)

3 Mate Moeakiola (Bobigny 93)

4 John van der Giessen (Unattached)

5 Hayden Smith (Saracens)

6 Louis Stanfill (New York Athletic Club)

7 Todd Clever (Suntory Sungoliath) *Captain

8 Nic Johnson (Unattached)

Reserves:

16 Phil Thiel (Life University)

17 Shawn Pittman (London Welsh)

18 Scott LaValla (Stade Francais)

19 Pat Danahy (Life University)

20 Tim Usasz (Nottingham RFC)

21 Nese Malifa (Glendale)

22 Blaine Scully (Unattached)

USA Tries: Wyles (18’)

USA Conversions: Wyles (19’)

USA Penalties: Wyles (28’)

Substitutions: Pittman on for Moeakiola – Blood Sub on (8’), Moeakiola on for Pittman – Blood Sub off (14’), Thiel on for Biller (29’), Scully on for A. Suniula (46’), Pittman on for Moeakiola (56’), Usasz on for Petri (64’), LaValla on for Johnson (68’), Malifa on for R. Suniula (72’)

Yellow Card: Stanfill (59’)

ITALY

15 Andrea Masi

14 Tommaso Benvenuti

13 Gonzalo Canale

12 Gonzalo Garcia

11 Mirco Bergamasco

10 Luciano Orquera

9 Fabio Semenzato

1 Salvatore Perugini
2 Leonardo Ghiraldini
3 Martin Castrogiovanni
4 Quintin Geldenhuys
5 Cornelius van Zyl
6 Alessandro Zanni
7 Mauro Bergamasco
8 Sergio Parisse *Captain

Reserves:

16 Fabio Ongaro
17 Andrea Lo Cicero
18 Marco Bortolami
19 Paul Derbyshire
20 Edoardo Gori
21 Riccardo Bocchino
22 Giulio Toniolatti

ITALY Tries: Parisse (3’), Orquera (30’), Castrogiovanni (40’), Penalty Try (67’)

ITALY Conversions: Bergamasco (4’), (67’)

ITALY Penalties: Bergamasco (22’)

Substitutions: Lo Cicero on for Perugini (51’), Toniolatti on for Benvenuti (54’), Gori on for Semenzato (67’), Bocchino on for Orquera (67’), Derbyshire on for Bergamasco (70’), Ongaro on for Ghiraldini (73’)

RWC 2011 RESULTS | NEW ZEALAND

September 11, 2011: USA 10 Ireland 22 (Stadium Taranaki, New Plymouth)

September 15, 2011: USA 13 Russia 6 (Stadium Taranaki, New Plymouth)

September 23, 2011: USA 5 Australia 67 (Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington)

September 27, 2011: USA 10 Italy 27 (Trafalgar Park, Nelson)

Preview of Today’s RWC Action

oktane-admin — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 18:06:12 +0000

Wales vs Samoa

Hopefully Wales has shaken off their heart-wrenching loss to the Springboks. Samoa is a dangerous team and while Wales are favorites, they will have to perform well. Wale’s player Gatland exclaimed that they “must win on Sunday, that is the bottom line. There are no second chances after Sunday, it’s that important to us.”

England vs Georgia

This one should be in the bag for England, but Georgia did cause problems for the Scots earlier in the week. Last time the teams met Georgia took a 84-6 beating. It will be interesting to see if they can put up a better showing this time.

France vs Canada

France should have no problem handling Canada in Sunday’s game. However, if France isn’t careful they may find themselves in a tough fought game similar to their game against Japan earlier in the week.

Preview of Today’s Rugby World Cup Action

oktane-admin — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 19:24:20 +0000

Argentina v Romania

This match is a must win for Argentina if they want at taking one of the top two spots in Pool B to move onto the quarter-final stage. After a close 13-9 lose to England in their opener game, Argentina have something to prove. However, they’ll have to do it without their starting fly-half and captain Felipe Contepomi who is sidelined with bruised ribs.

South Africa vs. Fiji

While the Springboks are the favorite in the Pool, Fiji are certainly a strong contender. In the last World Cup, Fiji managed to give South Africa a considerably hard time during the quarter finals– at one point they were tied 20-20. South Africa will have to come out of the gates harder than they did in their World Cup opener against Wales which they won by only won point if they want to ensure this win.

Australia vs Ireland

This game is huge for both teams and will determine who takes first in the Pool. Ireland has a chance of causing an upset, although their recent showings have not been promising. Australia and Ireland will be fighting hard to take the top spot in the pool in order to avoid playing South Africa in the quarter-finals. This game is sure to be exciting and is one of the most anticipated games in pool play.

RWC Pools

oktane-admin — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 13:47:39 +0000

Pool B

England is the favorite in this pool, but both Scotland and Argentina are strong sides that could pull upsets. The real crunch match here should be Argentina vs. Scotland who will be battling it out for 2^nd place. Georgia and Romania will be fighting each other to stay out of the bottom of the pool.

England

While England are pool favorites, they will have their work cut out for them with Scotland and Argentina. Manu Tuilagi could prove to be an essential weapon in their game—a real wild card. England have been finalists in the past two World Cup tournaments and will certainly look to keep that record.

Scotland

Scotland is a strong contender in this World Cup and will be fighting it out with Argentina for 2^nd in the pool. Luckily for Scotland, they open up against Romania and Georgia before they play Argentina and England—an advantage which could give them the momentum they need. One should not rule out the possibility of them causing an upset against England and taking the top of the pool.

Argentina

Despite being one of the older teams in the tournament, Argentina will have a good chance at taking 2^nd or even 1^st in the pool. They have an experienced tight five and a lot of power and athleticism in the back-row. England and Scotland better be ready.

Georgia

Georgia got their first World Cup win in 2007 against Namibia and will look to collect a second against Romania this year. They are ranked as the top European team outside of the Six Nations and will attempt to put up a good showing against the top three powerhouses in this pool.

Romania

Romania has been in each World Cup without much success. They are certainly in a tough pool and will put their efforts into a win against Georgia to stay out of last.

Pool C

Australia is the favorites of pool C with Ireland and Italy clashing heads for 2^nd. In the past 30 years, Australia hasn’t lost to the Irish outside of Ireland and Italy has never secured a win against Australia. While most would think that Ireland would be a lock for 2^nd, one must consider their four consecutive losses in their recent warm-up matches.

Australia

Australia has the youngest squad attending the World Cup, but also one of the strongest. With a tri-nations title on their back, they certainly have a lot of momentum going into the tournament. Considering their previous records against Ireland and Italy, the Wallabies should have no problem taking first.

Ireland

While Ireland is normally a strong team, they are coming off of four consecutive warm-up match defeats and really have something to prove. Their final game in group stage against Italy will determine whether or not they move onto the quarter finals.

Italy

Italy has proven in the recent months that they are a good team and are capable of causing upsets. During the Six Nations, they upset France in a riveting game. Earlier in the year, they lost out to Ireland by only a couple points and are likely to cause trouble for the Irish again in the tournament. Games against the USA and Russia are must wins, but they better watch out for the Eagles.

USA

The Eagles will try and make a statement this World Cup as a growing Rugby nation. While they should be confident in their game against Russia, it will not be an easy game. In 2007, the USA showed they have the potential to cause an unsept when they gave England a run for their money. Although they may not have a chance of beating the top three teams in the pool, they may be able to pull off an upset against Ireland or Italy.

Russia

Russia’s only chance of a win would be an upset over the USA. However, chances are they will finish at the bottom of the pool.

Pool D
Arguably the toughest pool at the World Cup. While South Africa should come out on top, Wales could easily cause an upset. Fiji and Samoa have been known to put up strong showings in the past and both teams are looking good enough to cause Wales and South Africa trouble.

South Africa

Winners of the 2007 World Cup, South Africa are obvious favorites. They will look to take the title for the third time which would be record breaking. South Africa has never lost to Fiji, Samoa or Namibia and only once out of 25 matches against Wales. However, South Africa can’t be too cocky as it is possibly the toughest pool and there’s room for an upset.

Wales

While Wales have the ability to take 2^nd in the pool, Fiji and Samoa will be tough opponents. In the 1991 World Cup Wales fell to Samoa on their home turf and in 2007 Fiji won over them in an upset. Wales certainly has a strong side but they’ll have to be at their best to make sure they move on to the quarter finals.

Samoa

Samoa’s recent win against Australia sent a message to the rugby world that they are serious contenders. During the last World Cup, they only managed to pull off one win and will try to redeem themselves this tournament. They certainly have the ability to upset Wales, but they’ll have to watch out for Fiji.

Fiji

The Fijians may have recently fallen out of the top ten rankings, but they have a strong side and are confident going into this World Cup. In 2007 they upset Wales to move onto the quarter finals and they have the potential to cause upsets again this year against Samoa and Wales.

Namibia

Namibia are the lowest-ranked team at the world cup and are unfortunately in a very tough pool. They have yet to win a game at the World Cup and are likely to go home without changing this record.

2011 RWC Preview: Pool A

oktane-admin — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 21:26:17 +0000

New Zealand and France are clear favorites for the top two spots in this pool. However, third place will be in close contention between Tonga, Japan and Canada who rank 12^th, 13^th, and 14^th in the world respectively.

New Zealand

Not only are the All Blacks the number one ranked team in the world, they will be playing on their own turf which puts them in a prime spot to take first in pool play. While New Zealand should have an easy time with Tonga, Japan, and Canada, they’ll have to watch out for France’s strong side who have proven difficult for them in the past.

France

This powerhouse of a team should have an easy time in this pool with the exception of New Zealand. They have arguably the best scrum in the world at this time and a great number of excellent players. However, inconsistency in their starting XV could cause some problems in the tournament. But, France will have two lighter games at the start of the tournament to prepare their highly anticipated games against the All Blacks.

Tonga

Tonga showed up big time during the last World Cup, beating the USA and Samoa in their pool and coming in third behind England and South Africa. While they may have a tough start this year with their first game against the All Blacks, Tonga will be confident in their game against Canada and will look to revenge a September 21^st loss to Japan.

Japan

In the past, Japan has struggled at the World Cup. Over the last six tournaments, Japan has only one win and a draw to their name, with eighteen defeats. However, Japan has a good chance of taking 3^rd in the pool this year and will surely come out of the gates hard. Their win in the Pacific Nations Cup for the first time this year as well as a recent win over the USA should give them the confidence to be in close contention with Tonga for the 3^rd spot in the pool.

Canada

It looks like Canada is in for a rough time this tournament. All of their efforts will be put into a win over Japan or Tonga to keep themselves from placing in the bottom of the pool.

2011 Rugby World Cup Match Up Schedule

oktane-admin — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:06:16 +0000

Are you ready???

RWC 2011 Match Up Schedule

EAGLES LAND IN NEW ZEALAND FOR RWC

oktane-admin — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 20:22:04 +0000

BOULDER, Colo. — The United States Men’s National Rugby Team landed in New Zealand this afternoon to take part in the 2011 Rugby World Cup (RWC) in New Zealand. The Eagles will face Ireland (Sept 11), Russia (Sept 15), Australia (Sept 23) and Italy (Sept 27) during pool play, with coverage on NBC Universal (www.universalsports.com).

Following the recent tour to Japan, the Eagles assembled in Santa Barbara on Sunday August 28. The short camp at the University of California – Santa Barbara (UCSB), held in cooperation with the Santa Barbara Rugby Academy, was extremely beneficial leading up to the RWC challenge.

Eagles Head Coach, Eddie O’Sullivan, said “It was a great three days at UCSB, and hugely important to us. For the first time this year with no game immediately looming we were able to get a lot of work done and hardwire our systems for the RWC. We were very well hosted by Kevin Battle in Santa Barbara, and the facilities were excellent with the squad really enjoying our time there.”

The USA will be based in Wanganui for the first week of the RWC tournament, traveling to New Plymouth on September 9. There the Eagles will face Ireland on September 11, and Russia four days later, on September 15.

Wellington will be the next base camp for the United States as they take on Tri Nations champions Australia at Westpac Stadium on September 23. The final pool match will be against Italy in Nelson on September 27. The top two teams in each pool will then advance to the RWC quarterfinals.

USA EAGLES RWC 2011 SQUAD

Forwards:

Inaki Basauri (Perigueux), Chris Biller (San Francisco Golden Gate), Todd Clever (Suntory Sungoliath), Pat Danahy (Life University), Eric Fry (Las Vegas Blackjacks), JJ Gagiano (Univ. of Cape Town), Nic Johnson (Unattached), Scott LaValla (Stade Francais), Mike MacDonald (Leeds Carnegie), Brian McClenahan (Olympic Club), Mate Moeakiola (Bobigny 93), Shawn Pittman (London Welsh), Hayden Smith (Saracens), Louis Stanfill (Unattached), Phil Thiel (Life University), John van der Giessen (Unattached)

Backs:

Paul Emerick (Life University), Tai Enosa (Belmont Shore), Colin Hawley (Olympic Club), Nese Malifa (Glendale), Taku Ngwenya (Biarritz), James Paterson (Highlanders), Mike Petri (New York Athletic Club), Blaine Scully (Unattached), Junior Sifa (Nottingham RFC), Andrew Suniula (Chicago Griffins), Roland Suniula (Boston Rugby), Kevin Swiryn (Agen), Tim Usasz (Nottingham RFC), Chris Wyles (Saracens)

USA EAGLES RWC 2011 STAFF

Eddie O’Sullivan (Head Coach), Dave Hodges (Forwards Coach & Technical Analyst), Matt Sherman (Backs Coach), Mike Tolkin (Defensive Coach), Dan Payne (Skills Coach), Chris O’Brien (Kicking Coach), David Williams (Strength & Conditioning), Jarrad Griffiths (Assistant Technical Analyst), Tristan Lewis (Team Manager), Kevin Battle (Assistant Manager), Dallen Stanford (Team Media Manager), Michael Keating (Physiotherapist), Alex Garibay (Physiotherapist), Sarah Sall (Masseuse), David Schneider (Doctor, 3-16 Sept), Pat McNair (Doctor, 17 Sept onwards)

RWC 2011 SCHEDULE | NEW ZEALAND

September 11, 2011: USA vs. Ireland (New Plymouth)

September 15, 2011: USA vs. Russia (New Plymouth)

September 23, 2011: USA vs. Australia (Wellington)

September 27, 2011: USA vs. Italy (Nelson)

Further information on the RWC can be found at:

www.rugbyworldcup.com

Broadcast information: NBC Universal will be airing the RWC matches online and on television – full schedule visit:

www.universalsports.com

O’SULLIVAN NAMES FINAL RUGBY WORLD CUP SQUAD

oktane-admin — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 20:43:54 +0000

BOULDER, Colo. -– Eagles Head Coach, Eddie O’Sullivan, has selected his squad of 30 players that will represent the United States at the 2011 Rugby World Cup (RWC) in New Zealand next month.

The Eagles will compete in Pool C at the RWC, taking on Australia, Ireland, Italy and Russia in pool play. NBC Universal has released their broadcast schedule of the tournament, which begins with the opening ceremony on September 9 and concludes with the RWC final on October 23. Visit Universal Sports for details: www.universalsports.com

“I think there is a sense of relief that we are now in a position to name the final squad of 30 for the RWC. It has been a thorough process and I belief that we have the best 30 players available to us heading into the RWC.

As expected we have had to make some very tough decisions to get to the final squad, but that is just reflection on the talent available to us,” said O’Sullivan.

Todd Clever will captain the squad, with 16 forwards and 14 backs making up the team. Mike Petri – who led the Eagles against Japan on Sunday night in Tokyo – has been named the vice-captain.

Selected in the front row are Mike MacDonald, Mate Moeakiola, Eric Fry and Shawn Pittman. Three hookers have been selected in Chris Biller, Phil Thiel and Brian McClenahan.

The lock specialists are John van der Giessen, Hayden Smith and Scott LaValla. The loose-forwards include: Inaki Basauri, Pat Danahy, JJ Gagiano, Nic Johnson, Louis Stanfill, along with Clever.

In the backline, Tim Usasz is at scrumhalf with Petri. Partnering them at flyhalf are Nese Malifa and Roland Suniula. The centers will be Paul Emerick, Tai Enosa, Junior Sifa and Andrew Suniula.

Out wide the wings are Colin Hawley, Taku Ngwenya, James Paterson and Kevin Swiryn. Chris Wyles and Blaine Scully complete the squad as fullbacks.

“All eyes are now turned to RWC and our departure from the USA on September 1,” commented the Head Coach.

The squad will assemble in Santa Barbara on August 28 for their final preparations before flying to New Zealand on September 1.

USA EAGLES 2011 RWC SQUAD

Forwards:

Backs:

Paul Emerick (Life University), Tai Enosa (Belmont Shore), Colin Hawley (Olympic Club), Nese Malifa (Glendale), Taku Ngwenya (Biarritz), James Paterson (Otago), Mike Petri (New York Athletic Club), Blaine Scully (Unattached), Junior Sifa (Nottingham RFC), Andrew Suniula (Chicago Griffins), Roland Suniula (Boston Rugby), Kevin Swiryn (Agen), Tim Usasz (Nottingham RFC), Chris Wyles (Saracens)

USA EAGLES RWC 2011 STAFF

RWC 2011 SCHEDULE | NEW ZEALAND

September 11, 2011: USA vs. Ireland (New Plymouth)

September 15, 2011: USA vs. Russia (New Plymouth)

September 23, 2011: USA vs. Australia (Wellington)

September 27, 2011: USA vs. Italy (Nelson)

Further information on the RWC can be found at www.rugbyworldcup.com

Broadcast information: NBC Universal will be airing the RWC matches online and on television – full schedule visit www.universalsports.com