Date of birth | June 5, 1979 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Place of birth | Falls Church, Virginia, United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 12 st 13 lb (82 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
School | Shore School, Sydney | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Mike Hercus (born June 5, 1979) is a former professional rugby union player who played at fly-half for the United States national team and several top level professional clubs around the globe.
Hercus is the USA Eagles' all-time leading scorer with 465 points, and is the leading scorer for the U.S. in Rugby World Cups with 77 points. [2] At the time of his final match, Hercus was the Eagles' all-time most capped back.
Hercus was born in Falls Church, Virginia, but his parents returned to their native Australia where he was brought up and educated at Shore School in North Sydney. He started in their first XV for two years and was captained by Phil Waugh when they were in year 12. He played for the Australian schoolboys rugby union team and later progressed to the Australian under 21 side.
The American national team, the USA Eagles, gave him a route into international rugby union. Hercus made his debut for the U.S. national team in 2002. Hercus played in the 2003 Rugby World Cup, scoring 51 points for the Eagles.
Hercus played at Sale Sharks for two seasons as Charlie Hodgson's understudy before moving to Llanelli Scarlets. There Hercus was able to secure a starting position at fly-half during the season, a position which he maintained in the 2006 Powergen Cup final (which saw the Scarlets lose to London Wasps 26-10). Hercus moved to the Newport Gwent Dragons in the summer of 2006 when it was announced that Welsh international fly-half Stephen Jones was to move to the Scarlets.
Also in 2006, Hercus received an invitation to play for the prestigious Barbarians FC, joining an elite list of only seven USA Eagles who have done so. His Barbarians cap came in the annual clash vs. Leicester Tigers in which he scored 17 points, including a try.
Hercus captained the Eagles in their qualifying matches against Uruguay in 2006 for the 2007 Rugby World Cup. He returned to the US for the start of the 2007 U.S. Rugby Super League season, where he played for Belmont Shore and was in the US Falcons NA4 squad. Hercus started all four matches for the U.S. in the 2007 Rugby World Cup.
Hercus signed a contract at the start of 2008 to play for Japanese club IBM Big Blue. In 2009, after just one season, Hercus signed with the Australian club Sunshine Coast Stingrays where, in limited action he was the club's leading scorer. Hercus played with the USA Eagles during the 2009 summer internationals, including the Eagles against Canada and Uruguay in the 2011 Rugby World Cup qualifying matches. These qualifying matches in 2009 were Hercus's last matches for the U.S. national team.
In 2010, Hercus returned to Australia and his junior club the Gordon Highlanders to compete in the Shute Shield. Hercus was named Gordon's captain to start the season, but saw limited action due to injury. By mid season, rumors began to leak out that he had retired or intended to retire from both international and club rugby due to persistent reoccurring injuries. Although no official announcement has ever been made, he has been presumed retired since summer 2010.
Hercus is married to TV presenter Natalie Michaels. [3]
The United States men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States of America Rugby Football Union in men's international rugby union. USA Rugby is the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United States, and is a member of Rugby Americas North, one of six regional governing bodies under World Rugby. Until rugby returned to Olympic competition, with sevens at the 2016 Rio Games, the United States was the reigning Olympic rugby champion, having defeated the one other competitor in 1920 and the two other competitors at the 1924 Summer Olympics.
Paul Emerick is the head coach of the American Raptors in Glendale, Colorado. He was the defense and skills coach and the 2019 interim head coach for the Houston SaberCats of Major League Rugby. He was a former USA international rugby player. He played centre, fullback or wing for the USA Eagles. Last played professionally for London Wasps.
Nicolas Zisti is an Italian Australian former professional rugby league and rugby union footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. He played club level rugby league (RL) for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, the St. George Dragons, the Hunter Mariners, the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and the Bradford Bulls, usually as a wing, but also as a centre, and representative level rugby union (RU) for Italy, and at club level for Rugby Roma Olimpic, as a wing or centre.
Matthew John Ridge is a New Zealand television presenter, and a former rugby union and rugby league footballer.
David Hodges is an American businessman and former professional rugby union player and coach. His current role within rugby is uncertain following his last employer, the Austin Gilgronis, being expelled from the MLR. He was an American rugby union coach of the United States national rugby union team, the Eagles. Hodges is a former professional rugby union player, professional, collegiate American football player, and collegiate American football coach. Hodges was captain of the U.S. national rugby team for 28 matches, a U.S. record that stood until 2013. Since retiring from the international game, Dave has had a long run of bad fortune in the business of rugby. He was let go from Rhino Rugby as the Vice President of Sales, let go from USA Rugby after a woeful 2019 Rugby World Cup as the Men's National Team General Manager, and more recently has found himself out of work after his most recent employer, the Austin Gilgronis, we're expelled from the MLR.
The 2006–07 Celtic League was the sixth Celtic League season and the first with Magners as title sponsor. The season commenced on 1 September and was completed on 12 May.
Lee Byrne is a Welsh former professional rugby union and rugby league footballer who played in the 2000s and 2010s.
Aled Brew is a former Wales international rugby union player who played as a winger. He made his debut for the Wales national rugby union team against Ireland in the 2007 Six Nations Championship. In his career, as well as playing for Biarritz Olympique and Bath Rugby, he is one of only a handful of players to have played for all four top-level regional teams in Wales.
Ben Walker is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s. A five-eighth or halfback, he played in Australia's National Rugby League for the Brisbane Broncos, Northern Eagles, Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and the South Sydney Rabbitohs, as well as in the Super League for the London Broncos and Leeds Rhinos.
The United States national rugby sevens team competes in international rugby sevens competitions. The national sevens team is organized by USA Rugby, and the team has been led by Head Coach Mike Friday since 2014.
Louis Stanfill is an American former rugby union player who last played for San Diego Legion in Major League Rugby. He previously played for the United States national team. He played at flanker or No. 8, and could also play lock.
Todd Stanger Clever is an American retired rugby union player. He became the first American to play Super Rugby. At the international level, he was a member of the United States national team, served as captain, and is the most capped player in United States rugby union history.
The 2008–09 Celtic League was the eighth Celtic League season and the third with Magners as title sponsor. The season began in September 2008 and ended in May 2009. Ten teams played each other on a home-and-away basis, with teams earning four points for a win, and a bonus point for scoring four or more tries in a match. Losing teams also earned a bonus point if they lost by seven points or less.
Chris Wyles is a former American-English rugby union player. Until his retirement from international rugby in January 2016, Wyles had represented the United States in three World Cups. He was the USA Eagles Captain in the 2015 World Cup. In the 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 season, he was Captain of the USA National Sevens team, a core team in the World Rugby Sevens series. In 2015, he was selected for the USA Olympic team to compete in the Sevens rugby event at the Rio Olympic Games.
The United States national rugby union team has played in all but two Rugby World Cups since the inaugural tournament in 1987. The USA is the second strongest national rugby side in North America, and the third strongest in the Americas after Argentina and Canada.
Daniel Tailliferre Hauman van der Merwe is a South African-Canadian professional rugby union player who currently plays for the LA Giltinis of Major League Rugby (MLR).
Scott LaValla is a retired American rugby union player. LaValla played lock for Stade Français in the Top 14 from 2011 until his retirement in 2015.
Mike Tolkin is a rugby union coach who served as head coach of the United States national team from 2012 until 2015. He was the head coach for Rugby United New York for the Major League Rugby 2019 Season. He is the current General Manager of Premier Rugby Sevens.
Folau Niua is an American rugby union former player. He played fly-half for the United States national rugby sevens team from 2011 to 2022, and holds the U.S. record for most tournament appearances with over 65 caps.
The 2014–15 British and Irish Cup is the sixth season of the annual rugby union competition for second tier, semi-professional clubs from Britain and Ireland. Leinster A are the defending champions having won the 2013–14 final against Yorkshire Carnegie 44–17 at Donnybrook on 23 May 2014. There has been four different winners and five different losing finalists of the competition in the five seasons of its existence.
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(April 2018) |