United States men's national rugby sevens team

Last updated

United States
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Union USA Rugby
Nickname(s)The Eagles
Coach(es) Simon Amor
Captain(s) Stephen Tomasin
Most caps Folau Niua (387) [note 1]
Top scorer Madison Hughes (1,596) [note 2]
Most tries Perry Baker (293) [note 3]
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Team kit
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Change kit
World Cup Sevens
Appearances8 (First in 1993 )
Best result6th (2018)
Official website
eagles.rugby/mens-eagles-sevens
Medal record
Pan American Games
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2011 Guadalajara Team
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2015 Toronto Team
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2019 Lima Team

The United States national rugby sevens team competes in international rugby sevens competitions. The national sevens team is organized by USA Rugby, and was led by Head Coach Mike Friday from 2014-2024, when he resigned and was replaced by Simon Amor. [1]

Contents

The main competition the team plays in every year is the World Rugby Sevens Series, a series of ten tournaments played around the globe from December to June that includes the USA Sevens tournament every spring. The Eagles have been a core team in the World Series and finished in the top twelve each season since 2008–09. The Eagles' best season in the Sevens Series has been a second-place finish in the 2018–19 Series. The best result in a single Sevens tournament was first place, which they have accomplished three times — winning the 2015 London Sevens and the 2018 and 2019 USA Sevens.

The team also participates in major tournaments every four years, such as the Summer Olympics, the Rugby World Cup Sevens, and the Pan American Games. Their best finishes in quadrennial events include finishing ninth at the 2016 Olympics, finishing sixth at the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens, and winning bronze medals at the 2011, 2015 and 2019 Pan American Games.

The United States had traditionally used the sevens team to prepare players for the XV-side. Since January 2012, due to increased attention generated by rugby's return to the Olympics in 2016, the national sevens team has turned professional, with the team extending paid full-time contracts to its players. The national sevens team has drawn a number of crossover athletes from other sports, the most prominent examples being Perry Baker (American football) and Carlin Isles (track). The U.S. also sometimes fields a developmental team, the USA Falcons, in several tournaments.

History

The earliest records of an American national rugby sevens team are from the 1986 and 1988 Hong Kong Sevens, where a team named the American Eagles won the Plate Final. [2] The team competed as the United States national rugby sevens team at the inaugural 1993 Rugby World Cup Sevens. The U.S. competed in nine of the ten tournaments in the inaugural 1999–2000 World Sevens Series.

World Rugby Sevens Series

The World Rugby Sevens Series, which is played every year from December through June, is the primary annual competition for the U.S. national sevens team.

Early years (1999–2011)

The U.S. has competed in the World Series every year since the event's inaugural 1999–2000 season. The U.S. had some initial success during the early years of the tournament led by Jovesa Naivalu, who held the record for most tries scored until broken by Zack Test. However, the U.S. struggled in the five seasons from 2002–03 through 2006–07.

The U.S. national rugby sevens team in Wellington for the 2008 New Zealand Sevens US Sevens Rugby Team in New Zealand.jpg
The U.S. national rugby sevens team in Wellington for the 2008 New Zealand Sevens

The 2007–08 season was a turning point for the U.S. team, qualifying for 6 of the 8 series tournaments, and defeating France and Samoa en route to placing sixth at the 2007 South Africa Sevens. The team was led by Chris Wyles who scored 26 tries on the season. The IRB rewarded the Eagles' success by promoting the U.S. to "core" team status for the 2008–09 season, meaning that the U.S. automatically plays in all 8 tournaments without having to go through qualifying rounds. [3]

The 2008–09 season was a breakout season for the U.S., finishing 11th on the season. The high point of the team's season was the home tournament, the 2009 USA Sevens. Nese Malifa's 30 points in that tournament helped the U.S. reach the semifinals, their best result to that time on home soil.

The 2009–10 season saw continued improvement, with the team finishing the season in 10th place. Led by Matt Hawkins and Nese Malifa, the team finished ninth to win the Bowl in the 2010 USA Sevens. The U.S. then advanced to their first ever Cup final at the 2010 Adelaide Sevens, scoring upset wins against England, Wales and Argentina.

During the 2010–11 season the team took a small step back with a 12th-place finish. A number of key players were unavailable for most or all of the season, including the previous season's leading try scorer Nick Edwards and leading point scorer Nese Malifa. Additionally, a number of competing teams had moved to professional status, leaving the mostly amateur U.S. team struggling to keep pace.

Professional era begins (2011–2014)

Zack Test Zack Test 2014 (cropped).jpg
Zack Test

The 2011–12 season saw significant changes for the U.S. The team turned professional in January 2012, with contracts for up to 15 players. [4] The change to professional status did not bring immediate improvement. Head coach Al Caravelli resigned, and Alex Magleby was selected as the new head coach. The U.S. finished the 2011–12 season in 11th, a slight improvement over the previous season, even though the team did not reach the quarterfinals of any of the 9 tournaments. Bright spots for the season included the emerging leadership of Shalom Suniula (captain), Zack Test (team leading 21 tries) and Colin Hawley. [5]

The 2012–13 Series saw a slightly different format, with 15 core teams instead of 12, but with the possibility of relegation for the teams that finished in the bottom three. The U.S. got off to a slow start, ranked last among the 15 core teams after the first two legs. The U.S. saw improvement, however, reaching the quarterfinals in five of the last seven tournaments, and finishing in the top 6 during the last three tournaments. The U.S. finished fifth to win the Plate Final at the 2013 Japan Sevens, the first time the U.S. had won a plate since 2001, [6] and followed that feat by again finishing fifth to win the Plate Final at the 2013 Scotland Sevens, [7] with Nick Edwards the leading try-scorer in the tournament with 8 tries. The U.S. finished the season in 11th place, and had two players among the season's top try-scorers: Nick Edwards (20) and Zack Test (18). Coach Alex Magleby stepped down after the season. [8]

The U.S. team fared poorly during the 2013–14 Series under new coach Matt Hawkins, finishing the season in 13th place. Once again, Zack Test led the team with 23 tries and 119 points on the season; other leading scorers included Carlin Isles with 17 tries, including six at the 2014 Wellington Sevens, and newcomer Madison Hughes with 34 goals scored. [9] Hawkins was blamed for the exodus of several veteran players, such as Colin Hawley and Shalom Suniula, and was asked to step down at the end of the season. [10]

Top 6 finishes (2014–present)

USA Rugby sevens team in 2014 USA Rugby Sevens Team 2014.jpg
USA Rugby sevens team in 2014

The U.S. had its best season ever in the 2014–15 Series under head coach Mike Friday, who was hired in summer 2014. [11] The U.S. finished sixth in the series, its best finish to date. The team capped off the season by winning the 2015 London Sevens after defeating Australia in the cup final, the first time the U.S. has won a World Series tournament. [12] Carlin Isles set a U.S. record with 32 tries for the season and Madison Hughes set a record with 296 points.

The U.S. began the 2015–16 Series by "shocking the world" when it defeated New Zealand for the first time at 2015 Dubai Sevens. [13] The team beat the 12-time World Series champion in pool play and again in the tournament's third-place match [14] before a third victory in as many matches in the 2015 South Africa Sevens Plate Semifinal. [15] The U.S. once again finished the season in sixth, tying its best ever finish. The previous season's scoring records were broken again, as Perry Baker notched 48 tries and Madison Hughes scored 331 points.

The U.S. began the 2016-17 World Series slowly, sitting in 11th place after the first three rounds. The U.S. was missing certain key players from the previous season. The U.S. turned things around mid-season. In the second half of the season, the team for the first time reached four consecutive semifinals: first at the USA Sevens where the U.S. finished third; then at the Canada Sevens where Perry Baker scored 9 tries including his 100th career try; followed by Hong Kong and Singapore. The U.S. finished the season in fifth place overall, a record high for the team. Perry Baker was the season's leading try scorer (57) and points scorer (285) on the Series, whereas Madison Hughes ranked third in points (279). Perry Baker and Danny Barrett were both selected to the 2016-17 Dream Team, and Baker was selected as the 2017 World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year.

The 2017–18 season began badly for the U.S. In the first tournament in Dubai, Baker suffered a concussion, and the rest of the team limped to a last place finish. The U.S. improved from that point on, reaching the semifinals of the Australia Sevens. The team then won the 2018 USA Sevens, the first time the U.S. won their home tournament, boosted in large part by Perry Baker, who led all scorers with 8 tries; Baker, along with forwards Ben Pinkelman and Danny Barrett all made the tournament Dream Team. [16] [17] Overall the team displayed inconsistent performances, reaching the Cup semifinals three times, but also failing to qualify for the cup quarterfinals three times. Despite the inconsistent play, the U.S. finished sixth overall.

The U.S. got off to a strong start in the 2018–19 season. The team reached the finals in Dubai, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia, the first time the U.S. had reached four consecutive finals and was ranked joint first in the overall Series after the first four legs. In the fifth leg, the U.S. won beating Samoa 27–0. [18] This was the U.S.’s second straight USA Sevens win, giving them sole possession of first place in the Sevens World Series. The U.S. remained in first place for several more tournaments, but consecutive semifinal losses to Fiji in the last two tournaments in London and Paris meant that Fiji won the Series with the U.S. finishing second. The U.S. overall had its best season ever — the second place finish beating their previous best of fifth. Additionally, qualifying for five consecutive tournament finals as well as reaching the semifinals in all ten tournaments were U.S. records. [19] Carlin Isles scored 52 tries, ranked first overall among all players.

The U.S. started slowly in the 2019–20 season; with the team resting some players who had played at the October 2019 Rugby World Cup, the team sat in eighth place after the first two events.

Season by season

SeasonRankPointsEventsCupsPlatesBowls / Challenge*ShieldsMost triesMost points
1999–2000 18th09/90000 Don Younger (19)
2000–01 10th163/90100 Jovesa Naivalu (20) Jovesa Naivalu (100)
2001–02 11th126/110010 David Fee (23) Jone Naqica (161)
2002–03 19th13/70010 Jovesa Naivalu &
Riaan van Zyl (7)
John Buchholz (53)
2003–04 15th04/80002
2004–05 14th02/70000
2005–06 15th03/80000
2006–07 15th23/80001 Jason Pye (8) Jone Naqica (70)
2007–08 13th66/80001 Chris Wyles (26) Chris Wyles (130)
2008–09 11th248/80003 Kevin Swiryn (20) Kevin Swiryn (100)
2009–10 10th328/8001 [20] 1 Nick Edwards (17) Nese Malifa (120)
2010–11 12th108/80012 Zack Test (24) Zack Test (120)
2011–12 11th419/90000 Zack Test (21) Zack Test (107)
2012–13 11th719/90200 Nick Edwards (20) Shalom Suniula (101)
2013–14 13th419/90004 Zack Test (23) Zack Test (119)
2014–15 6th1089/91120 Carlin Isles (32) Madison Hughes (296)
2015–16 6th11710/100000 Perry Baker (48) Madison Hughes (331)
2016–17 5th12910/1001 Perry Baker (57) Perry Baker (285)
2017–18 6th11710/1011 Carlin Isles (49) Carlin Isles (247)
2018–19 2nd17710/1010 Carlin Isles (52) Madison Hughes (299)
2019–20 7th726/600 Carlin Isles (22) Carlin Isles (110)
2020–21 5th222/200 Malacchi Esdale (12) Malacchi Esdale (60)
2021–22 6th879/901 Kevon Williams (31) Stephen Tomasin (201)
2022–23 10th9811/1100 Perry Baker (35) Stephen Tomasin (225)
2023–24 9th527/800 Perry Baker (30) Perry Baker (150)
Total1,235174/21134914 Perry Baker (293) Madison Hughes (1,596)

*At the start of the 2016–17 season, the plate and shield awards were abandoned, with the bowl replaced by the Challenge Trophy.
Updated as of June 3, 2024 [21]


US Rugby at the SVNs Qualifiers
GamesHostRecordResult
2025 SVNs Qualifier Flag of Spain.svg Madrid 4–0Qualified

Players

Current squad

The following players have been selected to represent the United States during the 2023–24 SVNS tournament beginning in December 2023.

Note: Caps reflect the total number of SVNS events competed in as of the 2023 South Africa Sevens.

Player Position Date of birth (age)CapsClub/province
Orrin Bizer Forward (2000-11-28) November 28, 2000 (age 23)2Unattached
Ben Broselle Forward (1999-05-23) May 23, 1999 (age 25)18Unattached
Adam Channel Forward (1997-01-16) January 16, 1997 (age 27)12Unattached
Aaron Cummings Forward (1997-07-01) July 1, 1997 (age 27)15Unattached
Ben Pinkelman (c) Forward (1994-06-13) June 13, 1994 (age 30)38Unattached
Lance Williams Forward (1993-02-18) February 18, 1993 (age 31)4 Utah Warriors
Will Chevalier Back (2000-09-18) September 18, 2000 (age 24)3Unattached
Malacchi Esdale Back (1995-05-04) May 4, 1995 (age 29)20Unattached
Naima Fuala'au Back (1996-02-03) February 3, 1996 (age 28)24Unattached
Madison Hughes Back (1992-10-26) October 26, 1992 (age 32)54Unattached
Lucas Lacamp Back (2001-06-04) June 4, 2001 (age 23)15Unattached
Marcus Tupuola Back (1995-10-05) October 5, 1995 (age 29)26Unattached
Pita Vi Back (2002-01-31) January 31, 2002 (age 22)5Unattached

Player pool

A pool of American full-time professional rugby players train year round at the Olympic Training Center in San Diego. [4] [22] The twelve players selected for tournament rosters are generally drawn from this training squad. For particularly high-profile tournaments such as the Olympics, the U.S. sometimes draws from American players who are playing rugby professionally abroad.

USA Rugby has since January 2012 provided full-time salaried contracts to players. Previously, players had been part-time semi-pro players paid a stipend for their participation. USA Rugby CEO Nigel Melville stated that a full-time sevens team is a crucial step as USA Rugby prepares for rugby's return to the Olympics in 2016.

The inclusion of rugby sevens in the Olympics had greatly expanded funding available to the sport in the U.S. [23] The large pool of American football players who may be unable to earn professional contracts in the NFL meant there may be athletes with skills that could transfer to rugby union. [23]

Coaches

PositionName
Head coach Mike Friday [24]
Assistant coachAnthony Roques
Performance director Alex Magleby

Tournament history

Summer Olympics

US Rugby at the Summer Olympics
GamesHostRecordResultMost triesMost pointsQualifying
2016 Flag of Brazil.svg Rio, Brazil 3–29th C. Isles (6) C. Isles (30) 2015 NACRA Sevens (1st)
2020 Flag of Japan.svg Tokyo, Japan 3–26th Isles / Baker (3) M. Hughes (26) 2018–19 World Series (2nd)
2024 Flag of France.svg Paris, France 1–1–48th Baker (6) Baker (30) 2023 RAN Sevens (1st)

Although the fifteens version of rugby union had last appeared in the Olympics at the 1924 Games, rugby sevens made its debut at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The U.S. qualified for the 2016 Olympics by defeating Canada 21–5 in the final of the 2015 NACRA Sevens. [25] At the 2016 Olympics, the U.S. went 1–2 in pool play, narrowly missing the quarterfinals due to a 14–17 loss to Argentina. The U.S. finished in ninth place, with Carlin Isles scoring six tries and Danny Barrett scoring four tries. The U.S. defeated Canada 24-14 in the 2023 RAN Sevens to clinch a spot at the 2024 Olympics. [26]

Rugby World Cup Sevens

The U.S. has participated in every Rugby World Cup Sevens since the tournament's inception in 1993. The team's best performance to date has been its sixth-place finish at the 2018 tournament, which was held on home soil.

Rugby World Cup Sevens Record
YearResultPositionPldWLDMost triesMost points
Flag of Scotland.svg 1993 Group Stage17th5140
Flag of Hong Kong 1959.svg 1997 Bowl Winner17th7430 Malakai Delai
Flag of Argentina.svg 2001 Plate Quarterfinalist [27] [28] 13th6240
Flag of Hong Kong.svg 2005 Bowl Quarterfinalist13th6240
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg 2009 Plate Quarterfinalist13th4130
Flag of Russia.svg 2013 Plate Quarterfinalist13th4130 Nick Edwards (4) Nick Edwards (20)
Flag of the United States.svg 2018 5th-Place Final6th4220 Perry Baker (3) Madison Hughes (32)
Flag of South Africa.svg 2022 Challenge Trophy Semifinal11th4220 Perry Baker (4) Perry Baker (20)
Total0 Titles8/84015250 Baker / Delai (7) Perry Baker / Delai (35)

Pan American Games

The U.S. has played rugby sevens at every Pan Am Games since the sport was introduced at the 2011 Games. At the 2011 Games, the U.S. lost 19–21 to Canada in the semifinals before defeating Uruguay 19–17 for the bronze. At the 2015 Games, the U.S. again lost to Canada 19–26 in the semifinals and defeated Uruguay 40–12 to capture their second consecutive bronze. [29] At the 2019 Games, a weakened U.S. side that left its regular starters at home defeated Brazil 24–19 to take the bronze medal.

YearHostRecord
(W-L-D)
ResultMost triesMost points
2011 Flag of Mexico.svg Guadalajara, Mexico 3–2–13rd Maka Unufe (5) Folau Niua (41)
2015 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Toronto, Canada 5–13rd Carlin Isles (6) Madison Hughes (31)
2019 Flag of Peru.svg Lima, Peru 3–23rd Travion Clark (6) Travion Clark (30)
2023 Flag of Chile.svg Santiago, Chile 3–24thNick Orlando Hardrict II
Pita Vi (4)
Nick Orlando Hardrict II (22)

World Games

GamesHostU.S. RecordU.S. Finish
2001 Flag of Japan.svg Akita, Japan [30]
2005 Flag of Germany.svg Duisburg, Germany [31] 1–56th
2009 Flag of the Republic of China.svg Kaohsiung, Taiwan [32] 2–45th
2013 Flag of Colombia.svg Cali, Colombia

Regional qualifier tournaments

The U.S. has played in several North American regional tournaments, often as a qualifying tournament for the Rugby World Cup Sevens or another event.

YearEventResult
2000Rugby World Cup Sevens Qualifier – Santiago, ChileQualified for RWC 7s (5–2)
2004 NAWIRA Championship Champions
2008 NAWIRA RWC 7s QualifierCup Champions
2015 NACRA Sevens/Olympic Regional QualifierCup Champions
2023 RAN Sevens/Olympic Regional QualifierCup Champions

Other international competitions

YearEventResultRef.
1986 Hong Kong Sevens Plate Champions [2]
1988 Hong Kong Sevens Plate Champions [2]
1994 Hong Kong Sevens Plate Final [33]
2006Bangkok International Rugby SevensCup Champions [34]
2006 Singapore Cricket Club International Rugby Sevens Cup Quarterfinals [35]
2007 Singapore Cricket Club International Rugby Sevens Plate Champions [36]
2010*Digicel Suva Rugby Festival International SevensCup Semifinal
2017 Silicon Valley Sevens Cup Finalist
2019 Oktoberfest Sevens 8th place [37]
2019 Rugby X Tournament Semifinals

* – Played as the USA Cougars [38]

Player records

The following tables show the U.S. career leaders in major statistical categories in the World Rugby Sevens Series. [39] These figures include only the World Rugby Sevens Series and do not include other events such as the Rugby World Cup Sevens.
Up to date as of June 5, 2024

Award winners

The following United States Sevens players have been recognised at the World Rugby Awards since 2004: [43]

World Rugby Men's 7s Player of the Year
YearNomineesWinners
2017 Perry Baker Perry Baker
2018 Perry Baker (2) Perry Baker (2)
2019 Folau Niua
Stephen Tomasin

Other notable players

Player single season records

The following tables show the U.S. season leaders in major statistical categories in the World Rugby Sevens Series. These figures include only the World Rugby Sevens Series and do not include other events such as the Rugby World Cup Sevens.

Up to date as of September 13, 2022

Previous head coaches

CoachTenureBest Series FinishBest Series TournamentOlympics / World Cup
Flag of the United States.svg Emil Signes 1987–1990
Flag of the United States.svg Steve Finkel 1991–199417th (1993 World Cup)
Flag of the United States.svg Mike Saunders 1995–1996
Flag of the United States.svg Mark Williams [45] 1996–199717th (1997 World Cup)
Flag of the United States.svg Bill Russell*1997–1999
Flag of the United States.svg Tommy Smith [46] 1999–200118th (1999–2000)12th (multiple)
Flag of New Zealand.svg John McKittrick [27] 2001–200510th (2000–2001)3rd (2001 Wellington Sevens)13th (2005 World Cup
2001 World Cup)
Flag of the United States.svg Al Caravelli 2006–201210th (2009–10)2nd (2009 Adelaide)13th (2009 World Cup)
Flag of the United States.svg Alex Magleby 2012–201311th (2011–12, 2012–13)5th (multiple)13th (2013 World Cup)
Flag of South Africa.svg Matt Hawkins 2013–201413th (2013–2014)6th (2014 Japan Sevens)
Flag of England.svg Mike Friday 2014–present2nd (2018–19)1st (2015 London, 2018 USA, 2019 USA)8th (2024 Olympics)
6th (2020 Olympics)
9th (2016 Olympics)
11th (2022 World Cup)
6th (2018 World Cup)

Honors

These statistics are partially sourced from USA Rugby's Database: [48]
Up to date as of August 21st, 2023

World Series
Finish 
Tourney
GoldSilverBronzePlate
Dubai Sevens 2018, 2021 2015
South Africa Sevens 2018 2022 2014 [49]
Australia Sevens 2010, 2019
New Zealand Sevens 2019 2001, 2023
USA Sevens 2018, 2019 2009, 2017
Canada Sevens
Hong Kong Sevens 2019 2001
Singapore Sevens 2017
London Sevens 2015 [50] 2016
Paris Sevens
Scotland Sevens 2013 [51]
Japan Sevens 2013 [6]
Other Top Three Finishes

See also

Notes

  1. Caps are only inclusive of those earned on the World Rugby Sevens Series main event
  2. Points are only inclusive of those earned on the World Rugby Sevens Series main event
  3. Tries are only inclusive of those earned on the World Rugby Sevens Series main event

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References

  1. Cahill, Calder. "Head Coach Mike Friday announces he'll step away from the USA Men's Sevens program". eagle.news. USA Rugby. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Hong Kong Sevens Past Results Archived February 6, 2010, at the Wayback Machine , Hong Kong Sevens.
  3. "USA joins Sevens big guns" Planet Rugby.
  4. 1 2 USA Rugby, "Eleven Men's Athletes Ink Full-Time Deals with USA Rugby", January 19, 2012.
  5. "IRB, USA Sevens look to build momentum in Glasgow" [usurped] , IRB Sevens, April 26, 2012.
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