No. 2 USA
Colours: Red, white and blue
Team name: The Eagles
Location: North America – sandwiched between Canada (to the north) and Mexico (south). The national office for the sport is located in Boulder, Colorado. The current structure of USA Rugby comprises seven Territorial Unions and 34 Local Area Unions that compete for regional and National Championships.
Five things you may not know about the US:
1. The first Coca-Cola was bottled in 1894 in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
2. July is National Hot Dog Month in the U.S. Every year, Americans eat an average of 60 hot dogs each.
3. There are more than 550 federally recognized American Indian tribes in the United States, including 223 village groups in Alaska.
4. In 1818, the US Congress passed legislation fixing the number of stripes on the American flag at 13 and requiring that the number of stars equal the number of states. The last star (no. 50) was added on July 4, 1960 when Hawaii became a state.
5. Fort Payne, Alabama is the Sock Capital of the World. According to The Hosiery Association, one out of every eight Americans who put on a pair of socks this morning will be wearing a pair made in Fort Payne/DeKalb County
Current world ranking: 19th.
Last five results: RWC 2007 pool play: South Africa 64 – 15 USA;
Samoa 25 – 21 USA; Tonga 25 – 15 USA; England 28 – 10 USA;
Setanta Challenge Cup (RWC Send-off Match): Munster 10 – 6 USA.
Best result: In 1920 in Antwerp and again in 1924 in Paris, the United States defeated France in the Olympic gold medal rugby match. The team was comprised of mainly players from Stanford University and the University of California at Berkeley
Worst defeat: England 106 – 8 USA (August 1999)
Number of players: USA Rugby ended 2007 with more than 75,000 registered members. From 2002-2006, USA Rugby’s membership increased from 50,000 to nearly 70,000. Within the senior level, the number of players increased form 18,150 to 20,300. At the collegiate level: it has grown from 20,350 to 26,350. In the high school level, it has increased from 10,660 to 17,300, while at the youth level it has grown to just 840 members in 2002 to 2,000 in 2006.
Number of teams: USA Rugby has nearly approximately 2,000 registered clubs, from youth to senior.
When rugby began in the US: On May 14, 1874, Harvard University hosted Montreal’s McGill University, in Cambridge, Mass, for what would be the first recorded rugby game on American soil. It was the first of three games proposed by McGill. And, under the rules of ‘The Boston Game’, Harvard won 3 - 0. Those first two games were to be played in Cambridge, one under Harvard's rules, the other under McGill's rules. The third game would be played in Montreal under McGill's rules. The next day the two teams played to a scoreless tie under the McGill rules. Harvard was so taken by McGill's rules that they adopted them. And, that Harvard/McGill series sparked an interest on college campuses nationwide.
Players who are a bit special: Many players from the National Team have gone on to play professional rugby abroad in countries such as England, Wales and France.
Who is your greatest player ever? It’s hard to pick, as there are several standouts to choose from, but here are a choice few: Dan Lyle, who debuted with the Eagles in 1994 against Ireland, earned 45 caps (24 as captain) and went on to play professionally in England for Bath and Leicester before retiring following the 2003 Rugby World Cup. With 62 test matches under his belt, lock Luke Gross is the most-capped Eagle. Fly-half Mike Hercus holds the title for top all-time scorer, with 381 points.
What the future has in store: The USA is launching its High Performance Plan for 2008 into full gear. The HP plan includes the formation of men’s and women’s Elite Player squads, which are composed of both sevens and 15s athletes who will agree to an annual playing and training program with the national team coaches and their club coach. Each player will follow an agreed fitness, nutrition and skills program, supported by regular fitness testing and assessments. The programs will focus on bettering team performance at future and upcoming major international events such as the Men and Women’s Rugby World Cup Sevens qualifiers in 2008, the Rugby World Cup Sevens in 2009, the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2010, and the Men’s Rugby World Cup qualification 2010 and finals in 2011.
Next opponents: The USA men’s team next plays Canada, England Saxons, Scotland A, Ireland A and a final team to be confirmed shortly in the Churchill Cup competition held in Canada and the US (Chicago) in June.
World Cup winners by: Despite a 0-4 showing at the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France last fall, the USA team impressed many by holding England to a 28-10 scoreline and ending its matches against Tonga and Samoa within striking distance. During the USA’s final pool play match against South Africa, winger Takudzwa Ngwenya outpaced the Springbok’s Bryan Habana to earn try of the tournament honours. Looking ahead to the 2011 Rugby World Cup, the USA hopes to advance to the quarter-finals.
For more information: Visit www.usarugby.org
