For Immediate Release
Submitted by USA Rugby
May 12, 2017
LAFAYETTE, Colo. – Thirty capped USA Men’s Eagles will assemble for the Emirates Airline Summer Series and Rugby World Cup 2019 Qualifiers this June and July, including 23 players from the squad that won the second annual Americas Rugby Championship earlier this year.
In Head Coach John Mitchell’s fifth assembly, the squad of 18 forwards and 12 backs will take on third-ranked Ireland and No. 12 Georgia before seeking an Americas 1 qualification to the 2019 World Cup in Japan against Canada. All 30 players, including co-captains Nate Augspurger and Todd Clever, will be available for selection for each match of the summer.
“We’ve all worked hard – staff and players – to be able to present consistency in our squad mix with healthy competition in all positions which will enable us to step up our level in this summer of test matches because each will become a greater challenge than the one before it,” Mitchell said. “We are definitely going to get a high-tempo game against Ireland, which is fantastic. It’ll allow the guys to get a really good feel for the tempo and intensity that comes with playing a top-three rugby nation. Being a top-three-ranked nation in the world does not arrive by accident. Then Georgia, who have huge forward strengths and will come at us in different areas of the game, which will prepare us well for our Canadian test matches.”
The Eagles scored 29 tries in an unbeaten ARC campaign in which nine players made their international debuts. Eleven ARC winners have been playing domestic club rugby in the international offseason, while three overseas professionals and three Men’s Eagles Sevens veterans are joining camp for the first time in 2017.
Beginning the summer slate with a June 10 Tier One international against Ireland at Red Bull Arena and a June 17 matchup with Georgia in Kennesaw, Ga., the Eagles will face Canada in a two-match aggregate series for World Cup qualification. Hamilton, Ontario, is hosting the first leg June 24, while University of San Diego’s Torero Stadium will be the site of the deciding match July 1.
For more information on the squad, visit USARugby.org.
To apply for media credentials, visit usarugby.org/media-credential.
USA Men’s Eagles | Emirates Airline Summer Series / Rugby World Cup 2019 Qualifiers
| Name | Club |
|---|---|
| Nate Augspurger | Old Blue of New York |
| Chris Baumann | Austin Blacks |
| Marcel Brache | Western Force |
| Nate Brakeley | New York Athletic Club |
| Bryce Campbell | Glendale Raptors |
| Ben Cima | Rocky Gorge Rugby Football Club |
| Nick Civetta | Newcastle Falcons |
| Todd Clever | Austin Huns |
| Shaun Davies | Glendale Raptors |
| Cameron Dolan | Cardiff Blues |
| Andrew Durutalo | Men’s Eagles Sevens |
| James Hilterbrand | Manly Rugby |
| Madison Hughes | Men’s Eagles Sevens |
| Luke Hume | Old Blue of New York |
| Martin Iosefo | Men’s Eagles Sevens |
| Matthew Jensen | Brigham Young University |
| Tony Lamborn | Hawke’s Bay Magpies |
| Titi Lamositele | Saracens |
| Ben Landry | Glendale Raptors |
| AJ MacGinty | Sale Sharks |
| Will Magie | Glendale Raptors |
| Peter Malcolm | Austin Huns |
| Ryan Matyas | Old Blue of New York |
| Anthony Purpura | Old Blue of New York |
| John Quill | Glendale Raptors |
| David Tameilau | RC Narbonne |
| Ben Tarr | Glendale Raptors |
| Joe Taufete’e | Worcester Warriors |
| Mike Te’o | Belmont Shore |
| Dino Waldren | Trinity College Dublin |
USA Men’s Eagles | Coaching Staff
John Mitchell – Head Coach (Attack and Backs)
Marty Veale – Forwards Coach
Phil Greening – Defense Coach
Jon Hood – Strength and Conditioning Coach
Kevin Ng – Certified Athletic Trainer
Paul Goulding – Performance Analyst
Dave Hodges – General Manager
USA Men’s Eagles | Summer 2017 Schedule
v. Ireland (Emirates Airline Summer Series) – Saturday, June 10 @ 5 p.m. ET – Red Bull Arena
v. Georgia (Emirates Airline Summer Series) – Saturday, June 17 @ TBD – Fifth Third Bank Stadium at Kennesaw State University
v. Canada (Rugby World Cup 2019 Qualifier) – Saturday, June 24 @ 3 p.m. ET – Tim Hortons Field
v. Canada (Rugby World Cup 2019 Qualifier) – Saturday, July 1 @ TBD – Torero Stadium
About USA Rugby
Established in 1975, USA Rugby is the governing body for the sport of rugby in America and a Full Sport Member of the United States Olympic Committee. Currently headquartered in Lafayette, Colorado, USA Rugby is charged with developing the game on all levels and has more than 120,000 active members, with more than 40,000 playing collegiate rugby and 35,000 playing senior club rugby. USA Rugby oversees four national teams, multiple collegiate and high school All-American sides, and an emerging Olympic development pathway for elite athletes. It also hosts more than 30 national playoff and championship events each year as a service to its members. In October 2009, the International Olympic Committee announced Rugby Sevens (the seven-a-side version of the game) would appear in the 2016 Olympic Games to be held in Rio de Janeiro, in which both the men and women qualified. Visit www.usarugby.orgfor more information.
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