All Blacks Victory Parade through Wellington

October 28, 2011 Leave a comment

Aaron Cruden, Dan Carter, Conrad Smith - by Adrian Pratt

Aaron Cruden, Dan Carter, Conrad Smith - by Adrian Pratt

Congratulations, All Blacks, from all of us at RugbyUSA. Great victory and what a fantastic tournament. Thanks for all your hospitality and good spirits. The USA Eagles had a blast. Enjoy the Webb Ellis Cup.
 
The All Blacks team received its just rewards when at least 100,000 people turned out to see them and the Webb Ellis Cup parade through the streets of central Wellington to the steps of Parliament. This was the third parade in as many days for the 2011 Rugby World Champions, following large outings in Auckland and Christchurch.
 
Children were let out of school early for the mid-day parade. The players were overwhelmed by support and high-fived kids  and signed autographs as best as they were able without holding up proceedings. In the end, the parade, scheduled for an hour, lasted closer to two – a result of the outpouring of affection by a crowd that was at least twice as large as expected.
 
Despite the awful weather – gale-force winds and horizontal rain – the faithful were in good spirits and roared their approval as the All Blacks passed. The crowd, twenty deep in places, looked like they were going to a rugby match, wearing their black, their face paints and waving the Silver Fern flags – New Zealand’s unoffical national emblem these last six weeks.
Huge crowds for the parade - by Adrian Pratt

Huge crowds for the parade - by Adrian Pratt

 
Considering it’s been 24 years since this rugby crazy country last won the World Cup, and the huge crowds are understandable.  The Rugby World Cup, held every four years, has been a huge success here in New Zealand. The country hosted 48 games, 85,000 international visitors and sold almost $270 million worth of tickets and saw the nation transformed into a stadium of four million. 

Adopt-a-second-team programs were also highly successful, ensuring that smaller rugby nations like Namibia and Georgia received strong support for their games. Whole communities adopted teams, decking their towns out in the colors of their adoptees.  The USA Eagles received tremendous support during their time in New Zealand, with many Kiwis dressing up in red, white and blue and waving the Stars & Stripes with gusto. When the Eagles played Australia, the Dominion Post estimated that 75 percent of the crowd was cheering for the United States.

 

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From noise of RWC, to the quiet of every day

October 18, 2011 Leave a comment

Mike Petri

Mike Petri

The New York Times’ George Vecsey does a nice little post-mortem of sorts on the USA Eagles’ Rugby World Cup tournament by speaking with our scrumhalf, Mike Petri. Like most of Vecsey’s stuff, it’s worth a read.

Petri, a licensed stockbroker, was in the thick of the wonderful madness that is the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. Now he’s back in his quiet life, New Zealand and the tournament a long way behind him.

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Eagles to be in debut of Sevens at Pan Am Games

October 17, 2011 Leave a comment

Lost amid the glorious spectacle that is the Rugby World Cup is the fact that for the first time ever Rugby Sevens will be contested at the 2011 Pan American Games – and the USA Eagles will be there.

This is the real beginning of the campaign for Olympic Gold. With Rugby sevens set to join the roster of Olympic sports in Rio in 2016.  On October 29-30, Team USA will be one of eight teams from the Americas to go for Pan American gold in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Team USA’s sevens team is currently ranked No. 12 in the world and competes in the IRB Sevens tournament played across the globe every year . The team headed to camp last week and will head to Mexico in one week – the day after the Rugby World Cup final to be held in Auckland between New Zealand and France.

Also competing in the Pan American Games in the U.S. pool are  Uruguay, Guyana and Mexico. The other pool will be contested between Argentina, Canada, Brazil and Chile.

The team will head to camp on October 14 to prepare for the games and will depart for Mexico on October 24

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Do you have any messages for the USA Eagles?

September 30, 2011 5 Comments

The USA Eagles put in solid efforts against quality opposition over the past few weeks.  If you have any messages that you would like passed on to the Eagles, post them in the comments area below.

Also, have your say in the Poll below:

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Gutsy Eagles Push Italy

September 28, 2011 Leave a comment

Bad luck Eagles, well done Italy. Italy won the Rugby World Cup match in Nelson by 27-10. Thank-you USA Eagles for your time in New Zealand – you did well.

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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. (Photo Credit: USA Rugby)

“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.

Photo credit - USARUGBY.ORG

Photo credit - USARUGBY.ORG

The United States scored the try of the match, and after 26 minutes were level with Italy at 10-10. On the stroke of half time Italy added to their total, taking them 20-10 ahead 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 Sonny Bill Williams 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 captain 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 this into points. On the Italian side, nippy flyhalf Luciano Orquera dived over to score his team’s second try. Bruising prop Martin Castrogiovanni bull-dozed 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 level of commitment was outstanding, with Italy putting 50 points on Russia last week.

The Italians pressured the Eagles in the final 20 minutes seeing a penalty try during scrum time, and Stanfill receiving a yellow card in the process. One would not have noticed the Eagles were a man short 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 1 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 Rugby

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)

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Sifa returns “home” for big U.S. match vs. Italy

September 27, 2011 Leave a comment

Junior Sifa

Junior Sifa

The Nelson Mail writes about Junior Sifa’s return to Nelson, where he has a long rugby playing history.

The USA Eagles take on Italy tonight in Nelson at 7:30 p.m. (New Zealand time). The match will be broadcast LIVE on Universal Sports at 2:30 a.m EDT (re-aired at 8 p.m EDT), and then will be shown delayed online 24 hours after the game. View the complete viewing schedule at UniversalSports.com.

There promises to be a fired-up capacity crowd in Nelson for the game tonight. The U.S. returns most of its starters to the line-up, hoping for a victory that will automatically qualify them for the next Rugby World Cup.

The Italians, though, are also focused on this game, and it should be a pulsating contest.

The little community of Richmond, outside Nelson, will have put a bit of fire in U.S. bellies after a heart-warming celebration of all things American, including a parade. Being so warmly embraced so far from home has got to feel good.

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The Stars n Stripes Block Party – Richmond

September 26, 2011 Leave a comment

From Tasman District Council:

Block Party Webcam

Click to view webcam.

Click to view webcam.

The Stars n Stripes Block Party, on Monday 26 September, is part of the Richmond Festival and celebrations for the Rugby World Cup 2011.

Click for a larger image.

Click for a larger image.

Read more about the Richmond Festival.

Located in Richmond, this temporary camera faces east toward the parade route, down Queen Street and in to Sundial Square to the left of the foreground.

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Eagles team for Italy named

September 26, 2011 1 Comment

 

USA Eagles arrive in Nelson

USA Eagles arrive in Nelson

 

USA Eagles Head Coach, Eddie O’Sullivan, has named his best possible team to face Italy at Trafalgar Park in Nelson for the Eagles’ final match of the 2011 Rugby World Cup (RWC). A win for the USA would mean automatic qualification for the 2015 RWC.

The match will be broadcast LIVE on Universal Sports at 2:30 a.m EDT (re-aired at 8 p.m EDT), and then will be shown delayed online 24 hours after the game. View the complete viewing schedule at UniversalSports.com.

 In Pool C, Australia (3rd in world rankings) and Ireland (6th in world rankings) are on course for the RWC quarterfinals, with only two teams from each of the four pools advancing. The USA are currently ranked 17th and Italy are 10th in the world. The Italians have made tremendous strides in rugby since joining the Six Nations competition in 2000. Earlier this year Italy defeated France 22-21.

 “We are very excited for this final pool match, and have several players fresh for the encounter. We have a very short turn-around following the Australia match in Wellington, and have planned accordingly,” said O’Sullivan. 

The Eagles have impressed at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, starting with an inspired performance against Ireland on September 11. Despite losing 22-10, the Eagles won thousands of fans for a brave effort, scoring near full time through Paul Emerick. During that match, prop Mike MacDonald became the most capped USA player of all time with 63 appearances. 

In the next pool match four days later, the USA defeated Russia 13-6 to record an historic win in the RWC. It was a bruising battle in which the Russians defended tremendously to keep the score line that close. 

This past weekend fourteen changes were made to the team that won against Russia, as they faced Australia, winners of the RWC in 1991 and 1999. JJ Gagiano’s try against the Wallabies was one of the moments of the match at a packed Wellington Regional Stadium, with the majority of fans screaming wildly for the Eagles. Famous New Zealand commentator Murray Mexted said, “I’ve been to hundreds of matches in Wellington, and this is the loudest I have ever heard the crowd.” 

Off the field, the USA squad has been heavily involved with the local communities in the various cities. This afternoon some of the players will attend the Tasman 7s, featuring 600 youth rugby players from many local regions. Tomorrow the Eagles will be at the Richmond Parade, meeting the Mayor as well as the US Ambassador to New Zealand, David Huebner.

 On the field, Todd Clever returns to lead his country as captain. The flanker has been vital for the United States, devastating with both ball in hand and on defense. Louis Stanfill is the blindside flank with Nic Johnson at eight man, both possessing an outstanding work rate. Read more of this post

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USA Eagles only try against Australia

September 24, 2011 Leave a comment

The Eagles were comprehensively beaten by Australia, but the Eagles managed to score one try. Here it is:

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AUSTRALIA TOO STRONG FOR EAGLES

September 24, 2011 Leave a comment

From USARUGBY.ORG:

BOULDER, Colo. – Australia produced a strong second half performance to defeat the USA Eagles 67-5 during the pool stages of the 2011 Rugby World Cup (RWC). The Eagles played well at times, and received tremendous support from the 30,000 crowd at the Wellington Regional Stadium.

photo credit: Michael Cousins

photo credit: Michael Cousins

“We are disappointed to lose, but as always the guys fought to the end. In the first half we played some good rugby when we had possession, but in the second period Australia was able to increase the tempo and pulled away. The score line was harsh for the effort we exerted and we were severely punished for any error we made, which is a tough lesson when you are playing one of the best teams in the world,” said USA Head Coach, Eddie O’Sullivan.

There is a reason why Australia won the coveted Tri Nations tournament earlier this year, defeating both the South African Springboks and New Zealand All Blacks. Australia is currently ranked 3rd in the world, having won the RWC on two occasions, in 1991 and 1999. Australia also played in the 2003 RWC final, but a last-minute drop goal from Jonny Wilkinson, gave England the victory.

The opening minutes of the match caused some concern for Australians fans as the Eagles disrupted several promising Wallaby attacks. Quade Cooper – public enemy number 1 (as he is referred to in New Zealand) – sparked Australia into action with two beautiful dummies, resulting in Rob Horne scoring the first points. The USA came back strongly, but a turnover saw the Wallabies launch a counter-attack, flanker Rocky Elsom dotting down for a 10-0 lead.

The Eagles struck back from a well worked lineout, Hayden Smith using his basketball skills, finding Tim Usasz on a great support line. The captain bust down the touchline, off-loading to Scott LaValla who carried on the movement. Eventually the Eagles were awarded a 5-meter scrum, which saw an 8th man pick-up from JJ Gagiano. He handed off Elsom, and dived over in the corner for a beautiful try!

Chants of ‘USA USA USA’ reverberated throughout the stadium, with so many American flags flying proudly well into the night. One of the banners of the day read: ‘I Love Nese Malifa. Marry Me’!

Australia would score two more tries in the first half, leading 22-5 at the break.

The Eagles had periods of play that looked very promising, but the Wallaby defense held out these efforts. It was another bruising encounter for the American side, but it was Australia who lost players through injury. Pat McCabe dislocated a shoulder, Will Genia and Kurtley Beale left the field with hamstring concerns and Fainga’a was knocked out.

The second half saw the Wallabies control the ball during phase play, running in seven tries, finishing the match at 67-5.

“We look forward to our next match on Tuesday. We will get some fresh legs on the field again and have a real crack against Italy in our final pool game.” said O’Sullivan.

The Eagles will travel to Nelson on Saturday morning ahead of the September 27 clash with Italy.

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