usrugbynz

The New Sports Diplomacy Blog

usrugbynz — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:08:23 +0000

We have moved.

Please check out the Embassy’s new Sports Diplomacy Blog (http://blogs.usembassy.gov/sportsdiplomacy/) dedicated to building lasting relationships through sport between the United States, New Zealand and Samoa.

Don’t worry though, we have bought across all the posts from this blog to the Sports Diplomacy blog. Also http://usrugbynz.com will remain as an archive for the Eagles road to and time during the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

Sports Diplomacy Blog

So, we hope you will enjoy the new Sports Diplomacy blog – which will include many great sports including rugby of course.

Please send any thoughts, or ideas through to social.media.usnz@gmail.com – we would love to hear them.

O’Sullivan calls it quits

usrugbynz — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 21:40:17 +0000

After two years at the helm of the USA Rugby Men’s National Team, Irishman Eddie O’Sullivan has decided to stay closer to home in Europe and not reapply for the Men’s National Team coaching position that will open later this week.

“On behalf of USA Rugby, I’d like to thank Eddie for his time here and I think the Eagles’ performance at the Rugby World Cup speaks volumes about him and the way he prepared the team,” said USA Rugby CEO, Nigel Melville.

“Moving forward, we’ll seek applications for the Men’s National Team head coaching job and are looking forward to choosing the person who will continue to move both the Eagles and American rugby forward.”

O’Sullivan took over the Eagles in 2009, after resigning as head coach of Ireland after leading the Irish during one of the most successful periods in Irish rugby history.

As coach of the Eagles, O’Sullivan was charged with developing American athletes, but also with developing his American coaching staff and imparting his knowledge of international coaching to them. While at times the USA job wasn’t as glamorous as coaching a Six Nations team like Ireland, O’Sullivan has always admired the spirit and heart of American rugby and the Eagles.

- USA Rugby

U.S. claims bronze at Pan-Am rugby sevens

usrugbynz — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 00:56:29 +0000

GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Team USA finished its Pan American Games debut in rugby sevens with a bronze medal victory, 21-17, against Uruguay on Sunday, the final day of the Games.

They qualified into the bronze medal game after defeating Guyana, 24-12, in the quarterfinal and suffering a, 21-19, loss to Canada in the semifinal. The U.S. finished with an overall record of 2-2-1.

Bronze Medal Ceremony - USA Rugby

“Everything they do is a continuous improvement,” said head coach Al Caravelli in regard to the team’s Pan Ams performance. “For us, everything is a journey toward 2016. Every step of the way, the goal is to play better than the game before.”

The USA Men’s Sevens team will begin the HSBC Sevens World Series this November in Gold Coast Australia, the first of the nine-tournament Series.

- USA Rugby

Pipped at the post

usrugbynz — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 20:52:19 +0000

With ninety seconds to go, the USA Sevens looked like they were heading to the gold medal game of the inaugural Pan-Am games Rugby Sevens tournament.

But Canada had other thoughts, scoring on the last play of the game to send the Eagles to the third-place game by a score of 21-19.

That hurts. A lot.

USA beat Guyana to get to semis

usrugbynz — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 19:24:41 +0000

Blaine Scully - Photo: USA Rugby

The USA Sevens team will have the chance for a bit of redemption after moving into the semi-finals of the 2011 Pan-Am games.

There they will face Canda, who beat them in the pool play stage of the tournament. One win, and the Eagles are guaranteed a medal. Still, Canada put a bit of a hurting on the U.S. in their first game and it will be a tough ask.

The U.S. made it to the semi-final game by beating Guyana 24-12. The game shouldn’t have been that close, but the U.S. team did not capitalize on their opponents’ mistakes and left them in the game too long.

U.S. tries were scored by Maka Unufe, Blaine Scully, Folau Niua, Rocco Mauer.

USA Sevens make it to quarters in Mexico

usrugbynz — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 19:11:33 +0000

GUADALAJARA, Mexico – It was the most mixed of bags for the USA Eagles, as they notched up a win, a tie, and a loss on the first day of the 2011 Pan-American Games.

This means the Eagles Sevens will proceed out of pool play as the second seed and will face Guyana in the quarterfinals.

First day play saw the U.S. team beat Chile, tie Brazil and go down to Canada, despite leading at half-time.

- USA Rugby

Rugby vs The NFL

usrugbynz — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 20:33:08 +0000

From National Football Post: A look at what the two sports can learn from each other. Jack Bechta.

While living in southern California I have followed rugby pretty closely and have befriended many current and former players. I have grown to respect everything that it stands for, let alone I just love the majestic brutality of the sport. As it stands rugby is not just a sport but also the world’s greatest fraternity where the team concept reigns supreme over any individual’s personal agenda.

The heart and soul of rugby is playing for your brothers. The antics of Ocho and TO would never stand a chance, as there is no tolerance for individualism.

What the NFL can learn from Rugby

USA Rugby Captain Todd Clever has skills that could allow him to compete in the NFL.

An intimate atmosphere: While I was in London this past week for the Bears vs Bucs game, I attended an English Premiership League match featuring the Saracens and the Exeter Chiefs. The Saracens, one of England’s legendary clubs founded in 1876, whipped up on the Chiefs 43 to 20. Sitting with the Saracens fans was like sitting with the family of the players. There is a unique dedication, intimacy and loyalty that differ from how NFL fans support their team. I’m not saying one is better than the other, just different. For instance, when a rugby club has a losing season there is more sympathy, compassion and understanding versus the sharp criticism that we see in the NFL. The two sports do carry some similarities on the field but differ greatly in the locker room and in the stands.

… Read the Full Article

All Blacks Victory Parade through Wellington

usrugbynz — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 18:53:06 +0000

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

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.

Team USA named for Pan-Am Games’ sevens

usrugbynz — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 19:15:53 +0000

By USA Rugby - The 12-man rugby sevens squad heading to Guadalajara, Mexico will be engrained with a mantra that will help it maintain focus in the quadrennial tournament: ‘Play in the moment.’

“Playing in the moment helps every athlete and staff member focus on the task at hand. Not to get distracted by the environment, from peripheral things we don’t have control over,” said USA Head Coach, Al Caravelli. “If we take care of the little things the big things take care of themselves.”

That mentality will be put into practice on the field on October 29 when the team will see Brazil, Chile, and rivals Canada in pool play. Their record from the first day will determine which teams they will face in the playoffs on October 30. The other pool consists of Argentina, Mexico, Uruguay, and Guyana.

Caravelli continued to say that the Pan-Am environment itself can be distracting, but the players must maintain focus. As part of United States Olympic Committee and the guild of athletes and sports under the Team USA moniker, the USA Men’s Eagle Sevens team will compete in its first Olympic-style rugby sevens tournament. The Pan Am Games take place every four years and will serve as an Americas preview of the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

“You can imagine that in a multisport event with over 2,000 athletes, we have to be prepared for anything and everything to be thrown at us. On the field of play, we will not take anyone lightly. Every game we play, we’ll have the attitude that it is a final, the players have embraced this and are executing.”

For the last week, the squad has been training at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista. That high performance training environment is paramount in the preparation for such a high-stakes and compressed tournament.

“It’s always a positive to be at the OTC training alongside current and former Olympians. Now for the first time, they will be with them and part of Team USA. The team knows what a huge honor this is to represent our sport and country at the Pan-Am Games.”

Caravelli has named a fast, dynamic, explosive team with exceptional skills. That combination is a recipe for thrilling, and hopefully winning sevens rugby.

“The attitude of the team has been excellent. Very high energy. The tempo is fast and the most important element is that every session keeps getting better. They have an attitude and goal that every time we do something, we shoot to make it better,” Caravelli said. “They know their roles, responsibilities, and what is expected of them. They are ready to perform.”

The coach also expressed appreciation for the other eight players in camp, all of whom played a crucial role in the preparations for the traveling squad. Justin Boyd, Miles Craigwell, Andrew Durutalo, Paul Emerick (ruled out due to injury), Duncan Kelm, and Don Pati. Team USA 2011 Pan-American Games Squad: Mark Bokhoven (Denver Barbarians; Ames, Iowa), Colin Hawley (Olympic Club of San Francisco; Trowbridge, Calif.), Rocco Mauer (Chicago Lions; Cleveland, Ohio), Folau Niua (San Francisco Golden Gate; East Palo Alto, Calif.), Milemoti Pulu (San Francisco Golden Gate; East Palo Alto, Calif.), Nu’u Punimata (Old Puget Sound Beach; Seattle, Wash.), Blaine Scully (Unattached; Sacramento, Calif.), Roland Suniula (Boston; Boston, Mass.), Shalom Suniula (Belmont Shore; San Diego, Calif.), Zack Test (At Large; Palo Alto, Calif.), Peter Tiberio (University of Arizona; Naperville, Ill.), Maka Unufe (Utah Warriors; Provo, Utah)

USA Rugby’s ‘Rookie Rugby’ Wins IRB Development Award

usrugbynz — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 19:38:54 +0000

Bob Latham at the IRB awards

We were thrilled to see our friend Bob Latham accecpt the International Rugby Board’s Developmental Award. The high-prestige award was given for USA Rugby’s youth program, known as Rookie Rugby. Latham, who was a great friend to our Rugby outreach program during the USA Eagles’ run in the Rugby World Cup, was given the award at Monday’s high profile IRB award ceremony in Auckland, an event that featured the glitterati of international rugby.

Below is USA Rugby’s press release about the award, but we wanted to be the first to offer our congratulations. U.S. Embassy Wellington.

AUCKLAND, New Zealand — USA Rugby is thrilled to announce that its youth program, Rookie Rugby, has won the International Rugby Board Development Award for 2011.

Union vice-chairman, Bob Latham, was on hand to accept the award on behalf of USA Rugby at the star-studded IRB Awards Ceremony on Sunday October 23 in Auckland, just one day after the New Zealand All Blacks won the 2011 Rugby World Cup there.

On the same night that the IRB announced the Player of the Year (Thierry Dusautoir, France), Team of the Year (New Zealand All Blacks), and inducted rugby legends Jonah Lomu (New Zealand) and South African rugby legend Francois Pienaar (who was portrayed by Matt Damon in the 2009 blockbuster, Invictus) into the Rugby Hall of Fame, the IRB gave a nod to the growth of the youth game with the Development Award.

According to the IRB, Rookie Rugby “introduced a whole new raft of fans and athletes to the sport through programs administered through schools, community-based and state-based rugby organizations and USA Rugby national events. The initial aim was to introduce 100,000 new children to rugby but the reality has far outstripped that and continues to gather momentum.”

USA Rugby launched Rookie Rugby in 2008 as a non-contact introductory version of the game that enables young players to enjoy the camaraderie, fitness, and character building inherent in the sport. Rookie Rugby was played by over 350,000 children in 2010 and is on track to reach about a half million in 2011.

One of the many attractive aspects of Rookie Rugby is that it presents a low-cost and easily implemented fitness activity option for many schools and community programs. USA Rugby also provides instructional resources such as lesson plans, videos of drills, and skill and game cards to ensure proper and easy implementation.