Shalom Suniula, Flyhalf
Shalom Suniula, Flyhalf
(David Barpal photo.) Who would have thought six months go that we'd ben talking about Shalom Suniula as the USA starting flyhalf? Suniula was with the 7s team and was barely on the radar for the Eagles. That was partly because Suniula was seen primarily as a scrumhalf.
But Adam Siddall suffered a concussion, thrusting Suniula into a backup role in March. He shoed wel there, helpinh spark the try-scoring final 20 minutes against Uruguay that confirmed the USA's place in the Rugby World Cup. Then Toby L'Estrange broke his leg, and Suniula was kind of left as the only guy. Despite getting a big confidence shakeup with his difficulties on the 7s team, Suniula played very well, even brilliantly at times. The USA offense has exploded, and Suniula has a hand in that. He can tackle, can kick, and probably pass better than anyone on the team. He has also shown a desire to run the ball, which you need in a flyhalf just to keep defenses honest.
He is not a classic field position #10, but maybe that's not what the Eagles need.
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