(David Barpal photos.) OK so seriously, how excited were you to see Thretton Palamo back on the rugby field. I know, cool, right? We through we'd lost him to football. Palamo is a wonderful canvas - not a blank canvas, but still one that has some blank areas. He is a big, fast, athletic, light-footed center who can hurt defenses. He's just not there yet.

USA Head Coach Mike Tolkin started Palamo against Canada probably because he knew Palamo was not going to last more than 40 minutes - he's just not fit enough yet. By starting Palamo, Tolkin could then keep Folau Niua in reserve in case things went wrong. So ... great to see him out there, and he needs time.

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