Thoughts on Eagles So Far This Summer
Thoughts on Eagles So Far This Summer
This weekend we finish off the early summer test matches for the USA; they reconvene for August and the Pacific Nations Cup which doubles as 2027 Rugby World Cup Qualifiers.
So, as we look back at the 36-17 defeat of Belgium and the 31-20 loss to Spain, and ahead to this weekend's clash with England, there is always the specter of the Qualifiers to come.
This is an Opinion Column by Alex Goff
And, really, what do we need from this USA team? We like it when they are fun to watch, and we like it when they win. But what we really need is for the USA to qualify for the Rugby World Cup. To do that, they need to win a game. Yes, just one game. With Japan and Fiji having already qualified thanks to their RWC 2023 performance, what anyone needs to do to qualify in the PNC is to finish among the top three of the four remaining teams. So, really, barring something weird, if you win one game in pool play, you're in the semifinals and, unless Japan and Fiji are playing for 5th (which won't happen) you're in. If you go 0-2 in pool play and then win the 5th-6th game (unless you beat Fiji or Japan, a scenario which is highly unlikely) you're in.
All of this is to say that a win or a loss against Spain is informative, but not the end goal.
However, they did playing well-ish but not perfectly against Belgium and they did lose to Spain. Going into the England test, we figured we'd take a look at that:
Time Together
The issue of time together is not going away, and perhaps is getting bigger and more important. The USA has changed their test windows a couple of years ago to better accommodate the American rugby calendar.
So really the Eagles use a Southern Hemisphere test match window situation, with games in July, August, and November, but not February/March. That makes it a ton easier to ensure players are available, but it also means that when the USA assembles in late June, they won't have played together for over six months. Meanwhile, teams in Europe have played together more recently. Belgium played Portugal, Romania, Germany, Switzerland, and Netherlands. Spain played Netherlands, Switzerland, Portugal, and Georgia, who they played twice.
Both did well. Belgium went 1-2 in pool play but beat Switzerland and Netherlands to finish 5th in the Rugby Europe Championship. Spain beat everyone except Georgia, ultimately taking 2nd in the Rugby Europe Championship. So Spain came into this game having played five very tough internationals in February and March. They were only a couple of months removed from playing as a cohesive unit.
During that same time, the USA players were doing what they could on their own and remotely, but they last played a game ... November 23 against Spain. This matters. The Eagles' connections aren't quite there, and Spain's were better.
Execution Matters
One of the infuriating things about the USA performances these last two weeks is knock-ons. Players are trying to show that they are willing to do anything to make that extra meter, but that's not rugby. Rugby is about making what you can ... what makes sense. Putting all that effort into a hard carry and losing the ball isn't good. Ball security is hugely important. Yes, this past weekend, it rained and it was hot and humid and the ball was covered in perspiration and rainwater ... but these are the most grippable balls in the history of the sport; adjust to the conditions.
When this writer coaches young players about retaining possession in poor conditions I say this: "Catch the ball." How do you fix playing in rain or humidity or snow? "Catch the ball." What that means is, don't do those no-look catches where you expect the ball to just lodge in your midsection. Concentrate on the catch before you do anything else. Did the Eagles do that? Yes, a lot of the time. But they lost possession at crucial moments in part because the conditions required special concentration.
No one is going to award you extra points for catching the ball without looking and then scoring ... we just want to you score.
Penalties
There are penalties you expect to get—ruck penalties when you're trying to make something happen; scrum penalties because refs just guess; offside when you're scrambling back on defense. But there are avoidable penalties. When a player slides onto the ground to gather a rolling ball, don't dive on him. That will be a penalty, every time. Gator rolls are eminently avoidable. Tackling a player in the air is eminently avoidable. Offside off set piece is eminently avoidable. When we talk about "discipline," at least in these pages, that's what we're talking about. This past weekend the USA avoided some of these, but not all. They had an obstruction on a kick receipt that was obvious and silly, and a tackle in the air that was easy to avoid. Test matches turn on such errors.
Tactics
The USA seems to play a bit more conservatively in the second half against Spain. We submit that conservative play will not help the USA grow and develop. Playing expansive rugby, challenging defenses, will grow the Eagles' resume. This coming weekend against England, the USA is not favored, but would you rather seem them lose 33-3 or 59-24? Yeah, yeah, the players are targeting a win. Of course they are. But basing this on history, England is favored.
Note that England, without their British & Irish Lions and in their blue jerseys, still beat Argentina.
So what we want to see is the Eagles pushing the envelope and throw a bit of caution to the wind. Might as well.
Set Piece
The Eagles are usually fantastic in the lineout. Historically the USA is very good in the lineout. Against Spain, they struggled to win key lineouts in key positions at key moments. You can't just assume you'll win lineouts just because you've always won lineouts.
And it's also important to remember that many things come into play in lineouts—the jumper, the thrower, the lifters (very important) and the timing. This needs to be fixed; otherwise you open the door for teams to infringe with relative impunity. We think this issue is a combination of time together (point #1 above) and newer players and installing some new plays.
Notes on Players
We will admit to a prejudice. If you are a player from outside the USA who qualifies via residency or just some quirk of birth for a relative, you are in the USA team because your experience as a player in a major rugby nation (England, South Africa, etc.) adds something to the Eagles program.
As a result, on certain aspects of play, the observers here at Goff Rugby Report World Headquarters have high expectations. We expect high effort, some level of rugby nous, and a certainly level of ability. If you can't deliver something special, then let's get a US-developed player in, because you're not appreciably better. Now, having said that, there have qualified via residency or a quirk of birthplace who have been great servants to American rugby and the national team—Mike Hercus, Chris Wyles, Tony Lamborn, Vaea Anitoni, Takudzwa Ngwenya to name just a few—but you have to prove yourself. And you better be great, because you have to justify your place in the squad as well as justify a USA-trained guy not getting that spot.
It's worth noting that the 11 players who boast the top 10 caps totals for the USA, only one, Wyles, didn't learn his rugby in the USA. Three learned in college; two learned after college; five learned in high school. Think of that. Of all the foreign-developed players who have played for the USA, only one has 53 or more caps, while 10 Americans (and soon to be 11 when Nate Augspurger hits that mark later this year) have done it.
That's the message to some of the newer players on the squad. And let's end that comment with a look at one newer overseas-trained player.
Tom Pittman was quite good. Brought into the starting lineup at the last minute, Pittman avoided a lot of the overseas-guy-debuts-for-the-Eagles pitfalls. He wasn't selfish. He didn't get caught up in being flashy. Instead he got to work making tackles and working hard in the midfield. He left the field with a nice bloody cut around his ear at the end of the game. This is what we want from someone like him. He just got down to business.
