GRR: Columns
Was the USA's loss to England a big old problem?
We don't think so. Losing a test match 40-5 is not exactly rare. Just take a look at these results from July:
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.
The USA women lost 79-14 to New Zealand and now are 0-4 for 2025.
Overall, that's not a massive disaster. Yes they should have beaten Japan, and if they had played better but within their ability parameters, they could have beaten Australia. They competed in a number of levels against Canada but the Canadians were certainly a better team.
A lot has been said and written about what rugby is, how to play it, and how to coach it—the World Rugby laws book alone is 160 pages long—and maybe sometimes too much has been said.
Like an efficiently-run halftime talk (something he addresses), Loc Vetter gets at the heart of the game in less than 80 pages, with most of those pages not completely filled.
Who should replace Mike Friday?
Now that the longtime USA Men's 7s Head Coach has confirmed what we all expected and stepped down from the job after 10 years, we've got to consider who will take on the job.