GRR: Eagle Men
The lock forward from the Back Bay club was a California, and USA, guy through and through.
Born in Southern California, which is where he played and coached, Ed Burlingham was an imposing lock and supreme leader, captaining the USA in nine of his 14 capped matches. This included the 1987 World Cup, where he led the USA to a victory over Japan.
Chris Osentowski was a throwback, or more accurately, the end of an era.
As rugby became more and more professional, Osentowski was an avowed amateur. He worked extremely hard to be a great prop, and was the best tighthead in the United States for some period, but he did all of that while holding down a demanding career.
Things we learned after tue USA 7s team weekend.
Now that he's stopped cutting his hair, Madison Hughes, from a distance, is almost indistinguishable from Harley Wheeler.
Even if you have Perry Baker on your team, if you can't get support to the tackle to recycle possession, you're going to lose.
As Mike Friday prepares to finally unleash the Dawgs of Chula Vista, at least in a well-controlled, domestic format, there are some thoughts to chew on.
With the USA Men's and Women's 7s teams getting together this weekend for some practice games, we though we'd revisit where these players come from.