An Analysis Of The Eagles Shield Win

Trying to fully analyze the Eagles Shield win at the Gold Coast 7's is tough. On the one hand you have a team that drafted in several new players as well as a new coach and still managed to go 3-3 and pick up some hardware. On the other hand you have a team that returns a lot of veterans, had a warm-up tournament to prepare, and really only picked up wins over teams it should beat. Some players had very strong tournaments--i.e. Brett Thompson--while others struggled.

There were definitely positives to take out of the tournament but the bottom line is that one year later the team finds itself in roughly the same position it was last year--near the bottom of the standings. This year was supposed to be different. It still might end up different from last year since the season is so young but there is no doubting the team has some holes to fill.

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The first issue the team needs to address is the role of Matt Hawkins. In a way you have to feel for him. One the one hand he was the best option with Andrew Durutalo being unavailable but on the other hand he needed to focus on coaching. In speaking with Hawkins you could tell he didn't really want to play but felt he needed to in order to help the team. Our guess is that come Dubai he will strictly be a coach. Hawkins is a great player and has what it takes to be a good coach, just not both at the same time.

The second issue the team needs to address is simple passing. Time and time again the passes were slow, behind a player, or to no one. Some of that comes from not playing together often but that is what the OTC and the trip to Fiji were supposed to fix. If players want to keep their jobs they need to learn how to pass. It's a pretty basic skill but one that was atrocious in the Gold Coast.

The third issue the team needs to address is how to use Carlin Isles. Anyone who watched the broadcast knows that the commentators went on and on about how Isles should be starting. They have a point, but in all honesty, they haven't seen Isles as close up as Hawkins and the rest of the staff have.* He has come a long way in terms of his rugby skills but he still has a way to go. He also played a lot of rugby this summer in Sri Lanka. That said he has made a case for himself. His defense is much improved so that shouldn't prevent him from getting time. It wouldn't be too surprising to see him get the starting nod in Dubai. Isles is a team guy and is trying to do his best in whatever role is given him but you can tell he wants more.

*(Note/Tangent: We love Nigel Starmer-Smith, he's by far the most fair. We don't like some of the other commentators. They want to see Isles because they are entertained by how fast he is, not because they want the U.S. to succeed. Face it, some of those commentators feel that teams like the U.S., Spain, Canada, etc., are just sideshows to the main event. )

A similar player is Miles Craigwell. When he came on he made an immediate impact. Having that in a substitutes role is extremely valuable, but at some point you need that for the whole time in 7's. Maybe with more time in Chula Vista Craigwell can get more time.

Another issue is the need for players to step up into larger roles. Players like Zack Test, Tai Enosa, and even Hawkins himself didn't have their best tournaments. Test was the best of the three but the U.S. needs these players to take their game to another level, that didn't happen.

Additionally, the U.S. needs to figure out what kind of offensive and defensive structure it wants to play. The defense looked lost at times and the offense wasn't much better. Hawkins wants to play with one creator (halfback) and then three players on each side. In theory that system would be terrific but it requires execution. Players like Shalom Suniula, Nate Augspurger, and Mike Te'o were all left off the roster because there were already two halfbacks on the team.  But after last weekend's performance wouldn't it be better to simply select your best players.

All that said, there were several bright spots from the tournament. First is the fact that the team rebounded from two heavy losses to New Zealand and Kenya to then go 3-1 the rest of the tournament. The loss to the All Blacks was expected and Kenya showed themselves to be very strong as well. The team was expected to beat all of Tonga, Spain, and Portugal, which they did, but then lost a close match to Scotland. It's really the Scotland loss that hurts the most since they are most equal to the U.S. on the series.

Beating teams you should is the first step to improving. At least it gives the team a chance in almost every tournament they play. Sooner or later, like we saw last year, those wins over easier teams will transform into wins against teams above them in the table.

The team also had several standout players. Folau Niua was excellent showed that he is the best halfback on the team. Brett Thompson had a fantastic tournament. He was everywhere for the team on both offense and defense. His tackling was strong and he ran the best lines on the team. To boot his has a very high rugby IQ. He also leads by example on the pitch.

The new players also had good tournaments. Pat Blair looks like a player that should be in consideration for more playing time. Steven Tomasin came in as a start halfway through the tournament and did alright. Even Ryan Matyas had his moments. They weren't perfect, as would be expected in their first tournament, but there were positive signs for the future.

In the end the biggest takeaway from the tournament is that it still puts the Eagles near the relegation zone. That doesn't mean that one tournament can't change those fortunes, but it will be harder now. In Dubai they'll play England, Fiji, and Canada, no small order. Do they have the tools to get it done? Yes. Hopefully the Gold Coast was a learning experience for everyone involved and with two more development tournaments on tap before Dubai they can figure everything out and come back stronger.