Eagles Look To Translate Strong Form Into 7's RWC Success

Over the last three stops on the IRB Sevens Series only four teams earned more points that the United States. The U.S. made the Plate finals in all three of those tournaments, winning twice. But the London 7's was well over a month ago and it remains to be seen whether or not the Eagles hot form will carry over into this weekend's 7's Rugby World Cup. While history is not on their side no Eagles team comes into a World Cup with as much behind them in terms of resources and fan supports. The majority of the players have been under contract for quite some time and have had the luxury of being able to focus solely on 7's. Those fundamental changes to the program could be just what is needed to make the difference for the team this tournament. With the mighty All Blacks in their group making the Cup quarterfinals could be difficult but the team still looks poised to make a strong run.

Take the jump to read more about the squad, previews of the team's opponents, and more.
The Team

With Luke Hume and Blaine Scully playing with the Eagles 15's team this summer head coach Alex Magleby has brought in veterans Mike Palefau and Maka Unufe to give the team power and pace. Unufe has fully recovered from his injuries suffered earlier in the season while Palefau comes into the team with plenty of experience having been the best player on the Eagles squad during the IRB Sevens Series two years ago. Also coming into the team is Jack Halalilo in place of Pila Taufa. Both are big but speedy players. Halalilo had had some brilliant moments on the Series and could be a vital contributor.

Crucially, Magleby retains the core of his team that was so hot to end the season. Zach Test, Shalom Suniula, and Matt Hawkins return to form the spine of the team. Test has been the Eagles best player on the season and has really grown as a rugby player. Other players like Folau Niua, Andrew Durutalo, and Colin Hawley have each been very steady on the season and were a big reason the team made the Cup quarterfinals more than they missed them.

Nick Edwards and Brett Thompson are two players that found themselves during the end of the year. Edwards ability to draw in defenders and make great offloads is the primary reason Carlin Isles has found himself in an impact substitutes role lately. Edwards has pace but he also brings a load o experience. Thompson surprises a lot of people with his pace but he was electric at the end of the season and could find himself starting on the weekend.

Squad: Carlin Isles, Nick Edwards, Andrew Durutalo, Shalom Suniula, Zach Test, Matt Hawkins, Folau Niua, Jack Halalilo, Maka Unufe, Mike Palefau, Colin Hawley, and Brett Thompson

The Opponents

Georgia (Friday: 8:06 a.m. et/5:06 a.m. pt): The Georgians qualified for the tournament as one of the European qualifiers. While they didn't have an official appearance on the IRB Sevens Series this year they did make an appearance at the pre-qualifier tournament in Hong Kong where they finished fourth. Unfortunately for the team they couldn't replicate that form in the qualifiers and finished 0-3 in pool play. Still, they are a good team with some solid rugby players. They won't wow you with speed but if you are not careful they will take advantage of any mistake. This is a match the Eagles should win handily.

Canada (Saturday: 2:06 a.m. et/11:06 p.m. pt (Friday): Yet again the Eagles will face the Canadians. It seems like the U.S. has constantly faced their rivals to the north this year and haven't had much success. They did have a big win in South Africa but the Canadians have been the better of the two sides of the total of the last year. That said, the U.S. is on a roll while Canada trailed off a bit at the end of the year. The core of the Canadian team returns with Sean Duke and Nathan Hirayama set to lead the way, but they do also have a couple of younger players on their team. Without as much depth Canada could find themselves exhausted over the long tournament. But in their second match of the tournament it shouldn't be that much of a problem.

New Zealand (Saturday: 8:20 a.m. et/5:20 a.m. pt): The All Blacks were the best team on the Series last year and the Eagles will face a difficult task in beating them. The team didn't win the last World Cup and will be eager to turn a double to go alongside the XV's win in their World Cup. DJ Forbes, Tomasi Cama, and Tim Mikkelson are 7's stars and when they play their game they are unstoppable. The U.S. has had a couple of close results against the All Blacks this year but it would be the surprise of the season if they were to pull off the upset in this tournament.

Keys to the Tournament

Don't take things for granted: With their success in the last few tournaments the team has the right to be confident heading into this weekend. At the same time they can't take anything for granted. After all, this is the same team that had some very poor performances on the season as well. They need to focus on the basics and they can't assume they will play well just by showing up.

Restarts: The team has been fantastic on restarts lately. The ability to keep the ball away from your opponent is key in 7's. If Test, Hawley, or Thompson can be extremely strong in the air again it will go a long way to creating success for the team.

Kicking: How many times in 7's do you see matches, and tournaments for that matter, decided by a made or missed conversion? Getting the ball as close under the posts is a big part of making conversions but even from difficult positions the team needs to hit their conversion. Point differential could be big as they fight for one of the top two second place finishes and they can't leave points out there.

Play all 14 minutes: Teams that consistently win do so because they are switched on for the full 14 minutes. Even 30 seconds of one player turned off can cost the team, as the Eagles have found out in the past. The last three tournaments they did a good job of having everyone play the full match tuned in and they need to do so again.

Chip on the shoulder: The best motivation for the Eagles seems to be when they play with a chip on their shoulder. No matter what it takes the teams needs to find a way to be offended and then to play accordingly on the pitch.

Outlook

As we mentioned, beating New Zealand would be monumental. Unfortunately, it's not likely. It's not that the Eagles don't have the talent or will, it's just that New Zealand is that good. As such, the Eagles will need to shoot for one of the top two second place Cup quarterfinals spots. They'll need to hold New Zealand close and beat Canada and Georgia by wide scores to do so. They have held the All Blacks close in the past and they should have no trouble with Georgia. The key match for the team will be the Canada match. Can they beat Canada by enough to overcome teams like Scotland, Kenya, and Wales, who all have easier pathways to the Cup quarterfinals? Absolutely, but it is going to take something special. In the end we think the Eagles play well but will have to settle for playing for the Plate, which they stand an excellent chance of winning.