The loss will certainly hurt the U.S. come Saturday. He's a physical presence that is great in the lineout and on defense. With only three caps to his name he's still integrating into the squad and Saturday will be a missed opportunity to gel with teammates. The loss of Manoa is also a big blow any chance the U.S. had of overturning last weekend's result. With Manoa out, look for either Brian Doyle or Cam Dolan to step in and take his place. Most likely Doyle will slide in at lock.
What do you make of the loss?
It's big for many reasons. His on field presence will be truly missed, but also I think it speaks to a situation values of Samu's commitment to the USA Eagles.
ReplyDeleteSamu is the kind of player we need in the eagles, but might not want us. He has been spoiled by playing in a professional setup and must think the Eagles are a joke.
With all this talk about who would be the best fit with American rugby, I would suggest a Polynesian coach to help make the Polynesian players feel more comfortable.
This is probably not meant as a conciliatory gesture, but I will take it that way in a wishful thinking manner - apparently, Cudmore will not be in Toronto for the Maple Leafs.
DeleteCan't get into Canada! The number one reason for this when a person is declared criminally inadmissible.
ReplyDeleteA person may be denied a visa, refused entry to, or removed from Canada on any of these grounds:
security reasons, including espionage
subversion (attempts to overthrow a government, etc.)
violence or terrorism, or membership in an organization involved in any of these
human or international rights violations, including war crimes
crimes against humanity
being a senior official in a government engaged in gross human rights violations or subject to international sanctions
committing a serious crime that would be punishable by a maximum prison term of at least 10 years in Canada
having been convicted of a crime, including driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol
organized crime, including membership in an organization that takes part in organized criminal activity, people smuggling or money laundering
Who knows. Might just be a way for USA Rugby to save face because they are again being dissed in a "club over country" dispute.
Anyway, the first RWC Qualifier was a nice pre-season hit out for him before he gets down to the business of his real rugby career.