0-5
USA Rugby's XVs Men's National Team is 0-5 going into the first round of the Rugby World Cup Qualifying Round for the Americas. There's no good way to look at 0-5. We can talk about close losses (versus Canada, Ireland, Tonga). We can talk about a show of offense (versus Ireland, Japan) . But what we MUST talk about is lack of execution, relinquishing possession, and the scrum AND why these occurred
Lack of a finishing offense, knock-ons, and poor scrummaging plagued the US in every match. The Eagles showed consistent strength in the tackle, at the line-outs, at the breakdowns, and moving the ball outside. But when the Eagles moved the ball to the outside and nearly got a breakaway, there's the knock-on or the turn back into defensive traffic. Or when the opposition would knock-on or pass forward awarding a scrum to the Eagles, there's Pittman and Fry scrummaging straight-up and straight-ahead while the opposition prevents them from binding or creates a Euclidean nightmare that few referees can decipher accurately. Then, when the Eagles were five or six phases into a possession that had not taken them past halfway, there's a halfback kicking away possession instead of being patient and building another platform to bunch up the opposition defense and attack the space. There's more, but the point has been made - important deficiencies impede the Eagles.
Now, the Eagles are 0-5 for 2013 after a strong showing last fall and are down several points in the IRB rankings.
Is the refereeing at fault? Francisco Pestrana could not manage a scrum successfully with the cumulative scrum knowledge of Brian Moore, Fran Cotton, and Roly Meates downloaded into his brain. He was a problem, but not THE problem. The referees are not at fault. We expect better out of a referee once they don the IRB jersey, but the referees are not the problem just because they do not meet our expectations.
Is the coaching at fault? The whinging about this issue is loud, vehement, and ignorant. Tolkin is coaching a creative, expansive game of rugby which plays to the strengths of the team. When the team plays to this plan, they score or threaten to score. Could Babs (scrum coach Derek Dowling) be teaching a bit more gamesmanship and counter-gamesmanship to the props? Well sure he could teach the US front row these tactics, but learning that skill set during a national team assembly is a too-little, too-late solution and often takes away from other, more important work. Crying out that the coach is "over his skis" just displays a dearth of rugby nous and a basket full of sour grapes.
Are the selections wrong? Yes, people really make this accusation. Anyone who reads RugbyMag and/or This Is American Rugby knows better than to utter such. We all know which US-eligible ruggers are playing overseas in what competitions. We know who is injured. We know who is available. None of the horses are missing from the stable. This squad is one of the most solid and internationally experienced squads the US has ever fielded.
Why didn't we play our best two players in the PNC? The team's plan was to rest Zee & Samu after Ireland. These two had tough seasons in Europe, then the Baa-baas' matches. It is more important to have them well-rested and ready for the qualifying matches than to put them through the PNC schedule.
So what is the problem? The problem is a lack of a rugby culture. The solution requires more multi-faceted, systems thinking than many are willing to conduct and a lot more action than many are willing to take on their own. Establishing a rugby culture among 350 million people spread out across a continent is difficult, but not insurmountable. A rugby culture requires patience and understanding where too many are applying their need for immediate gratification. A rugby culture requires more expansive youth rugby programs than we already have, a professional rugby competition that is broadcast on national television, more and better trained coaches and referees, cities that invest in rugby for the long run, people willing to do all of the hard work necessary for making all of this happen, and an understanding by all of us that there is no one piece of magic that will make it happen.
Youth programs need more folks like Tal Bayer (Perry St Prep - Pride), Stuart Krohn (ICEF), Mark Griffin (Play Rugby USA - NYC), Dallen Stanford (Play Rugby USA - LA), and Rick Marshall (RugbyTexas - Houston). We need to prove to RugbyLaw, the NAPR/S15 organizers, the APRC organizer, the CRNA organizers, and any number of other organizations that are exploring the possibilities of starting a professional rugby competition in the USA/North America that we really want to watch rugby by filling stadiums or tuning in every time the Eagles play. The models that San Francisco, Glendale, Houston, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, and other cities have set can be replicated. However, if we do not get off our butts and get out there to do all of these things (and more), we will only replicate May and June of 2013 (US MNT 0-5, US WNT 1-2, US MCAA 1-2, US MJAA 0-5 & relegated) many times over.
There is upside, though.
Immediately, the August qualifiers should see the return of Samu Manoa, Zee Ngwenya, and Paul Emerick to the roster. The boost of Samu & Zee is obvious. They were integral to the USA holding Ireland try-less in Houston. Paul Emerick is hungry to put that jersey on and grab the pill. Anyone who has spoken to him recently can hear and/or see him fiending for match time. The Cactus is not done making a positive difference in the RW&B, yet.
In the long run, we can expect much upside.
USA Rugby's XVs Men's National Team is 0-5 going into the first round of the Rugby World Cup Qualifying Round for the Americas. There's no good way to look at 0-5. We can talk about close losses (versus Canada, Ireland, Tonga). We can talk about a show of offense (versus Ireland, Japan) . But what we MUST talk about is lack of execution, relinquishing possession, and the scrum AND why these occurred
Lack of a finishing offense, knock-ons, and poor scrummaging plagued the US in every match. The Eagles showed consistent strength in the tackle, at the line-outs, at the breakdowns, and moving the ball outside. But when the Eagles moved the ball to the outside and nearly got a breakaway, there's the knock-on or the turn back into defensive traffic. Or when the opposition would knock-on or pass forward awarding a scrum to the Eagles, there's Pittman and Fry scrummaging straight-up and straight-ahead while the opposition prevents them from binding or creates a Euclidean nightmare that few referees can decipher accurately. Then, when the Eagles were five or six phases into a possession that had not taken them past halfway, there's a halfback kicking away possession instead of being patient and building another platform to bunch up the opposition defense and attack the space. There's more, but the point has been made - important deficiencies impede the Eagles.
Now, the Eagles are 0-5 for 2013 after a strong showing last fall and are down several points in the IRB rankings.
Is the refereeing at fault? Francisco Pestrana could not manage a scrum successfully with the cumulative scrum knowledge of Brian Moore, Fran Cotton, and Roly Meates downloaded into his brain. He was a problem, but not THE problem. The referees are not at fault. We expect better out of a referee once they don the IRB jersey, but the referees are not the problem just because they do not meet our expectations.
Is the coaching at fault? The whinging about this issue is loud, vehement, and ignorant. Tolkin is coaching a creative, expansive game of rugby which plays to the strengths of the team. When the team plays to this plan, they score or threaten to score. Could Babs (scrum coach Derek Dowling) be teaching a bit more gamesmanship and counter-gamesmanship to the props? Well sure he could teach the US front row these tactics, but learning that skill set during a national team assembly is a too-little, too-late solution and often takes away from other, more important work. Crying out that the coach is "over his skis" just displays a dearth of rugby nous and a basket full of sour grapes.
Are the selections wrong? Yes, people really make this accusation. Anyone who reads RugbyMag and/or This Is American Rugby knows better than to utter such. We all know which US-eligible ruggers are playing overseas in what competitions. We know who is injured. We know who is available. None of the horses are missing from the stable. This squad is one of the most solid and internationally experienced squads the US has ever fielded.
Why didn't we play our best two players in the PNC? The team's plan was to rest Zee & Samu after Ireland. These two had tough seasons in Europe, then the Baa-baas' matches. It is more important to have them well-rested and ready for the qualifying matches than to put them through the PNC schedule.
So what is the problem? The problem is a lack of a rugby culture. The solution requires more multi-faceted, systems thinking than many are willing to conduct and a lot more action than many are willing to take on their own. Establishing a rugby culture among 350 million people spread out across a continent is difficult, but not insurmountable. A rugby culture requires patience and understanding where too many are applying their need for immediate gratification. A rugby culture requires more expansive youth rugby programs than we already have, a professional rugby competition that is broadcast on national television, more and better trained coaches and referees, cities that invest in rugby for the long run, people willing to do all of the hard work necessary for making all of this happen, and an understanding by all of us that there is no one piece of magic that will make it happen.
Youth programs need more folks like Tal Bayer (Perry St Prep - Pride), Stuart Krohn (ICEF), Mark Griffin (Play Rugby USA - NYC), Dallen Stanford (Play Rugby USA - LA), and Rick Marshall (RugbyTexas - Houston). We need to prove to RugbyLaw, the NAPR/S15 organizers, the APRC organizer, the CRNA organizers, and any number of other organizations that are exploring the possibilities of starting a professional rugby competition in the USA/North America that we really want to watch rugby by filling stadiums or tuning in every time the Eagles play. The models that San Francisco, Glendale, Houston, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, and other cities have set can be replicated. However, if we do not get off our butts and get out there to do all of these things (and more), we will only replicate May and June of 2013 (US MNT 0-5, US WNT 1-2, US MCAA 1-2, US MJAA 0-5 & relegated) many times over.
There is upside, though.
Immediately, the August qualifiers should see the return of Samu Manoa, Zee Ngwenya, and Paul Emerick to the roster. The boost of Samu & Zee is obvious. They were integral to the USA holding Ireland try-less in Houston. Paul Emerick is hungry to put that jersey on and grab the pill. Anyone who has spoken to him recently can hear and/or see him fiending for match time. The Cactus is not done making a positive difference in the RW&B, yet.
In the long run, we can expect much upside.
- Andrew Suniula and Luke Hume both displayed impressive offensive and defensive prowess in June. Why these two are not pursuing French or Italian rugby contracts is a mystery, but they have proven that they should be considered for such.
- The USA has enjoyed the growth of many age-grade and high school programs for some years now. The young ruggers that began playing in this movement should be matriculating to collegiate and senior club programs in the next 2-3 years.
- More senior clubs (both genders) are realizing that they will not survive without a youth rugby program. Clubs like San Francisco Golden Gate, The Woodlands (TX), and Charlotte (NC) sponsor various levels of boys and girls rugby and are reaping the benefits.
- The Olympic Development Academies are beginning to produce results. If you think that they will produce ONLY high-performance 7s players, you have another think coming. Not ALL of the ruggers attending these academies will make the Olympic team. They will still be fast, fit, and skilled, though.
- There are now multiple post-season pathways for collegiate rugby clubs in the US. It may seem like a mess, but think on this: the D1A Rugby flexible post-season model allows teams into the post-season that would not normally have made post-season play. So, instead of 16 D1A teams and 32 D1AA teams in post-season play, 12 Varsity Cup teams, 12 D1A teams, & 32 D1AA teams will play in the post-season. With a greater chance of playing in the post-season, teams may play up a bit more than normal, especially with the opportunity to make national TV (D1A & VC). This will eventually produce better players, as well.
- The emerging RASTs (Regional All-Star Tournaments). SBOs selecting their best ruggers and playing other SBOs at tournaments. The NASCs may be gone, but they are not forgotten. Look for the GUs to keep an eye on how these work out to see if the senior level can replicate the success at minimal cost. Oh, and remember the RASTs give kids representative side experience.
There's plenty more going on, too. But, at 0-5 there needs to be much happening to improve rugby in the USA and more of us doing it (and less of us whinging).