Three European professionals have been named in the North American 4 squads, signaling national team coach Peter Thorburn’s policy on the path to the Eagles while raising questions about player welfare.
Centers Paul Emerick and Albert Tuipulotu and eightman Kort Schubert are scheduled to attend part of the tournament’s Ohio leg from July 16-29, though Schubert is carrying an injury from last Saturday’s Barbados match and his status is uncertain. The Eagle coaching staff led the NA4 selections.
“The process is to make Rugby World Cup a series of things, including the NA4 and the ITT [National All-Star Championship] in the coming season,” Thorburn said in an interview.
“Just because they’re playing overseas, they’re not going to be automatic selections. I’m trying to create an aspiration path for players who want to go to the World Cup,” he added.
Having already played in the Churchill Cup and a World Cup qualifying rout of Barbados, and due to muster soon after the NA4 for August’s 12 showdown with Canada, the trio will have very little rest before returning to Wales and Italy for the 2006-07 preseason. Should they stay healthy, the threesome would effectively go from August 2005 to November 2007 without more than a month’s break at a time.
Most leading rugby nations have adopted a maximum number of games and prescribed amount of rest each season, in set intervals. USA Rugby’s strategic plan is silent on the matter of player welfare; the word “welfare” itself does not appear in the blueprint adopted this spring.
“I coached 18 months in the [English] Premiership and I do understand the pressures and things that are involved,” Thorburn said, noting that at least one of the three did not play every Saturday this past season.
Canada has not yet released its NA4 rosters. By and large, its substantially greater number of European professionals were not involved in May’s Vancouver leg; nor were they heavily present in the Churchill Cup, when the Maple Leafs downed the Eagles for fifth place.
Aside from selections, Thorburn emphasized the value of Emerick, Schubert, and Tuipulotu’s professional experience. “They need to be at these camps because other players learn from them. You can’t teach that experience and being around these guys for two weeks, [their domestic teammates] would benefit immensely.”
Two other European pros, flyhalf Mike Hercus (Newport Gwent Dragons) and prop Mike MacDonald (Leeds Tykes), were left off the NA4 rosters. Both have been carrying injuries, as has Belmont Shore fullback Francois Viljoen. Other missing Eagle front-liners include Belmont Shore prop Chris Osentowski, Chicago Griffins lock Mike Mangan, New Zealand-based flanker Todd Clever, and Haggis wing Mike Palefau.
America’s Ohio squads are much changed from the NA4’s opening round, when the Falcons and Hawks won just one of four games against the Canadians. Among the veteran internationals making their 2006 representative debuts: hooker Matt Wyatt (Philadelphia-Whitemarsh); locks Matt Kane (Old Puget Sound Beach) and Alec Parker (Gentlemen of Aspen); and halfback Kimball Kjar (Dallas Harlequins).
Falcons
Forwards: Jarvis Albury (Arkansas State), James Angus (Frederick), Kevin Armstrong (Santa Monica), Mark Aylor (Austin), Patrick Bell (Life University), Mike French (OMBAC), Mark Griffin (Old Blue), Carl Hansen (Olympic Club), Hayden Mexted (St. Louis Bombers), Alec Parker (Gentlemen of Aspen), Tony Petruzzella (Olympic Club), David Rader (New York Athletic Club), Ron Rosser (Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo), Brian Schoener (Old Puget Sound Beach), Kort Schubert (Cardiff Blues), John Tarpoff (St. Louis Bombers), John Vitale (Chicago Lions)
Backs: Brian Barnard (Golden Gate), Chad Erskine (OMBAC), Vaha Esikia (Las Vegas Blackjacks), James Finau (Hayward Griffins), Jeff Hullinger (Brigham Young Univ.), Scott Jones (Chicago Lions), Kimball Kjar (Dallas Harlequins), Andrew Locke (Army), Andrew Osborne (Washington), Jason Pye (Univ. of Utah), Doug Rowe (Old Blue), Garry Sullivan (Life University), Alipate Tuilevuka (Brigham Young Univ.)
Management: Jim Love (head coach), Kevin Battle (assistant coach), Alan Short (manager)
Hawks
Forwards: Henry Bloomfield (Belmont Shore), Blake Burdette (Univ. of Utah), Adam Casias (Air Force), Matthew Kane (Old Puget Sound Beach), Andrew King (Univ. of California-Santa Barbara), Scott Lawrence (Life University), Owen Lentz (Washington), Kurt Nienberg (Scioto Valley), Brian Olmes (Potomac Athletic Club), Nathan Rogers (Life University), Adam Russell (New York Athletic Club), Ben Sadgrove (Old Blue), Louis Stanfill (Univ. of California-Berkeley), Justin Stencel (Charlotte), Matt Wyatt (Philadelphia-Whitemarsh), Kevin Wiggins (Kansas City Blues)
Backs: Andrew Blair (Golden Gate), Paul Emerick (Newport Gwent Dragons), Damien Fatongia (St. Mary’s), Ian Flanagan (Boston Irish Wolfhounds), Michael Graham (Philadephia-Whitemarsh), Jason Kelly (Denver Barbarians), Tyson Meek (Denver Barbarians), Christopher Moreno (Grand Rapids Gazelles), Jeremy Nash (Chicago Lions), Salesi Sika (Brigham Young Univ.), Peter Sio (Belmont Shore), Ed Stockunas (Washington), Albert Tuipolotu (Parma), David Williams (Chicago Lions)
Management: Pete Steinberg (head coach), Bernie Hogan (assistant coach), Gordon Macpherson (assistant coach), Paul Barford (manager)
Related: NA4 rosters released (11 May)
One of Peter Thorburn's criticism's of the Eagles has been a lack of fitness. There is no way anyone is going to get fit without match play. The NA4 provides that opportunity.
It's wise that Mike Hercus is not playing the NA4 tournament - giving the Canucks two cracks at knocking him out via a hard tackle would not be wise ... he is without a doubt the most gifted backline player on either side.
If the Eagle backline fires on all cylinders then the Eagles have a crack at taking the Canadians.
Posted by: doug lyons | 06 July 2006 at 14:29
Ruck and Mauler: your email is not valid; nor are a few obvious variations. Though I value your input to this forum, my policy is that readers have to be able to contact one another for "offline" conversations. I think it's a fair compromise between full disclosure and anonymity, and ultimately promotes communal responsibility. Regretably, I am unpublishing your remarks. You are welcome to republish them with a valid email.
k
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I agree with Kurt. Why should integrity need to be a policy?
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