Justin Boyd's late second-half try lifted the United States to a 17-12 second-round victory over Australia at the USA 7s, paving the way to a quarterfinal berth tomorrow against Kenya.
Coupled with an exasperating 15-14 loss to South Africa and a clinical 26-0 defeat of archrival Canada, the Wallaby win earned the Chris Wyles-led squad to a third straight appearance in the final eight, a record-setting streak for the 7s Eagles.
In the team's second match, Wyles and Jone Naqica staked the US to a 12-0 lead in the opening 3 minutes, but Australia rallied to tie the contest midway through the second stanza. Thretton Palamo's right-sideline jaunt then set the stage for Boyd's determined decider.
The thrilling finish signaled Al Caravelli's troops are on the verge of becoming a genuine 7s contender. But immature penalties persisted through all three matches, nearly undermining the day's best efforts.
In the opener, tries by Paul Emerick and Kevin Swiryn afforded the US a 14-10 lead over the Springboks deep into the second half, but infringements and a late-game defensive lapse cost the Eagles a first-ever win over the series leaders. In pool B, however, Kenya upset New Zealand, meaning the Americans avoided a first-up Sunday game against the Kiwis.
In other action, Samoa upended England to capture pool C and Fiji handled Argentina in pool D. The series of upsets means tomorrow's quarterfinals feature a pair of heavyweight matchups:
South Africa v New Zealand
Fiji v England
Samoa v Argentina
Kenya v United States
Preliminary research suggests the Eagles have never advanced to the semifinals of an IRB Sevens World Series tournament.
Any word on attendance yesterday?
Posted by: M.O. | 15 February 2009 at 07:15
Chuck Norris says - what's that, Canuck? Can't hear you, bro. The cheering, you know, for the Yanks - the 6 that beat your 7. Too loud.
Hoser.
Posted by: Chuck Norris | 15 February 2009 at 08:09
usa into semis!
Posted by: wow | 15 February 2009 at 12:34
well, it was a heartbreaking loss to arg...but a good showing nonetheless...hopefully the boys will be hungry enough to make some real noise in dubai.
Posted by: bpf | 15 February 2009 at 19:08
Would be nice to have touch judges and officials who are aware of the rules of the game. Maybe it would not have made a difference. Maybe it would have. Would have liked to see some actual rugby in the last minute or so, but I guess 7s rugby is all about watching people stall before taking drop-kick conversions and then booting the kick-offs directly into touch. Either way, a game at this level should not end like that. . . .
And still it did. . . Congrats to the boys! Great effort. Proud to root you guys on. Give em hell in Dubai.
Posted by: TMN | 15 February 2009 at 19:37
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Posted by: niaxf yvajdrl | 02 March 2009 at 22:21