Al Caravelli's revamped outfit faces the challenge of regaining momentum at the most prestigious 7s tournament, but then again a lot of teams are turning over.
Following a lackluster showing at the 7s World Cup, the Eagles immediately lost core players including Chris Wyles, Todd Clever, and Takudwza Ngwenya, who all but wrapped up their international 7s careers in order to play professional 15s.
The Hong Kong and Adelaide squad appears to favor team speed, and gives first chances to Zach Pangelinan and Zach Test. Four players are under 20, according to USA Rugby.
Youth, newcomers, and a first-time captain, prop-wing Kevin Swiryn, have prompted those observers normally inclined to let the national team off the hook because it's not 'professional' to suggest the Eagles can't sustain their seventh-place standing in the World Sevens Series.
But since heavyweights like Fiii are also making a transition, the more important question is how well does Caravelli's approach fare in the new quadrennial? How well does the US execute the things it can control for itself?
If nothing else, it is instructive that the 7s Eagles have not shied from disciplined, decisive action.
Granted that Wyles, Clever, Ngwenya are wanted by their paycheck clubs, and Valenese Malifa needed surgery. But consider that the 15s Eagles made no such break after the 2007 World Cup, and in fact the 2009 player pool has yet to be released, even as the World Cup qualifiers begin in 3 months.
In first-day action, the US fell to Scotland 19-17, while pool favorites Kenya topped the West Indies 17-10.
Look at this story of an incident by Classless Cal
http://www.erugbynews.com/article.php?sec=126&a=4460
Dropping N-bombs during a collegiate sporting event? What would the NCAA do? Nice image for college rugby Cal. Well done considering the great job St Mary's did to host the match.
Posted by: Classless Cal | 27 March 2009 at 17:55
Look, this was a terrible thing that Biller did. But he has been suspended, just like what would have happened if this had happened in NCAA basketball or football or lacrosse. Although the act istelf was reprehensible, the reaction by Cal demonstrates that rugby is the same as all the other sports. Thank god this didn't happen in a match between shitbox teams where the perpetrator was lauded at the drinkup after the match by his ignorant teammates.
Posted by: Welcome to the mainstream | 27 March 2009 at 20:03
What does this have to do with 7's? Concerning this issue, I'm glad Cal took the appropriate disciplinary actions from what I heard. Sad to hear people still think like that.
Back to 7's, I'm glad the team came back this morning against the West Indies. I wasnt able to watch this morning, but watching yesterday, the team was doing the same as they did at RWC. They missed tackles, left the center gap open and didn't stay in their lanes. Young or not, I'm sure coach Al drilled into them the importance of fundamentals. I know the weather was wet, but they all play in the same weather. I'm very happy they rebounded and look forward to them taking out Kenya next. Go get em young guns!!
Posted by: David C. | 27 March 2009 at 20:33
Suspended? He played against UBS Thursday.
Posted by: Huh? | 27 March 2009 at 20:53
Really? Sad...Just like U.S. sports though. Suspend him AFTER he is not needed.
Posted by: David C. | 27 March 2009 at 22:19
Let's see what Jack Clark is made of on this one. This kid should not see another match the rest of the season. Racial slurs in college sports is not acceptable.
All the good word done by these teams to put on a great college rugby spectacle ruined by one kid with a vulgar mouth and racist tendencies. The N-word doesn't just slip. You are either conditioned to use it or not.
Posted by: Racism in Rugby Must Stop | 27 March 2009 at 23:25
listen to you girls. one kid, made one mistake and he admitted to it, while saying he was sorry.
what do you want from him?
Posted by: girls rugby | 28 March 2009 at 06:41
I'll tell you what the NCAA would do, nothing.
Have you ever heard a football team talk. There is more N-word thrown around than people know what to do with. Almost all, but not entirely by black players. Sometimes in support and sometimes in less than a supportive way.
I don't think most adults know what to do and this includes coaches.
Posted by: PC cop | 28 March 2009 at 06:46
For what its worth, Biller's apology said he admitted to the slur Friday, apparently when contacted by ERN and ARN.
Did O'Brien call Cal coaches earlier? Because if not, why would Cal suspend the player earlier, because of a anon blog comment?
Posted by: Timing? | 28 March 2009 at 07:29
"what do you want from him?"
Not to call someone a nigger would be a pretty good start.
Posted by: Flynn Hagerty | 28 March 2009 at 07:55
Girls rugby- He admitted to it AFTER he was called out on it.
PC Police- Yeah it may happen in football, but does that make it right? I guess it was ok for European fans to throw bananas on the pitch in front of a black soccer player awhile ago too. Jesus guys, there's things you can call a guy on the pitch, but THAT word isnt one of them. Racist comments should stay out of sports.
Posted by: David C | 28 March 2009 at 08:59
Some things are said in passion while others are premeditated. Apparently Mr. Biller let the other gentleman get the best of him on that day.
It is quite possible that he has never seen a man of color in real life before. MTV and VH1 don't exactly portray African Americans in a positive light.
Posted by: white, yellow and all shades of blue (blood?). | 28 March 2009 at 10:51
You are putting the blame on MTV on VH1 because Cal has a racist on their team? You are an idiot. You do not drop the N-word unless you A) know the power of the word and are so cynical that you don't care that it is massively divisive and can tarnish the entire spectacle that you are partaking in, or B) you are a racist and that is your feeling deep down inside about black people. There is no gray area here on this one. It might pay to note that Cal has had very little or no black players over the years.
Posted by: Racism in Rugby Must Stop | 28 March 2009 at 11:52
On a happier note, Todd Clever scored his first try tonight!!!! One handed grab from a teammate and in. It was awesome to watch!!!
Posted by: David C | 28 March 2009 at 12:13
we all niggas in the eyes of the man in CO, fo' sho!
Posted by: roosevelt peatross | 28 March 2009 at 13:43
Turn the other cheek ...
Forgive and Forget ...
Time to move forward and focus on all the good times and things positive in rugby's name amen!
Posted by: Lord | 28 March 2009 at 15:07
"It might pay to note that Cal has had very little or no black players over the years."
Hmmm...What teams have been flush with black players at any level (other than the odd DC Charter School)?
How many have the Eagles had? How many have the All-American's had?
Any college or club or high school?
Is it just possible that blacks are under represented in the sport of rugby union?
There is probably a quantifiable explanation, so dont try and throw smoke in the air or make sweeping allegations about the Cal Rugby program.
To all of you who wax so eloquent about who is racist and who should never see the field again, please give me a break.
Im sure all of you have done something regretable in your life or maybe said something that you would like to take back.
Biller made a mistake, owned up to it and is paying the price.
On another note..is it possible the guys who want Biller banned for the season, coach Cal's playoff opponents.
Posted by: William Webb Ellis was a racist? | 28 March 2009 at 20:07
biller was yellow carded in the first half vs. smc, wasn't he? am i remembering that correctly?...was the yellow card for the racial epitaph or was it for a technical violation? anyone know?
as far as excusing or not excusing Mr. Biller's extremely poor word choice, I see the point about African-Americans being underrepresented in rugby overall and not just Cal so don't single Cal out...but I will say that the Cal rugby team is not nearly as representative of the university it represents and that I find a weakness in an otherwise strong program.
Posted by: ecm | 28 March 2009 at 21:45
You Vanilla wafers that are looking to avenge slavery need to get over yourselves. That word is part of our everyday language. It lost its meaning (to me) years ago.
Sure, it is offensive (to those who find it offensive) but really... the culprit is from an elitist university, playing an elitist sport, for the elite rugby team in the country.
Big effing deal, get over it.
It represents something in the world of nothing.
Posted by: Ali G | 28 March 2009 at 23:14
A stupid young kid, makes one stupid comment, in one match. And the piling on starts.
What a complete joke. Some troll stirring the pot, by saying Cal hasn't had many black kids. No shit, which rugby team has? Cal has had more kids of color than most all teams. To include St Marys by 10 fold. Hey man what up? Is someone racist in Moraga. What a joke, what a shitting little agenda. So who's behind the bullshit? Not Biller, he admitted being stupid. Who's next?
How about the St Marys kid, "I was hurt". Save it. You're a good player, just play. You've used the word yourself. Its an ugly word. Biller is a dumb ass. Tackle him harder.
Lets save all the PC shit. Biller is a good player, who made a big mistake. He will no doubt be paying the price for years to come. There will always be some joker who will bring this up for the rest of his career.
To Billers credit. He has admitted being a dumb ass. He has said he's sorry. Now what, He's meant to quit school, because after getting into a pushy shovey he farts a word.
All this remaining PC bullshit calling teams racist is just some sorry joker posting ten times under different names.
Posted by: PC Cop | 28 March 2009 at 23:47
Did the chairman of USA Rugby get suspended when he called world cup 2007 Polynesian opposition "tree climbers"?
If we are going to get the racist lets get them all.
Posted by: just wondering | 29 March 2009 at 00:00
Back to 7's.... Did anyone see the U.S.vs Wales match? Did our young guys do okay? I know we lost, but didnt get to see it. How were the conditions? Still rainy? A big issue I have with our 7's team and USA Rugby is why doesnt our 7's team have a flippin' sponsor yet?? Freaking Hong Kong had Guinness as a sponsor. I am curious to know why Tom Wacker who's on the board and also is Chairman of Penguin's Int'l RFC, who travel the world and are quite a good team and sponsored by HSBC, hasn't helped in that area. I understand that the 7's team is under USA Rugby in some areas and isnt in others, but WTF? I find it hard to believe he cant assist in helping our 7's team gain a sponsor. If you'd like to know too, his email address is, twacker@usarugby.org. Lets make these mofo's accountable already.
Posted by: David C. | 29 March 2009 at 01:26
Can swap out Canada's CEO and Board?
We would have a better chance next season.
Posted by: seriously | 29 March 2009 at 08:57
ecm,
If that was indeed Biller's racial "epitaph", he wouldn't have been alive to later apologize.
jesus, does anyone under age 25 understand what a homonym is?
epithet
Posted by: Who Quones, Wins | 29 March 2009 at 12:08
"but I will say that the Cal rugby team is not nearly as representative of the university it represents and that I find a weakness in an otherwise strong program."
It's not that unrepresentative of the strongest high school clubs in NorCal, though. It would be idiotic to claim Cal rugby is an institutionally racist program.
Biller is not a young kid though - he's a senior - and he should be setting a better example for kids in the program. Personally I would like to see him suspended. It's unacceptable to use racist slurs, and Cal is a strong enough program that they should not have to compromise their ethics because of the fear of losing. Just my $.02.
Posted by: Flynn Hagerty | 29 March 2009 at 12:12
Flynn how self righteous can you be. College kid or not, he lost his cool and said something dumb.
I think the fact he is suspended is out of line. This is a word. Not a word I care to use, but just a word.
As Americans we have the right to free expression. We are allowed to say this word whenever we like. Just like you did in an early post. We can rightly use the word to make any point we want, which YOU selected to do.
So playing the other side for a moment. What else do we suspend players for if we can suspend them for this word? The Irish were treated as bad as the blacks at one point, do they have a word? How about the Jews? Asian? Mexicans?
Better yet, gays? Let made a list of all the words we should suspend people over?
This is a very slippery hill. This whole thing is a witch hunt by Alex Goff, fueled by people who see advantage in the issue. Sure submit all the comments you like, its your right to call Biller anything you want.
The kid played football with many black teammates, who regard him as a very good friend. But we can still call him a racist. We can call his family racist. We can call Berkeley racist (this is my personal favorite). In truth these are just words. In America we are allowed to use words. Even offensive words.
Posted by: freedom of expression | 29 March 2009 at 13:13
WTF, is this self-righteous bullshit. Does anyone think that Barry O'Bomber, as he was known as a high school outside jump-shooter, never used the n-word? Well tell us Mr. President.
In the words of Former SF mayor Willie Brown from the SF Chronicle, "We're past the time when people weren't being served at the lunch counters because they were black. It's a new day and we should be living in it, not always looking back."
Hey listen up, its bad form to say a whole bunch of words. Bad form does not equate to what is being made out this this situation.
Posted by: self-righteous roll call | 29 March 2009 at 13:33
Just checking.
If my favorite rapper is throwing the n-bombs, can I sing along, or am I required to hum during some parts?
If in the audience of my favorite comedian who uses the n-word, should I laugh along with everyone else or am I required to look down at my shoes.
When reading a book, are there certain words I can't say out loud, or are the only certain times when these words can't be said.
Are there magazines, films or TV shows I shouldn't watch. Or is it OK if I don't tell anyone.
I just saw a really good Clint Eastwood film, it wasn't meant to be funny is some parts, but I laughed. God I hope none of you rugby internet warriors saw me laughing at an inappropriate moment in the film.
Posted by: just checking | 29 March 2009 at 14:49
Cal should forfeit the world cup trophy with UBC. Biller played in that game and should have been under suspension.
Posted by: jm | 29 March 2009 at 21:07
put it to the test: "It would be idiotic to claim Cal rugby is an institutionally racist program."
take a look: http://www.calbears.com/sports/m-rugby/mtt/cal-m-rugby-mtt.html
they all seem to be varying degrees of white
go back 5 years...i can only think of one Cal player who wasn't caucasian
Let's say there's 50 players on Cal per year x 5 years...250 players, 249 caucasians....99.6%
now let's look at the makeup of the student body:
source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_California,_Berkeley
Undergraduate Graduate California U.S. Census
African American 4% 3% 6.2% 12.1%
Asian American 42% 17% 12.3% 4.3%
White American 31% 42% 59.8% 65.8%
Hispanic American 12% 6% 35.9% 14.5%
Native American <1% 1% 0.7% 0.9%
International student 4% 18% N/A N/A
31% of UCB undergrads are caucasian vs. 99.6% of the rugby team.
if Cal's #2 had a more "diverse" team around him, however you define diverse, would he be less likely to trot out racially insensitive epithets (homonyn duly noted Quones although excessive self-righteousness on the part of copy editors isn't attractive) that brings shame on himself and to the university he represents?
if Cal's a rugby team that prides itself on being held to a higher standard - this is one area where they seem to fall short in an otherwise exemplary performance record.
Posted by: ecm | 29 March 2009 at 21:37
Huh, don't use that term. There are so many to be used that no one cares about.
These won't get you suspended or have the internet assholes after you; beanor, raghead, camel jockeys, spic, nip, jap, hebe. These are all good from a sporting standpoint.
Now you might get a few, "cracker", "milk", and "white trashes" thrown your way, but forgetaboutit. However if someone calls you a "gringo", a derogatory term for white foreigner be prepared to fight. I have a black friend that calls middle aged white women "raw chicken" when naked. I don't won't to know.
It get harder from here.
"Half-dick" is a Jewish slur, something about circumcision. "Guinea" might get you in trouble in a tough Italian area, but no one will get on the internet. Not even from St Mary's College.
The Italians call the blacks "eggplants", no trouble on the rugby field.
The Irish were called "donkey's" because it was easier to hire an Irishman than a donkey. Then "Paddy", by the Brits. Screw the Poms btw.
In New York, they call Jews "Canadians". Not nice taking about them as Jews. Smart to have a code.
"Charlie" is your Vietnamese next door.
If you must it seems, "buckwheat" from the Little Rascals still makes a point. In the movie Shaft, "cornbread" was a fav. Or "fat albert" was a gem. The TV show Rescue Me, used "raisinhead".
Hell I don't even know who my daddy is. But I think all you PC fucks need to cut it a break.
Posted by: PC patrol | 29 March 2009 at 22:10
ECM,
Non-scholarship sports like rugby select their teams from the admitted student population. The lengths you are trying to go to show some type of race bias is telling. How many blacks on your team?
I think Cal fans are disappointed in Chris Biller's comments and happy he has apologized.
If other schools are more enlighten where is the proof? Cal has had more players of color and more African-American players then any rugby team I know.
What is your agenda ECM? Is it student Chris Biller, or are you up to something more fulfilling?
Posted by: all this makes sense now | 29 March 2009 at 22:33
ecm,
For fuck's sake so are the teams in the deep south, west and midwest. What is your point. Do a test on any rugby team in America and we fail. This failure has nothing to do with this dumbass comment from the Cal hooker. Is your point that SMC has had one black kid in 80 years and they are special?
Black kids will play rugby in numbers when we can provide a sport for them. A scholarship, pro opportunities, fans, stadiums, media, etc.
You sir are a race baiting troll. Please tell us you are not connected in any way with this kid who made the complaint.
Posted by: RT Carlyle | 29 March 2009 at 22:50
42% of the Cal student body is Asian and I didn't see enough Asian names on the roster! Something must be done about this.
Posted by: LOL | 29 March 2009 at 23:15
i don't have a team and i am in no way connected to the smc player or program or any other program...strictly a fan of collegiate rugby.
i have no agenda beyond asking questions of a very surprising and unfortunate occurance.
my point? maybe there is a diversity problem at Cal that contributed to this ugly incident. sure, it would be better for all concerned to place the blame at Biller's feet and sweep the rest under the rug. but judging from the sharp elbowed defensive responses, i'd say there is something going on in rugby in the US w/ respect to race that isn't exactly healthy.
perhaps all this hand-ringing over why can't rugby take hold in the US has been asked and answered by this illuminating string of posts--why would elite athletes in America, predominantly African-American, take part in a sport where the practicing percentage of the partakers feel it's OK and excusable to call an opposing player who happens to be black the N word because it's a celebration of free speech in America?
as far as Cal goes, yeah, i think it's worth asking whether there are institutional biases at work contributing to an environment wherein a white Cal player feels it's OK in any way-shape-or form to call someone a nigger on the pitch.
I'll say the 5 year #'s outlined above seem to speak for themselves...until someone comes up with something to substantiate an opposing position.
Posted by: ecm | 29 March 2009 at 23:25
"Flynn how self righteous can you be. College kid or not, he lost his cool and said something dumb."
I'm not being self-righteous, I'm being a human being. I'm no older than Biller. I have a terrific temper. That doesn't mean when a black guy tries to squeeze my balls in a ruck that I call him a nigger. I call him an asshole, a prick or a donkey raping fuckbag (my favorite personally).
I grew up in a black neighborhood and probably listen to more hip-hop than most posters on this board, but I'm pretty sure I don't spend an extraordinary amount of time and energy consumed by race in America. I just find it really troubling that any white American can use nigger and think it's alright under any circumstances. Or that people on this board are passing it off as a childish mistake.
Really? Young adults should be the least likely to use racist slurs. They're the ones who have spent the most time growing up in a society which has stressed racial equality as a goal.
Posted by: Flynn Hagerty | 30 March 2009 at 03:51
Regarding diversity at Cal. When I played there my best friends on the team were a Black prop, a Jewish scrumhalf and a Japanese-American flanker. To imply that there is systemic racism there is absurd.
I now coach a HS team that is 70% Mexican-American and the staff at Berkeley has been more than exceptional encouraging our kids to attend. As a fact, Jerry Figone reached into his own pocket at times to help our kids play for the summer camp on their site. A couple of years ago some of my former HS level players who attended Cal and Chico St, helped to fund a scholarship for Hyde School players to travel across the country to play at the rugby camp.
Biller did something wrong, has been punished and humiliated. I don't know that kid, but is seems that being raked over the coals like this is a lot to deal with, but I cannot say what is fair.
However to suggest that the Cal program does not seek out diversity nor encourage people of color to attend and play ball is patently false and needs to be corrected. If you have criticisms of the program there, they should be based on fact not innuendo.
Posted by: Alan Petty | 30 March 2009 at 06:12