BUCHAREST, ROU. – Men’s Eagles’ Head Coach Gary Gold has named his match-day 23 to face No. 16 Romania this Saturday, Nov. 17 at 7 AM ET, LIVE on FloRugby.

The starting lineup features a few changes with Marcel Brache jumping in at fullback and Captain Blaine Scully shifting to wing. John Quill recovers from injury as well, slotting in at flanker while Hanco Germishuys moves to the bench.

Moreover, the named reserves will see Nick Boyer and Gannon Moore take the place of Devereaux Ferris and Tim Maupin, respectively. After competing with the Men’s Selects for the Americas Pacific Challenge 2018, Boyer has the opportunity to earn his first cap as a reserve.

With Sean Davies still adhering to HIA protocol following the Eagles’ opening match against the Maori All Blacks, Ruben de Haas will once again take his place at scrum half. Davies continues to be evaluated each week with the hope of being available for selection against Ireland next week.

Still on an unbeaten run in test matches with a 9-1 overall record this year, the Men’s Eagles made history again when flyhalf Will Hooley’s penalty kick sealed the USA men’s first ever victory over Samoa last Saturday.

The win pushed the Samoans back to No. 17 in the World Rugby Rankings with Romania taking their place at No. 16. USA currently sits at No. 15, just .05 points shy of breaking the 14th place position held by Georgia.

“There is no doubt the Samoans gave us a good fight in every minute of our test last week,” said Head Coach Gary Gold. “While we are happy to have achieved the result we did, we know there are many factors of our performance that must be tightened up against Romania this week. The Romanian crowd will be incredibly vocal for their home side and that in and of itself will present an added factor for us to overcome this Saturday.”

The Men’s Eagles and Romania last met in November of 2016 where the Romanians prevailed 10-23. Despite the loss, the United States men still sit on the better side of a 3-2 overall record with the chance to increase that number on Saturday.

Where the Eagles claimed a historic win over Samoa last weekend, the Romanians achieved victory as well in a 36-6 defeat of Portugal.

Ready as ever, the U.S. Men’s National Team will kickoff against Romania at 7 AM ET this Saturday, LIVE on FloRugby.

U.S. Men’s National Team Starting Roster 

U.S. Men’s National Team Reserves

U.S. Men’s National Team Staff

Head Coach | Gary Gold
Assistant Coach | Shawn Pittman
Assistant Coach | Greg McWilliams
Strength & Conditioning Coach | Huw Bevan
Performance Analyst | Jimmy Harrison
Head Athletic Trainer | Kevin Ng
Assistant Athletic Trainer | Kristen Douhan
Team Doctor | Richard Kim (Romania & Ireland)
Massage Therapist | Daliah Hurwitz (Samoa, Romania & Ireland)
Team Manager | Chris Hanson
Assistant Team Manager | Kevin McCorry

U.S. Men’s National Team Schedule

vs Maori All Blacks | 22-59 (L)

vs Samoa | 30-29 (W)

vs Romania
Sat, Nov. 17 | 7 AM ET
Ghencea Stadium, Bucharest, ROU

vs Ireland
Sat, Nov. 24 | 1:30 PM ET
Aviva Stadium, Dublin, IRE

*Times subject to change.

• USA Rugby hosting two home matches in Austin (2/23) and Seattle (3/2) – Canada home match also played in Seattle (3/8)
• United States look for the ARC “3-peat” having won the 2017, 2018 tournaments.
• Tickets to go on sale in near future, fans can register for USA Rugby Pre-Sale and reserve early access to ticket launch.

The United States Men’s National Team, winners of the last two Americas Rugby Championship tournaments, will kick off their consecutive title defense on February 2, 2019 as the ARC has released its 2019 schedule where this year’s competition will see six nations playing five games over six weeks.

The United States first home match will take place in Round Rock, TX outside of Austin on February 23 against Brazil at Dell Diamond, home to the Austin Elite of Major League Rugby. Week three then sees the United States host Uruguay in Seattle on March 2 at the Seattle Seawolves home pitch, Starfire Sports Complex. Ticket availability is to be confirmed, however fans can register for the USA Rugby exclusive pre-sale for early access to the best seats.

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Additionally, the United States will face Canada at Starfire Sports on March 8 as Rugby Canada will host it’s third home match just over the border in Seattle. In partnership with the Seattle Seawolves, Rugby Canada will shortly release ticket information.

“As the Americas Rugby Championship continues to grow year over year, we’re thrilled to host another two home matches in addition to our joint-venture with Rugby Canada.” Noted Men’s Eagles GM, Dave Hodges, “Brazil and Uruguay will bring a renewed spirit to the table and our home fans will be that much more vital to our success. It will be crucial for us to deliver in all five ARC test matches as we open our 2019 World Cup year.”

A bye week has been added after Week Two as part of the tournament’s commitment toward player welfare.
In a year that will culminate with a hopeful four ARC nations playing in the Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan, every game will be relevant as teams and players build toward competing on the sport’s largest stage.

Last defeated in this tournament in March 2016, the Men’s Eagles enter as the team to beat. However, ARC 2016 champion Argentina XV will welcome the USA to Río Negro in Round Two, aiming to respond to the U.S. victory in Los Angeles early last year. After drawing the first two times these teams met, the United States managed a narrow 17-10 win in the opening round of the 2018 tournament taking early control of the tournament; a lead they did not relinquish.

Canada, fourth in 2018, is currently preparing for the Rugby World Cup 2019 Repechage tournament in France this month. Looking to represent as a fourth team from the Americas qualified for the 2019 World Cup.

The six-team, fifteen-game tournament, played in nine different cities, will again be widely available for live viewing, with broadcast details to be announced at a later date.

Rugby Americas President Agustín Pichot said: “In announcing the schedule for the fourth edition of the Americas Rugby Championship, we are delighted with the sustained growth the tournament has experienced. The ARC was born out of the need to create a vehicle to inspire a younger generation of players and fans, while assisting in the development of the current players. Year over year, this has been widely achieved.”

Pichot continued: “2019 is a very big year for rugby. Having both regions of the Americas as early as February in international competition shows that we are ready to continue growing and developing. Furthermore, I’m very happy with the bye week being added to the schedule in the interest of player welfare.”

Rugby Americas CEO Dan Payne added: “The leading competition within the Americas region, the 2019 Americas Rugby Championship, will look to prepare players from what we hope will be four countries, pending the results of the Repechage Tournament in Europe, for next year’s Rugby World Cup. Simultaneously, the competition serves as a vehicle to grow and promote rugby across all six countries as they each keep an eye toward 2023.”

Payne further added: “2018 saw two successful Rugby Americas tournaments in the ARC and the Americas Rugby Challenge. There are exciting plans already underway that will continue to add content to the growing Rugby Americas (Rugby Americas North & Sudamérica Rugby) competition portfolio.”

Rugby Americas is also is unveiling a new logo for the 2019 Americas Rugby Championship. The chosen color palette for this strong logo represents the colors of each nation involved in the tournament. The metallic treatment and heavy typeface represent strength and staying power.

2019 Americas Rugby Championship Schedule

Week 1
February 2 Uruguay v Canada in Montevideo
February 2 Argentina XV v Brazil in Neuquén
February 2 Chile v USA in Santiago

Week 2
February 9 Argentina XV v USA in Río Negro
February 9 Brazil v Canada in Sao Paulo
February 9 Uruguay v Chile in Montevideo

Week 3 – Rest week

Week 4
February 22 Canada v Chile in Langford
February 23 Argentina XV v Uruguay in Buenos Aires
February 23 USA v Brazil in Austin

Week 5
March 1 Canada v Argentina XV in Langford
March 2 USA v Uruguay in Seattle
March 2 Brazil v Chile in Sao Paulo

Week 6
March 8 USA v Canada in Seattle (Canada Home Match)
March 9 Chile v Argentina XV in Santiago
March 9 Uruguay v Brazil in Montevideo

CHICAGO, IL. – The U.S. Men’s National Team has today named its match-day 23 to face the New Zealand Maori All Blacks as part of The Rugby Weekend this Saturday (Nov 3) at 6 PM CT, LIVE on FloRugby.

In total, 13 players will return from the Men’s Eagles upset over then No. 6 Scotland during the Summer Internationals 2018. Ten of them will take the field as starters with three ready to energize the team as reserves.

The full group will be graced by two new faces in Chance Wenglewski and Gannon Moore who will play with the Men’s National Team for the first time. Though the Maori match will not count for caps, Moore and Wenglewski have the opportunity to ingrain themselves within the Men’s Eagles setup ahead of Rugby World Cup Japan 2019.

Alongside Wenglewski and Moore are five players who will feature for the first time since the USA’s title-winning run at the Americas Rugby Championship 2018. Among them are Ryan Matyas, Psalm Wooching, Tony Lamborn, Dino Waldren and Anthony Purpura. Matyas, Wooching and Audsley recently competed in the Americas Pacific Challenge 2018 with the Men’s Selects.

Eagle Luke Hume jumps back into the fold with a starting position himself, having last played with the Men’s Eagles in June of 2016.

Captained by Nate Augspurger, the Eagles have a strong group selected for a rematch of The Rugby Weekend 2016 where the squad also faced the Maori All Blacks. Augspurger and three others selected for Saturday represented USA during that contest, including Nick Civetta, Tony Lamborn and reserve James Hilterbrand.

“We’re facing a huge challenge this weekend with a very polished Maori All Blacks side. The group of guys selected have all proven they can meet that challenge over the last week and a half of training,” said Head Coach Gary Gold. “We know that when Saturday comes, we’ll need to show an unmatched patience and consistency within our game plan to deliver the results we know we are capable of.”

The Men’s National Team will kickoff against the New Zealand Maori at 6 PM CT as part of The Rugby Weekend. The event will also feature the return of the Women’s National Team and a match between Ireland and Italy. All three will be streamed LIVE on FloRugby with tickets still available at therugbyweekend.com.

Following the Eagles’ opening match of the November Internationals 2018, the United States will travel to Europe for three test matches against Samoa (Nov. 10), Romania (Nov. 17) and Ireland (Nov. 24). The match against Romania will also be broadcast LIVE on FloRugby with broadcast information for the other two will be updated closer to date.

U.S. Men’s National Team Roster 

U.S. Men’s National Team Reserves

U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM STAFF

Head Coach | Gary Gold
Assistant Coach | Shawn Pittman
Assistant Coach | Greg McWilliams 
Strength & Conditioning Coach | Huw Bevan 
Performance Analyst | Jimmy Harrison 
Head Athletic Trainer | Kevin Ng
Assistant Athletic Trainer | Kristen Douhan
Team Doctor | Angelo Savino (Maori All Blacks) 
Team Doctor | Matthew Schmitz (Samoa)
Team Doctor | Richard Kim (Romania & Ireland)
Massage Therapist | Aimee Kern (Maori)
Massage Therapist | Daliah Hurwitz (Samoa, Romania & Ireland)
Team Manager | Chris Hanson
Assistant Team Manager | Kevin McCorry

U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM SCHEDULE

The Rugby Weekend
vs Maori All Blacks
Sat, Nov. 3 | 6 PM CT
Soldier Field, Chicago, IL

vs Samoa
Sat, Nov. 10 | 1:30 PM ET
Anoeta Stadium, San Sebastian, ESP

vs Romania
Sat, Nov. 17 | Time TBA
Ghencea Stadium, Bucharest, ROU

vs Ireland
Sat, Nov. 24 | 1:30 PM ET
Aviva Stadium, Dublin, IRE

*Times subject to change. 

LAFAYETTE, CO. – The U.S. Men’s National Team (15s) has been named for the upcoming November Internationals 2018. In all, players will have the opportunity to represent the U.S. across the span of four international fixtures against New Zealand’s Maori All Blacks, Samoa, Romania and Ireland.

Joining the team straight from competition in the developmental Americas Pacific Challenge (APC) 2018 are Men’s Eagles Hanco Germishuys, Ryan Matyas and Dylan Audsley. Both Germishuys and Audsley competed with the USA during their June Internationals while Matyas springs back into action for the first time since the Eagles won their second-consecutive Americas Rugby Championship title this March.

The APC 2018 has allowed all three players to return to their senior side battle-hardened and primed for more international play. Matyas and Audsley specifically contributed a combined 48 total points to the Selects across the duration of the tournament.

Newly capped Eagle Paul Mullen comes back into the fold after absorbing the best of professional competition abroad during his Major League Rugby offseason. After earning the first of his three caps during this year’s summer test window, Mullen gained valuable experience competing with the Newcastle Falcons of the Gallagher Rugby Premiership.

A burst of physicality will grace the Men’s Eagles’ this November as David Tameilau and Tony Lamborn return to the back row. Both last appeared at the Americas Rugby Championship 2018.

Five of the athletes in the named roster will miss the United States’ opening match against the Maori due to obligations with their professional clubs overseas. Paul Lasike, Titi Lamositele, Samu Manoa, Joe Taufete’e and Blaine Scully will all join the Men’s Eagles in Europe, available for selection against Samoa, Romania and Ireland.

“We are excited to test our roster depth against a New Zealand Maori team that has Super Rugby and All Blacks players,” said USA Rugby’s General Manager for Men’s 15s Programs, Dave Hodges. “This is an opportunity for us to give some of our emerging squad players a chance to help the team put in a strong performance as we dive deep into World Cup preparation. We’ll need to be unyielding in our play for the duration of the schedule, facing three formidable matches against Samoa, Romania and No. 2 ranked Ireland.”

The Fall schedule will bring an important preparation window for all players vying to compete in Rugby World Cup Japan 2019. Samoa and Ireland have both qualified for the World Cup while New Zealand’s Maori will use the match window to explore the depth of their senior All Blacks.

USA opens their schedule at home on Nov. 3 against the Maori All Blacks as part of The Rugby Weekend’s triple-header at Chicago’s Soldier Field. The event will also include the return of the Women’s National Team against the New Zealand Black Ferns, with Ireland and Italy competing against one another as well. Tickets are available at therugbyweekend.com with the match streamed LIVE on FloRugby.

Following the Maori, the Men’s National Team will travel to Europe for a string of test matches against Samoa on Nov. 10 in San Sebastian, Romania on Nov. 17 in Bucharest and Ireland on Nov. 24 in Dublin. Broadcast info will be updated closer to date.

U.S. Men’s National Team Roster 

Updated 11/10

Unavailable due to injury: AJ MacGinty 

*Additional players may be added. 

U.S. Men’s National Team Staff 

Head Coach | Gary Gold
Assistant Coach | Shawn Pittman
Assistant Coach | Greg McWilliams
Strength & Conditioning Coach | Huw Bevan
Performance Analyst | Jimmy Harrison
Head Athletic Trainer | Kevin Ng
Assistant Athletic Trainer | Kristen Douhan
Team Doctor | Angelo Savino (Maori All Blacks)
Team Doctor | Matthew Schmitz (Samoa)
Team Doctor | Richard Kim (Romania & Ireland)
Massage Therapist | Aimee Kern (Maori)
Massage Therapist | Daliah Hurwitz (Samoa, Romania & Ireland)
Team Manager | Chris Hanson
Assistant Team Manager | Kevin McCorry

U.S. Men’s National Team Schedule

The Rugby Weekend
vs Maori All Blacks
Sat, Nov. 3 | 6 PM CT
Soldier Field, Chicago, IL

vs Samoa
Sat, Nov. 10 | 12:30 PM ET
Anoeta Stadium, San Sebastian, ESP

vs Romania
Sat, Nov. 17 | Time TBA
Ghencea Stadium, Bucharest, ROU

vs Ireland
Sat, Nov. 24 | 1:30 PM ET
Aviva Stadium, Dublin, IRE

*Times subject to change. 

• Impact Beyond 2019 program on track to greatly accelerate growth of rugby in Asia
• 900,000 new rugby participants involved in ‘Asia 1 Million’ project with one year to go
• Tag rugby introduced to 1,982 schools in Rugby World Cup 2019 host cities
• Asia is home to 60% of world’s youth population

With one year to go, Japan 2019 is on track to be the most impactful Rugby World Cup to date having already attracted 900,000 new rugby participants as part of World Rugby’s ambitious ‘Asia 1 Million’ legacy project.

Japan 2019 marks the first time the world’s third-largest sports event will be hosted in Asia and every effort is being made to maximize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to grow the sport in the region.

The opportunity to reach and inspire millions of new rugby fans across the world’s most populous and youthful continent was a key motive behind World Rugby’s bold decision to bring the Rugby World Cup to Asia for the first time.

The outstanding progress towards the ‘Asia 1 Million’ target is testament to the huge opportunity that exists for rugby across Asia, and thanks to the close partnership of Asia Rugby and the Japan Rugby Football Union in delivering the programs.

The progress to date includes over 230,000 new rugby participants in Get Into Rugby programs across Japan with a further 200,000 schoolchildren in Rugby World Cup host cities introduced to tag rugby following its inclusion in the physical education curriculum of 1,982 schools in the Rugby World Cup host cities. Additionally, a total of 9,603 Tag Teachers were awarded licences after completing their training and are now skilled to lead tag rugby sessions.

In programs coordinated by Asia Rugby, Impact Beyond projects implemented by Asian unions other than Japan, have so far attracted 470,000 participants, demonstrating the great enthusiasm and opportunity for the growth of rugby across the continent that is being stimulated by the catalyst of Japan hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2019.

Launched in 2013, Impact Beyond is a major strategy in World Rugby’s mission to grow the game globally, providing the platform for women and men, girls and boys to be introduced to the game.

Creating a sustainable legacy is a central pillar in World Rugby’s major event planning and the Impact Beyond program is playing a leading role in rugby’s global growth story.

World Rugby Chair Bill Beaumont said: “Japan 2019 is shaping up to be World Rugby’s most successful legacy program to date and with one year still to go, is already setting a gold standard for engagement across the sporting spectrum.

“Creating a sustainable legacy is a central pillar in our major event planning and delivering a tangible, long-term impact beyond the six-week event is critical to the event’s success. Inspiring interest in rugby across Asia was one of the core reasons for bringing the Rugby World Cup to Japan and the Impact Beyond program is right at the heart of Rugby World Cup 2019.

“It is a truly exciting time for rugby in Asia with fan-engagement, broadcast audiences and player participation numbers growing year-on-year. Impact Beyond 2019 is a project that Asia and the global rugby community can be very proud of and one that will make a lasting difference to millions of lives across the continent for many years and many generations to come. Our gratitude and appreciation goes to the many thousands of volunteers who regularly give their time to support Impact Beyond programs on the ground, they are the unsung heroes of Rugby World Cup 2019.”

An important element of World Rugby’s legacy plan is a focus on bringing positive social change through the power of sport. Announced earlier this month, the transformative partnership with ChildFund Pass It Back, will positively impact the lives of over 20,000 disadvantaged children in Asia, thanks to the support of Rugby World Cup fans who share in the values of the game.

World Rugby CEO Brett Gosper commented on the launch of the partnership: “We awarded the Rugby World Cup to Japan because we knew that it could be a powerful game-changer for sporting and social change in Asia. As a transformational rugby for good program, ChildFund Pass It Back is the perfect embodiment of that objective and we are excited about the impact rugby can have on thousands of children within the world’s most populous and youthful continent.”

The highly successful recent Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour visits to India, China, Hong Kong and the Philippines ahead of the three-month domestic tour of Japan have further highlighted the huge potential for the growth of rugby in Asia. In India alone, the Webb Ellis Cup was greeted enthusiastically by over 18,000 young people across Delhi, Mumbai and Bhubaneswar.

Asia continued to embrace rugby in 2017 with a total of 721,800 girls and boys taking part in the Get Into Rugby program in 2017. Asia Rugby boasted the highest number of Get Into Rugby participants of all the regions, with an 18 percent increase on 2016.

Asia is at the center of rugby’s global growth success story and Rugby World Cup 2019 will be a fantastic celebration of the emergence of rugby across Asia. A recently published Nielsen report found there to be more rugby fans in Asia – 112 million – than any other continent, with China (33 million), India (25 million) and Japan (14 million) all ranking within the top ten nations globally.

World Rugby and Asia Rugby are also dedicated to growing the broadcast market in Asia and have been working together to develop a sustainable broadcast strategy, that will enable more people to access the game, free-to-air, across Asia than ever before.