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Men's Falcons name roster for Sudamerica Rugby Sevens 2019

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Jan 4 Joe Schroeder replaced Chris Frazier due to injury. Updates reflected in table below. 

CHULA VISTA, CA. – 14 USA Men’s Falcons have been named for the annual Sudamérica Rugby Sevens 2019 taking place in South America this January. The full tournament will consist of two legs beginning with Punta Del Este in Uruguay Jan. 5-6 and followed by Viña del Mar in Chile Jan. 12-13. Punta Del Este will be featured LIVE on scrum.com.ar with a broadcast partner for Viña del Mar confirmed closer to date. 

Along with the USA, the full tournament will consist of teams from 12 nations including Argentina, Canada, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Ireland, Paraguay and Uruguay. In traditional sevens form, pool matches will be played on Day One with knockout rounds on Day Two of each leg.

At the conclusion of the tournament, the top 2 placed South American teams will be invited to the Hong Kong stop of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2019 with the winner also qualified for the Las Vegas stop. With Argentina already a core team on the Series circuit, the invitation would fall to the next two highest-placed South American teams should they win.

The Falcons roster consists of three players who have been capped in the aforementioned senior World Series including Cody Melphy, Faitala Talapusi and Naima Fuala’au. Fuala’au competed in last year’s Sudamérica Sevens along with returning Falcon Ben Broselle.

2018 Youth Olympian Sione “Johnny” Mahe will be joining the group as well, along with 2018 D1A National Champions from Life University Harley Wheeler, Maciu Koroi and Austin White.

As an Olympic qualifying year is well-underway — and with the United States now ranked first in the World Series standings — the Men’s Sevens program is keen to use this Falcons tour to build depth for the remainder of the season.

The opportunity to advance from the competition is well-displayed by current national team player Nick Boyer who competed at Sudamérica Sevens last year and then went on to make his national team debut at HSBC Hamilton Sevens 2018. Boyer is not on the roster for this year’s Sudamérica Sevens having returned to San Diego Legion. 

“The Sudamerica 7s affords a great opportunity for this playing group to stake a claim towards Eagles selection. The team’s average age of 21.9 is an indication of the continued quality of the domestic competition and the strides made of our age-grade pathway,” said Head Coach JD Stephenson. “From the squad selected, over half have came through the Collegiate All-American 7s program, a testament to Coach Steve Lewis’s work over the past two years.

“Furthermore 86% of the squad has came through the All American program in one facet or another, showing not only successful identification, but proven development within their daily training environments. I’m honored to be able to coach this exciting and talented group of players and work with a great management team along the way”.

Updates for both legs of Sudamérica Rugby Sevens will be available on @USARugby on Twitter. Information on how to follow each match will be provided by host organizers closer to date.

Men’s Falcons Roster

Player Name Position Program
Ben Broselle Wing Men’s Sevens Residency / UCLA
Travion Clark Wing Glendale Merlins
Naima Fuala’au Scrum Half Men’s Sevens Residency
Maciu Koroi Prop Life University
Johnny Mahe Fly Half Men’s Sevens Academy
Cody Melphy Center Men’s Sevens Residency
Eric Naposki-Abdalah Center UCLA
D’montae Noble Fly Half Kutztown University
Thomas Robles Prop Unattached
Joe Schroeder Prop Men’s Sevens Residency
Faitala Talapusi Fly Half Men’s Sevens Residency
Marcus Tupuola Center Men’s Sevens Residency
Harley Wheeler Hooker Life University
Austin White Center Life University

Men’s Falcons Staff

Head Coach | JD Stephenson
Assistant Coach | Brendan Keane
Strength & Conditioning Coach/Performance Analyst | Justin Goonan
Physiotherapist | Alex Burke

Sudamerica Rugby Sevens 2019 Schedule

Punta Del Este | Jan 5-6 | Uruguay 
POOL A | WATCH LIVE on scrum.com.ar
vs Paraguay | 2:47 PM ET 
vs Germany | 4:59 PM ET 
vs Chile | 7:33 PM ET 

Viña del Mar | Jan 12-13 | Chile 
*Schedule will be updated closer to date via @USARugby on Twitter. 

 

About the USA Falcons Program

USA Falcons are the developmental teams for the senior men’s and women’s sevens programs who compete in domestic and international tournaments outside the main HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. The teams serve as a support to the senior Women’s and Men’s Eagles Sevens by building depth in the player pools for both programs and exposing new waves of athletes to international competition. Falcons competitions also provide more playing time for current national team players; streamlining the transition of new players to the senior programs with interaction between various experience levels. The USA Falcons are equivalent in competition level to the USA Selects in 15s.

Men's Falcons finish fourth at AF International Sevens in Manchester

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MANCHESTER, U.K. – The USA Men’s Falcons have finished the AF International Sevens preseason tournament in fourth-place. After a tough two days of competition against five international sides who came fully-loaded with experienced players, the United States fought through injury to come away with two wins out of six fiercely contested matches. 

“We finish fourth but good experiences for a number of the boys who certainly stepped up over the weekend to this big challenge, compounded by the injuries and withdrawals we suffered prior to arriving,” said Head Coach Mike Friday. 

Though the losses were tough to swallow, the team now leaves with an understanding of how they measure up to senior international sides and what areas to focus on heading into Dubai Sevens this December. The hard-learned lessons have allowed the program to identify needed improvements ahead of the season; a strategy to avoid risking the outcome of regular Olympic qualifying competition at the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. 

Along with the United States, the tournament featured teams from England, Ireland, France, Germany and Spain, all competing in round-robin competition over the weekend.

The Falcons opened the tournament just one conversion shy of a win over Spain (19-17), before a tough battle with a very experienced English side forced them to drop their second match (38-12). A victory over Germany (19-17) closed out the first day, as Coach Friday and the Falcons reflected on how to avoid errors in possession and create opportunities to build pressure. 

Day Two featured another difficult loss to Ireland (27-12), followed by a bold defeat of France (27-19). The five matches put the United States at fourth in points differential, with one more against the French to close out the tournament. 

The Falcons went into their final game with only 10 players, losing another two in the battle due to injury as France cruised to a bold victory of their own (36-0), sealing the United States’ position in fourth-place. 

As is the case with any developmental tournament, the Men’s Falcons used the AF International Sevens to expose new players to the rigors of international competition. Knowing the upcoming HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series will bring sharp, battle-ready teams all vying for Olympic qualification, the preseason tournament was critical to give athletes a taste of what they can expect this year. 

The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series kicks off on Nov. 30 at the 2018 Dubai Sevens tournament. Pools and schedules will be announced closer to date.

Men’s Falcons Roster

Athletes were selected from last week’s Men’s Sevens high performance training camp.

1. Pat Blair*
2. Chris Frazier
3. Vili Helu
4. Madison Hughes*
5. Naima Fualaau*
6. Cody Melphy*
7. Kevon Williams*
8. Chris Mattina*
9. Maceo Brown
10. Ryan James
11. Marcus Tupuola
12. Eric Sykes

*Senior Men’s Sevens player

Men’s Falcons Staff

Head Coach | Mike Friday
Assistant Coach | Phil Greening
Strength & Conditioning | Matt Long
Athletic Trainer | Alex Burke

Men’s Falcons Results 

vs Spain | 19-17 (L)

vs England | 38-12 (L)

vs Germany | 19-17 (W)

vs Ireland | 27-12 (L)

vs France | 27-19 (W)

vs France | 36-0 (L)

Four Men's Falcons forced to miss AF International Sevens

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MANCHESTER, U.K. – Following a final medical evaluation, four Men’s Falcons will be forced to miss the AF International Sevens taking place this weekend in Manchester.

Matai Leuta, Stephen Tomasin and Travion Clark will stay behind to continue rehabilitation for minor injuries sustained in training Saturday. Though team personnel had anticipated all three to be at full strength, precautionary measures were taken to ensure injuries did not worsen and players would be fit ahead of the new season.

Leuta, Tomasin and Clark are expected to be fully training within 10-14 days.

In addition to injuries, Garrett Bender will also miss the AF International Sevens due to personal reasons.

With four athletes out, Head Coach Mike Friday and the Men’s Falcons travel to Manchester with a team of 12. The round-robin competition runs from Oct 6-7 with the Falcons beginning Day One at 5:40 AM ET against Spain.

Score updates will be provided by following @USARugby on Twitter.

Men’s Falcons Roster

Athletes were selected from last week’s Men’s Sevens high performance training camp.

1. Pat Blair*
2. Chris Frazier
3. Vili Helu
4. Madison Hughes*
5. Naima Fualaau*
6. Cody Melphy*
7. Kevon Williams*
8. Chris Mattina*
9. Maceo Brown
10. Ryan James
11. Marcus Tupuola
12. Eric Sykes

*Senior Men’s Sevens player

Men’s Falcons Staff

Head Coach | Mike Friday
Assistant Coach | Phil Greening
Strength & Conditioning | Matt Long
Athletic Trainer | Alex Burke

 

Men’s Falcons Schedule

vs Spain
Sat, Oct 6 – 5:40 AM ET

vs England
Sat, Oct 6 – 8 AM ET

vs Germany
Sat, Oct 6 — 11:40 AM ET

vs Ireland
Sun, Oct. 7 – 5:20 AM ET

vs France
Sun, Oct 7 – 8 AM ET

Final rounds begin with 5th place vs 6pth place on Sun, Oct. 7 at 11 AM ET.

Men's Falcons bring club and college standouts to AF International Sevens in Manchester

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UPDATE 10/1 Matai Leuta, Stephen Tomasin and Travion Clark did not travel due to injury. Garrett Bender also stayed behind for personal reasons. More info here. 

MANCHESTER, U.K. – With a new season quickly approaching, the USA Men’s Falcons will compete in the AF International Sevens preseason competition in Manchester next week Oct 6-7.

Taking place at the Athlete Factory’s premium training facilities in the U.K., Head Coach Mike Friday and a collection of standout performers from recent club and college competitions will test their strengths against England, France, Ireland, Spain and Germany.

The round-robin competition will allow a number of young, long sought-after players to be exposed to international competition, as the men’s program focuses heavily on identifying and developing athletes for the upcoming HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2019, Tokyo 2020 Olympics and World Cup 2022 events.

A total of 16 athletes have been selected to compete in the AF International Sevens. Nine are senior Men’s Sevens players while seven are some of the nation’s most impressive club and college competitors scouted over the past year.

All athletes selected participated in last week’s high performance training camp.

One of which is Men’s Collegiate All-American Marcus Tupuola who showed a strong performance at both Club 7s National Championships and RugbyTown Sevens where he won Bronze. Tupuola’s All-American teammate Harley Wheeler – who was also in camp — would have equally been an easy selection but remains out due to collegiate commitments; along with fellow All-American D’ Montae Noble of Kutztown. All three have been closely scouted. 

St. Mary’s captain and 2014 Youth Olympian Vili Helu joins the Falcons for a second consecutive time after impressing Men’s Sevens staff at the pre-Rugby World Cup Sevens camp and RugbyTown. Helu’s selection serves as a first-hand representation of how developmental and Youth Olympic competitions are invaluable steps along the player pathway.

Additionally, 19-year old Ryan James who has been on the high performance radar since the age of 17 makes his own appearance in Manchester. 

Travion Clark and Eric Sykes — Men’s DII National Champions (15s) with the Denver Barbarians – both travel to Manchester after earning camp selections from impressive showings at Club Nationals and RugbyTown. 

The bulk of the core Men’s Sevens team will remain in Chula Vista to continue preparation for an Olympic qualifying year, as Ben Broselle, Faitala Talapusi, Anthony Welmers, Joe Schroeder and Malon Al-Jaboori all work to return to full strength from injury.

As a whole, Falcons level competitions have served as a significant platform to cultivate and verify talent. Similar to RugbyTown Sevens last month, the Manchester bound group features a wide range of experience and offers developing youth the opportunity to learn and play alongside members of the senior national team.

Head Coach Mike Friday said: “Our network of scouts have allowed us to closely watch the RugbyTown Sevens, Club Sevens National Championship and Collegiate Rugby Championship tournaments over the past several months. This, accompanied by the detailed footage we collected, has let us recognize a number of talented players while we continue rigorous work to develop our Youth Olympic athletes and prepare for an Olympic qualification year at the same time.

“JD Stephenson has led and driven this strand of the USA Rugby pathway passionately and meticulously to give the team the best possible opportunity to succeed and enjoy the experience whilst preparing them for the next part of their development as rugby players and men.”

The 16 Men’s Falcons will begin their tournament run against Spain at 5:40 AM ET on Saturday, Oct. 6. The Athlete Factory International Sevens competition will run until Oct 7 with updates available across USA Rugby’s social media channels.

Men’s Falcons Roster

Athletes were selected from last week’s Men’s Sevens high performance training camp.

1. Garrett Bender*
2. Pat Blair*
3. Chris Frazier
4. Vili Helu
5. Madison Hughes*
6. Steve Tomasin*
7. Naima Fualaau*
8. Cody Melphy*
9. Kevon Williams*
10. Chris Mattina*
11. Maceo Brown
12. Matai Leuta*
13. Ryan James
14. Marcus Tupuola
15. Eric Sykes
16. Travion Clark

 

Men’s Falcons Staff

Head Coach | Mike Friday
Assistant Coach | Phil Greening
Strength & Conditioning | Matt Long
Athletic Trainer | Alex Burke

Men’s Falcons Schedule

vs Spain
Sat, Oct 6 – 5:40 AM ET

vs England
Sat, Oct 6 – 8 AM ET

vs Germany
Sat, Oct 6 — 11:40 AM ET

vs Ireland
Sun, Oct. 7 – 5:20 AM ET

vs France
Sun, Oct 7 – 8 AM ET

Final rounds begin with 5th place vs 6pth place on Sun, Oct. 7 at 11 AM ET.

Men's Falcons and MCAA 7s wrap up 2018 RugbyTown 7s

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Regardless of result, both the Men’s Falcons and Men’s Collegiate All-American Sevens squads can consider the 2018 RugbyTown Sevens a victory. Each player’s development path just took another step forward after competing against the likes of Sevens Series, World Cup and Olympic caliber talent all weekend. When it’s all said and done, the Falcons finished runner up in the Bowl bracket while the collegiate all-stars won the bronze medal.

The Falcons played just one match on day three in a 31-7 loss to the Dark n’ Stormy Misfits. Ben Broselle would score the lone try in a match where the Misfits proved to be a hard team to tackle. Size was of course in favor of the Misfits given the younger Falcons squad. Broselle finished with a team high six tries in the tournament.

It’s been justifiably repeated throughout the weekend, but with five members of this team heading to the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires this October (Tyren Al-Jiboori, Alex Cleary, Lauina Falatea, Johnny Mahe and Inoke Waqavesi), pairing up with the elite competition in Glendale is priceless.

The Men’s Collegiate All-American Sevens were a firework show on display all weekend but ran into the buzz saw that is eventual tournament champion, British Army. Having consistently scored over 30 points all tournament, British Army was able to hold the young team to only 5 points in a 17-5 victory.

The Ramblin’ Jesters fell to Tiger Rugby in the other Cup Semifinal, leaving them to face the All-Americans in a battle for third place. Jihad Khabir wasted zero time getting his team on the board first with a try 30 seconds in. The Jesters answered with two more tries, but a yellow card would give the US squad a man advantage going into halftime. Head Coach Steve Lewis urged his team to utilize the space available and find a breakaway, Deion Mikesell did just that as he outpaced the defense up the middle. 

With the game tied, Christian Rodriguez reeled in a lineout overthrow and heave a line to line rainbow pass out wide to Marcus Tupuola for the score. Add on another try from 13th man Justin Johnson and the match was over, 24-14.

In an interview with Glendale Mayor Mike Dunafon, Nick Feakes attested his team’s success to preparation and the bench, “Our coaches prepared us well all week, I’m so stoked with the boys for putting in a fabulous effort,” said Feakes, “There is incredible talent on this team, everybody, 1-13.”

Another quality tournament in the books at Infinity Park in Glendale, with interest continuing to rise. After the final, Dunafon alluded to increased viewership around the tournament and over 60 countries tuning in. Rugby 7s Magazine was on site with the Collegiate All-Americans throughout the week, capturing footage for an upcoming documentary set to be released this Fall.

Exciting times continue as we once again catch a glimpse of rising sevens talent on the United States front.