USA Eagles Sevens Head Coach Alex Magleby announced his squad today for this weekend’s Rugby World Cup (RWC) qualifier in Ottawa, Canada. The regional qualifier for the 2013 RWC will take place at Twin Elms Rugby Park in Ottawa on Aug. 25-26.

Two teams from the men’s tournament will qualify for the RWC Sevens held in Moscow, Russia, on June 28-30, 2013. One team from the women’s tournament will also qualify for the finals in Russia. The USA Women’s Sevens team has already qualified based on their performance at the 2009 RWC Sevens in Dubai.

Canada and the U.S. will be strong favorites in the men’s qualifying tournament, though they may be challenged by six-time Caribbean champion Guyana. Other men’s teams participating include Bermuda, Bahamas, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and St. Vincent and The Grenadines.

Head Coach Alex Magleby said preparations for the qualifier went well this summer. The U.S. took development teams to play in Canada and at the Serevi Sevens in Glendale. The Club Sevens and the National All-Star Championships also gave Magleby the opportunity to see more players and assemble a strong team.

“The squad has trained well this week. We have a few new faces in Carlin Isles and Jack Halalilo. Two other players are joining us from the Eagles 15’s squad (Taylor Mokate and Luke Hume), plus some of our more established stars from the HSBC Sevens circuit.”

Magleby said this year’s competition will be as tough as it has ever been.

“Now that rugby is an Olympic sport, teams will have prepared well, and every game will be tough,” he said. “We are looking forward to the competition. It will be another tough test for the team.”

World Cup Qualifier Eagles Roster

1 Hawley, Colin
2 Test, Zach
3 Palefau, Mike
4 Suniula, Shalom (Captain)
5 Enosa, Tai
6 Hume, Luke
7 Unufe, Maka
8 Halalilo, Jack
9 Mokate, Taylor
10 Tiberio, Pete
11 Mauer, Rocco
12 Isles, Carlin
 

Men’s Pool A Game Schedule (Games in Eastern Time)

Day 1

11:20 a.m. USA vs. Jamaica
2:10 p.m. USA vs. St. Vincent and The Grenadines
5:10 p.m. Jamaica vs. St. Vincent and The Grenadines

Day 2

The top two teams in Pool A (which includes USA, Jamaica, and St. Vincent and The Grenadines), will advance to the quarter final knock-out stage on Day 2. The bottom team in the pool will play a round robin tournament on Day 2 for minor places.