USA Men’s Eagle Sevens head coach, Alexander Magleby, has declared the 12-man traveling squad that will take part in the second and third stops of the HSBC Sevens World Series in Dubai (November 30-December 1) and Port Elizabeth, South Africa (December 8-9).
Seven players remain from the squad that earned two Series points last month in the season opener in Gold Coast, Australia. Sevens stalwarts Matt Hawkins, Colin Hawley, Shalom Suniula, and Zack Test are the core group tasked with leading some electric young talent on the team.
Mike Te’o and Brett Thompson return after their debut tournaments and so does Carlin Isles. It took Isles only 36 seconds to score his first international try on his debut against New Zealand in Gold Coast and the former track star has quickly become a nightmare matchup for defenders.
In addition to the freshly capped Eagles, Magleby continues to build program depth by adding two new players to the Series.
Nate Augsburger, a Collegiate All-American Sevens player from the University of Minnesota played his way into consideration for the Eagles after several outstanding sevens seasons with the Youngbloodz.
The other fresh face for the USA on the Series is Jack Halalilo. Halalilo played for the USA during the Rugby World Cup Sevens qualifiers in Canada this summer and has continued to improve his industrious and committed play in camp over the last month.
Two experienced players, Folau Niua and Nick Edwards, return to the squad after missing out on Australia. Niua has recovered from a knee injury he sustained in Glasgow in May. His playmaking ability and outstanding kicking abilities are a welcome addition.
Nick Edwards also makes his way back to the Eagles squad, lending his experience and versatility to the team. According to Magleby, Edwards has been hard at work on his fitness and speed.
In Dubai the Eagles will take on Pool D opponents Australia, France, and Canada on day one, and then are matched up with either Fiji, Kenya, Scotland, or Spain from Pool A in the first round on day two. With the work the team has put in during camp, Magleby sees opportunities to demonstrate the team’s progress.
“We have been able to grind a couple little steps forward over the last month. We are at the beginning of a long process, but it seems a lot of work and time has passed since the Gold Coast tournament, so we are very much looking forward to competing again, getting back into the pressure of the circuit, and learning a bit more about ourselves in two challenging tournaments," Magleby said.
USA MEN’S EAGLE SEVENS
DUBAI AND PORT ELIZABETH SEVENS 2012
Nate Augspurger
Nick Edwards
Jack Halalilo
Matthew Hawkins
Colin Hawley
Carlin Isles
Folau Niua
Shalom Suniula
Mike Te’o
Zack Test
Brett Thompson
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