Posted on 10/10/2006 4:06:11 PM PDT by .cnI redruM
The U.S. didn’t take too much time to establish itself against Uruguay in the second part of their two-match series on Saturday at Stanford University’s Steuber Rugby Stadium. The Men’s National Team started racking up points just over two minutes into the match and finished with a total score of 33-7, securing the U.S. the last spot allocated to the Americas for the Rugby World Cup in 2007.
The 2007 Rugby World Cup is perceived as the third largest sporting event in the world. The International Rugby Board (IRB) has estimated that in 2007, it will bring in a 65 million dollar profit, and three billion television viewers. The USA has earned its way into Pool A with this win against Uruguay, and will be pitted against defending World Champions England, South Africa, Samoa and another qualifier yet undecided.
“I was very pleased with the end result,” USA Rugby’s Interim Head Coach Peter Thorburn said. “Our goal was to qualify for the Rugby World Cup, and that is what we did. Unfortunately, I wasn’t overly excited about the way we played. But, it is inevitable for individuals who know they have a big lead, not to get as motivated to play their hardest.”
The U.S. had a 29 point lead on Uruguay going into this match, after winning their first contest 42-13 in Montevideo a week before. This time, however, the U.S. knew what to expect when they met Uruguay on the pitch at Stanford, which had both its ups and downs for the Eagles.
The U.S. looked completely in control of the match early on, as Captain Mike Hercus (Cordiff, Wales) put the first points on the board after a penalty kick minutes into the game. Seven minutes later, Paul Emerick (Pella, Iowa) broke through Uruguay’s defense to run over 50 meters for the first try of the game. Hercus converted for the extra points to put the U.S. up 10-0, 10 minutes into the first half.
Uruguay replied shortly after to score its only points in the match off of a try by Juan Menchaca. Menchaca also converted and Uruguay was only trailing by three, at 10-7.
The U.S., however, was awarded another penalty kick just over 20 minutes into the game and those three points snowballed with another try by Emerick, which quickly put the Eagles up 18-7. Despite a dangerously-close lineout several minutes later in Uruguayan territory, the half ended with the same 11-point margin between the two teams.
A penalty kick from Hercus at around 60 minute mark, once again jump-started the Eagles in the second half. Uruguay was able to hold the Eagles scoreless for about 12 more minutes, but that was as much as they could muster. The Eagles found the try-line two more times in the last 10 minutes as center Vaha Esikia (San Mateo, Calif.) scored both in front of a home-town crowd. Hercus converted one of two second half tries to put the Eagles at 33 to finish the match.
“I have mixed emotions about this match,” Hercus said after the match. “I mean we qualified for the World Cup, so I am happy about that. But, I saw the match going differently. Ultimately, I thought we could have scored a lot more points on them. We just didn’t adjust to the referees calls like we should have. But that is something that will come with time.”
Fortunately, time is something which the Men’s National Team is finally afforded. The U.S. has until September 2007 to train for the Rugby World Cup in France. In the 2003 World Cup Qualifier Matches, the U.S. ended up going to repechage to earn its way to the World Cup. But this time around has succeeded in paving an easier path to the most anticipated rugby event in the world, with the two-match win against Uruguay. Uruguay, however, is slated for their repachage series in March.
For more information on USA Rugby, please log on to www.usarugby.org
USA RUGBY, founded in 1975, is the national governing body for rugby and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the International Rugby Board (IRB). The organization is responsible for the development of boys, girls, high school, collegiate and club athletic programs, and ultimately, the seven national teams representing the United States in international competition.
USA 33
Tries: Paul Emerick 2, Vaha Esikia 2
Penalites: Hercus 3
Conversions: Hercus 2
1. Mike French (Mike MacDonald @48); 2. Patrick Bell; 3. Chris Osentowski (Blake Burdette @ 38); 4. Alec Parker; 5. Hayden Mexted (Mike Mangan @ 71); 6. Mark Aylor (French @ 63); 7. Todd Clever; 8. Scott Lawrence (Ron Rosser @ 58); 9. Chad Erkine (David Williams @ 71); 10. Mike Hercus (C); 11. Albert Tuipolutu (Scott Jones @ 73); 12. Philip Eloff (Vaha Esikia @ 62); 13. Jeff Hullinger; 14. Paul Emerick; 15. Francois Viljoen.
Uruguay 7
Tries: Juan Menchaca
Conversions: Menchaca
1. Rodrigo Sánchez; 2. Diego Lemelas; 3. Guillermo Storace; 4. Juan Miguel Álvarez; 5. Juan Alzueta; 6. Hernán Ponte; 7. Nicolás Grille; 8. Rodrigo Capό (C); 9. Juan Campomar; 10. Sebastián Aguirre; 11. Juan Labat; 12. Diego Aguirre; 13. Joaquin Pastore; 14. Francisco De Posadas; 15. Juan Menchaca; 16. Oscar Durán; 17. Juan Andrés Pérez; 18. Carlos Protasi 19. Rafael Álvarez; 20. Ignacio Conti; 21. Matías Arocena; 22. Juan Llovet.
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