The United States of America Sevens side will defend their Olympic rugby crown next year after defeating Canada 21 / 5 on Sunday to seal their tickets to Rio de Janeiro, where the sport is returning after a 92-year absence.
The 2 countries were playing in the final of the 2-day North America Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) qualifying tournament in Cary, North Carolina and it was the Eagles who showed their class in a game they were never troubled in.
First-half tries from former American football player Perry Baker, Danny Barrett and Maka Unufe were enough for the USA, who recently won the prestigious London leg of the international sevens circuit.
The USA, who won the gold medal at the 1924 Olympics in Paris when 15-a-side rugby was included in the games, effectively wrapped up victory in the opening minutes at WakeMed Park in sweltering conditions.
The Eagles struggled in the set pieces to start the match, including a 2nd-minute lineout following a penalty to Canada in the USA’s half. Canada, too, fell prey to unforced errors with a forward pass on the stolen possession.
Baker, who crossed over to rugby after 2 years of playing indoor American football with the Pittsburgh Power, opened the scoring early on, stretching his legs to outstrip the Canadian defence and dot down under the posts. Captain Madison Hughes added the conversion for a 7 / 0 lead.
Moments later Baker turned creator, this time bursting clear from deep inside his own half and feeding Barrett, who sprinted home for another converted score.
USA head coach Mike Friday then decided to throw in Carlin Isles and the speedster proved a handful for Canada, which decided to use 3 defenders to tackle the speedster on his 1st touch of the ball. Hughes’ through-the-legs toss from the breakdown went just wide of Barrett at midfield, but the forward calmly collected the ball before passing it to the opposite side of the pitch. Folau Niua dummied a pass with Unufe on the wing to gain Canada’s half and, eventually, the 22, before offloading to his teammate for a 21 / 0 lead.
With just seconds remaining in the 1st half, Garrett Bender did well to take his opposite number into touch at the attacker’s 10, which caused a poor pass from the Canadian. The Eagles pounced on the ball, but Niua was shown a Yellow Card in the breakdown.
Canada rallied early in the 2nd half when Harry Jones crossed in the corner to make it 21 / 5 but the Americans were not to be denied their automatic place in Rio.
Friday thanked his players for believing in him and his style of game.
“Huge credit to the boys in terms of believing in me to believe in them to believe in me to get here, and they got themselves here,” the head coach said after the Final. “They’ve grown as rugby players over the last 10 months. It wasn’t easy for them, but I’m immensely proud of them right now.”
“They’re now men. They’re now men rugby players and men off the pitch. They hold themselves higher off the pitch, the know how to play the game, and they still have so much to give; there’s still 20 or 30 % in them.
“I’m so excited about what lies ahead on this journey.”
Canada will now attempt to reach the Olympics via a repechage competition.
The US men will be joined by their women’s team, who booked their place in Rio earlier in the day with an 88 / 0 final hammering of Mexico.
rugby365