Tough challenge awaits USA Eagles
The hardest Pool at Rugby World Cup 2007 may appear to be the one containing France, Ireland and Argentina, but for USA Rugby CEO Nigel Melville that tag also applies to the USA Eagles’ own Pool A.
Defending champions England and 1995 winners South Africa are the automatic qualifiers in Pool A – the only one to feature two past finalists let alone winners – with Samoa and Repechage 2 winners Tonga completing the line up.
It will be the fifth Rugby World Cup for the USA Eagles, although they have won only two matches in those appearances, ironically both against Japan albeit separated by 16 years and 10 successive losses between the two victories.
“We have got South Africa, we have got England, we have got Tonga and we have got Samoa. There couldn’t be a tougher group to be honest and we are in there, probably seen by many as the whipping boys in that group,” Melville told Total Rugby Radio.
“We have got to just give our best performance. We have got to prepare as best we can, give the guys the best chance they have got of competing, but they are playing against professionals at every level and that is the biggest gap for us.
“We are playing against people who are hardened pros, who play week in week out at the intensity that will be at the World Cup. We don’t play at that level very often, so it is going to be a quick, hit the floor running and see how we get on.”
The Eagles kick off their campaign against defending champions England in Lens on 8 September before facing Tonga in Montpellier, Samoa in St Etienne and finally South Africa back in Montpellier on 30 September.
