BOULDER, Colo. – Alexander Magleby has been named head coach of the USA Men’s Sevens team following the resignation of Al Caravelli. The incoming coach will lead the team through the last four stops of the 2011-2012 HSBC Sevens World Series.
An open application process for the head coach position will follow the conclusion of the Series in May.
Magleby will take the reins immediately to prepare the USA for the Hong Kong Sevens tournament that kicks off on Friday March 23.
Alexander Magleby. Photo credit usarugby.org.
Melville coached the Men’s Collegiate All-Americans on a New Zealand Tour in 2008 and had Magleby as his forwards coach. “Alex is very positive and clear about what he expects from his players on and off the field,” Melville said.
A seasoned leader, Magleby has been head coach of the Men’s Collegiate All-Americans – the elite university-level developmental program in the USA – since 2009. He led the All-Americans to a 2-1 record over the New Zealand Universities in a three-match series last year. Magleby also coached the first-ever Men’s Collegiate All-Americans Sevens team in 2011, a program designed to help prepare athletes for the senior men’s team and the Olympics.
A Dartmouth College alumnus, he has coached his alma mater and the Ivy League powerhouse since 2001. Dartmouth’s sevens team won the College Rugby Championship Invitational last summer, defeating Army in a thrilling final.
The incoming coach also has an impressive playing career. He was on the USA Men’s Sevens team from 2000-2005 and captained the Eagles in the 2005 Rugby World Cup Sevens. He also has four caps in fifteens.
With the perspective of a former international, the new coach’s priorities are clear and they begin with an approach to the game that transcends the ‘Xs and Os’ of a game plan.
“It starts with a responsibility to our rugby community – we will play rugby that will make our countrymen proud. Full stop. We’ll focus on our country’s doctrines of hard work, creativity, entrepreneurialism, grit, energy, and a will to succeed no matter the odds,” Magleby said.
Magleby will take over a USA team that has struggled so far this season, going 7-19, tallying a 26% winning percentage and sliding to 13th on the World Series circuit. The new coach will look to making the rest of the season count.
“We’ll train to adapt with conditions, good and bad, and continue to grow with each experience. We will be fervently committed to improving and growing as a group,” Magleby said.
As coach of the All-Americans, Magleby has worked with and played a role in selecting and developing several current Eagles including Blaine Scully, Colin Hawley, Peter Tiberio, Rocco Mauer, and Zack Test.
On the talent he has on the USA team, Magleby was clear about where the team stands.
“In some areas we’ll hit the reset button, but for the most part it’s a team with a lot of promise. The platform is there to build something quite special,” Magleby said. “I’m looking forward to being a part of it. It’s an awesome responsibility we carry forward.”
- USA Rugby
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRXlmpfKvRo]
Our intrepid Kyle Jones hit the road again this weekend to cover the third and final rugby game between the U.S. College All Stars and the New Zealand Universities squads.
The U.S. were leading the series 2-0 and looking for the sweep. But the Kiwis were having none of that. (For full match report, see posts below.) They took the game 23-20, and head home feeling a lot better about their team. After the video of the haka, Kyle interviewed three of the players for their post-match reactions.
Gareth Jones offload; Collegiate Photos
By Jarrod Beckstrom, USA Rugby
STANFORD, Calif. – The USA Men’s Collegiate All-Americans fell three points shy (20-23) of a three-game sweep of the New Zealand Universities on Saturday at Steuber Rugby Stadium on the campus of Stanford University.
The All-Americans defeated the touring team 60-17 in the opening match of the tour last Saturday and 21-11 in the second on Wednesday. However in the final encounter, New Zealand played a very physical and opportunistic brand of rugby to win.
Big Dartmouth lock, Nate Brakeley, opened the scoring with a try in the opening five minutes and the Americans were off with a bang. They extended their lead through a JP Eloff penalty.
New Zealand answered back with a score and so it would go for the rest of the game, an American score and a response from the New Zealanders by try or by penalty.
Kyle Grossheider (Life University) scored next for the All-Americans, but the New Zealand Universities outside center scooted over for a try to answer back and the scores were 15-14, the hosts with a slight lead.
The second in the three-game series was much closer. This time the Collegiate All-Americans won 21-11 against New Zealand Universities, but were trailing at half time. Had it not been for a couple of key New Zealand mistakes, the game could have gone the other way.
The 60-17 thrashing the Kiwis suffered in the first game was obviously bothering them. There was a bit of post-haka pushing and shoving going on, as the Kiwis really got in the faces of the All-Americans.
Still, the game started slowly, with an exchange of goals – JP Eloff scored a drop goal for the U.S. – and a 6-3 New Zealand lead at the half. Despite the score, the Americans had most of the ball control and much of the half was spent on the Kiwi side of the field.
The All-Americans started the second half strong, and kept it that way for the rest of the game.
An intercepted pass gave the All-Americans their first lead – just as the Kiwis were trying to mount an attack. It was Peter Tiberio who burst through the line, helped himself to the Kiwi pass and was gone for five points. The conversion was no good.
Chris Saint, Penn State
Chris Saint, of Penn State, scored a second try later in the half and that would do it, though NZU scored a try with a few minutes left. While the result was never really in question, this was a much tighter game. It sets things up perfectly for a classic third and final confrontation in San Francisco this weekend.
If there’s live coverage of the game again, we’ll let you know ahead of time. We hope those of you who watched the Santa Barbara game through UStream enjoyed it as much as we did. Ain’t technology grand?
- Adrian Pratt, U.S. Embassy Wellington
UPDATE: The Collegiate All-American team won the match 21-11. Job well done!
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – After defeating the New Zealand Universities 60-17 in the first of a three-match series last Saturday, the Men’s Collegiate All-Americans are set for the second encounter. The game kicks off at Harder Stadium on the campus of the University of California – Santa Barbara at 6:30 p.m. PT, July 13 (TODAY 1:30pm New Zealand time). The game will be webcast live below through the USA Rugby’s UStream channel.
[ustream cid=878992 w=480 h=296]
Watch it all LIVE on USTREAM
Watch it all LIVE on USTREAM
All-Americans Head Coach, Alexander Magleby has made numerous changes to the forward pack, replacing entirely the front and second rows from the first game. Derek Asbun (University of California – Berkeley) moves from the flank to eight man and Garrett Lambert (Life University) will start at openside flanker. Lambert’s Life teammate and USA international, Cam Dolan, will look to make an impact on the blindside.
The backline has fewer changes with Peter Tiberio (University of Arizona), following a three-try performance in the series opener, sliding to fullback in place of Blaine Scully (University of California – Berkeley). Life University’s Kyle Grossheider will start on the wing.
Magleby was pleased with the team’s performance on Saturday, but knows that the All-Americans can’t afford to sit on their laurels in the second match.
Continue reading »
Photo Credit: Dallen Stanford
By Kyle Jones, Embassy Wellington
The All American Collegiate team opened their three-match series against New Zealand Universities with a 60-17 win on Saturday.
The first game, in sunny San Diego, was a contest of physicality and thrilling athleticism.
The game started with what looked to be an overpowering offense by New Zealand, getting within inches of a try in their opening drive. Instead, they turned the ball over at the crucial moment.
The All Americans quickly scored. Thriving on compounded mistakes of dropped passes and miscommunication by New Zealand, the All Americans seemed to run away with it at the half. The big question would be whether or not they could maintain their large lead as the game began to become more physical after the half. New Zealand were clearly frustrated, culminating in a yellow card. New Zealand would continue to show flashes of brilliance late in the half, with a few scores of their own - but it was too little too late for this match. New Zealand was caught slightly off guard by the conditions and the sheer quality of their opponent. Both teams look to improve on their games for the upcoming match on Wednesday in Santa Barbara.
Photo Credit: Dallen Stanford
Cohesiveness and team work seemed to be a huge issue for New Zealand while the All Americans fired on all cylinders. Their offloads seemed to find the right hands on every pass and the team communicated flawlessly through out the match. Keep in mind both teams have had only one weeks time together before this match. New Zealand’s roster consists of a U-21 squad from various universities within New Zealand, none of which have played together as a whole until last weekend. The All American squad being a bit older yet fielding players from universities all across the United States that in most cases playing against each other not with each other. Both teams are looking to build on team work and just getting to know one another in preparation for their next match on wednesday . Click here, for Blaine Scully’s thoughts on how the training camp with the Navy SEALS helped bring his team together as a unit.
Photo Credit: Kyle Jones
There were quite a few people in attendance for this match, showing support for each side. One of those being Todd Clever, USA Eagles captain, and he had this to say about the result: “It was a great showing for the All Americans today. They defended with a lot of passion and pride. They put together some great phases of rugby and scored some fantastic tries. I am very proud of the guys and hope they continue to improve for the next two games”
We also caught up with players from both sides for some post-game interviews and analysis. Look for those here soon.
BOULDER, Colo. – USA Rugby has announced the 2011 Men’s Collegiate All-Americans Touring Squad. The team consists of the top men’s collegiate rugby players in the country and will face the New Zealand Universities team. The 30-man squad has players from the roughly 22,000 men’s collegiate rugby players in the country.
The matches against the New Zealand Universities are to be held in San Diego (July 9), Santa Barbara (July 13) and Stanford (July 16).
“The players we selected for the Touring Squad are athletic and experienced. There are some exciting players who earned their spot in this squad through their outstanding play this season and will get to experience in an Olympic training environment, take on the challenge of representing their country against a formidable international opponent, and have the opportunity to put their hand up for future selection into the senior national teams,” said All-Americans head coach, Alex Magleby.
The coach also noted that many of the players at this camp will be Olympic hopefuls for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
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USA Rugby has announced that a New Zealand Universities rugby team will tour California during the northern hemisphere summer.
They will play a team of Collegiate Americans.
There is a long history between U.S. collegiate rugby and New Zealand. In 1910, more than a hundred years ago, a team of U.S. collegians toured Australia and New Zealand and actually beat the Auckland R.U.
1910 USA Collegiate team in New Zealand - Photo courtesy of USA Rugby
“We are excited to be hosting a strong New Zealand Universities side that will present a tough challenge and opportunity for the All-Americans in this World Cup year,” said All-American Program Director, Matt Sherman.
“We are also looking forward to showcase the All-American team in three different American cities with strong rugby foundations.”
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