United States National Rugby Union Team (sevens)
The United States national rugby union sevens team represents the United States in international rugby sevens competitions, including the IRB Sevens World Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens and World Games, and will represent the United States in the Summer Olympics in 2016. The Eagles also play in regional tournaments, such as the Pan American Games and the NAWIRA 7s.
The Eagles have seen tremendous improvement at the IRB Sevens World Series, a tournament with 9 events across the world, including the USA Sevens tournament held every February in Las Vegas. The Eagles have been a "core team" in the World Series and finished in the top 12 each season since 2008-09. The Eagles best season to date in the World Series was 2009-10 when they finished 10th, ahead of traditional powers France and Scotland, and reached the cup finals of the 2010 Adelaide Sevens, their first ever cup finals for a World Series tournament. The Eagles best result at the USA Sevens tournament was 2009, when they reached the semifinals.
Other successes include winning a bronze medal at the 2011 Pan American Games, and winning the 2008 NAWIRA RWC 7s Qualifier to clinch a spot in the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens.
The United States traditionally used the 7s team to prepare players for the XV-side. The national sevens team had also drawn a number of crossover athletes from other sports, such as football and track. Since January 2012, however, due to increased attention generated by rugby's return to the Olympics in 2016, the national sevens team has turned professional, with the team extending paid full-time contracts to its core players.
Read more about United States National Rugby Union Team (sevens): Players, IRB Sevens World Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens, Summer Olympics, Rugby Union At The World Games, Pan American Games, Other International Competitions, Honors, See Also
Famous quotes containing the words united, states, national, union and/or team:
“Steal away and stay away.
Don’t join too many gangs. Join few if any.
Join the United States and join the family
But not much in between unless a college.”
—Robert Frost (1874–1963)
“The line that I am urging as today’s conventional wisdom is not a denial of consciousness. It is often called, with more reason, a repudiation of mind. It is indeed a repudiation of mind as a second substance, over and above body. It can be described less harshly as an identification of mind with some of the faculties, states, and activities of the body. Mental states and events are a special subclass of the states and events of the human or animal body.”
—Willard Van Orman Quine (b. 1908)
“I came here for one thing only, to try to help national Ireland—and if there is no such thing in existence then the sooner I pay for my illusions the better.”
—Roger Casement (1864–1916)
“These semi-traitors [Union generals who were not hostile to slavery] must be watched.—Let us be careful who become army leaders in the reorganized army at the end of this Rebellion. The man who thinks that the perpetuity of slavery is essential to the existence of the Union, is unfit to be trusted. The deadliest enemy the Union has is slavery—in fact, its only enemy.”
—Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822–1893)
“Romeo. I dreamt a dream tonight.
Mercutio. And so did I.
Romeo. Well, what was yours?
Mercutio. That dreamers often lie.
Romeo. In bed asleep, while they do dream things true.
Mercutio. O then I see Queen Mab hath been with you.
She is the fairies’ midwife, and she comes
In shape no bigger than an agate stone
On the forefinger of an alderman,
Drawn with a team of little atomi
Over men’s noses as they lie asleep.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)