IRB Sevens World Series
The IRB Sevens World Series, which is played every year from October through May, is the principal event in which the US national sevens team plays. The US has competed in the IRB series every year since the event's inaugural 1999-2000 season. The US team had some initial success during the early years of the tournament led by the try-scoring Jovesa Naivalu. However, the US team struggled in the 5 seasons from 2002-03 through 2006-07.
The 2007-08 season was a turning point for the US team, qualifying for 6 of the 8 series tournaments, and notching a notable win against Samoa en route to placing sixth at the 2007 South Africa Sevens. The team was led by Chris Wyles who scored 26 tries on the season, and was the top try scorer at the 2008 USA Sevens with 8 tries. The IRB recognized the Eagles success by promoting the US to "core" team status for the 2008-09 season, meaning that the US automatically played in all 8 tournaments without having to go through qualifying rounds.
The 2008-09 season was the breakout season for the US, finishing 11th on the season. The high point of the team's season was the home tournament, the 2009 USA Sevens. Nese Malifa's 30 points in that tournament helped the US notch wins against Australia and Kenya to reach the semi-finals, their best result ever on home soil.
The 2009-10 season saw continued improvement, with the team finishing the season in 10th place. Led by Matt Hawkins and Nese Malifa, the team finished 9th to win the Bowl in the 2010 USA Sevens. The US then advanced to their first ever Cup final at the 2009 Adelaide Sevens, scoring upset wins against England, Wales and Argentina.
The team took a step back during the 2010-11 season with a 12th place finish. A number of key players were unavailable for most or all of the season, including the previous season's leading try scorer Nick Edwards and leading point scorer Nese Malifa. Additionally, a number of competing teams had moved to professional status, leaving the mostly amateur US team struggling to keep pace.
The 2011-12 season saw significant changes for the US. The team turned professional in January 2012, with contracts for up to 15 players. The change to professional status did not bring immediate improvement. Head coach Al Caravelli resigned, and Alex Magleby was selected as the new head coach. The US finished the 2011-12 season in 11th, a slight improvement over the previous season, even though the team did not reach the quarterfinals of any of the 9 tournaments. Bright spots for the season included the emerging leadership of Shalom Suniula (captain), Zack Test (team leading 21 tries) and Colin Hawley.
The 2012-13 IRB Series saw a slightly different format, with 15 core teams instead of 12, but with the possibility of relegation for the teams that finished in the bottom three. The U.S. got off to a slow start, ranked last among the 15 core teams after the first two legs. The U.S. saw improvement, however, reaching the quarterfinals in five of the last seven tournaments, and finishing in the top 6 during the last three tournaments. The U.S. finished fifth to win the Plate final at the 2013 Japan Sevens, the first time the U.S. had won a plate since 2001, and followed that feat by again finishing fifth to win the Plate final at the 2013 Scotland Sevens, with Nick Edwards the leading try-scorer in the tournament with 8 tries. The U.S. finished the season in 11th place, and had two players among the seasons top try-scorers: Nick Edwards (20) and Zack Test (18).
| IRB Season | Final Rank | Total Points | # Events | Cups | Plates | Bowls | Shields | Leading Try Scorer | Leading Points Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-00 | 18th | 0pts | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2000-01 | 10th | 16pts | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2001-02 | 11th | 12pts | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2002-03 | 19th | 1pt | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2003-04 | 15th | 0pts | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2004-05 | 14th | 0pts | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2005-06 | 15th | 0pts | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2006-07 | 15th | 2pts | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2007-08 | 13th | 6pts | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Chris Wyles (26) | Chris Wyles (130) |
| 2008-09 | 11th | 24pts | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | Kevin Swiryn (20) | Kevin Swiryn (100) |
| 2009-10 | 10th | 32pts | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Nick Edwards (17) | Nese Malifa (120) |
| 2010-11 | 12th | 10pts | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | Zack Test (24) | Zack Test (120) |
| 2011-12 | 11th | 41pts | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Zack Test (21) | Zack Test (107) |
| 2012-13 | 11th | 71pts | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Nick Edwards (20) | Shalom Suniula (101) |
| Total | - | - | 79 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 10 | - | - |
Read more about this topic: United States National Rugby Union Team (sevens)
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