A Look at the Eagles Position Groups: Backs
This past year was a weird one for the Eagles, there were a lot of ups and downs as they navigated through a short schedule with a new head coach and had to watch the World Cup from home. While failing to qualify for the World Cup was a massive blow, the Eagles have pressed on and shown a lot of resilience and determination this year, as they start building toward the next World Cup in Australia.
Next year will see a reconfiguration of the Pacific Nations Cup, now contested between Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Japan, Canada, and the USA. This will ensure the USA gets valuable game time against good competition in a tournament setting, something they’ve been missing since the end of the ARC in 2019. With pool and knockout play this will ensure 3-4 matches per year against some of the best Tier 2 sides. Furthermore, Scott Lawrence, in an interview with Goff on the RuggaMatrix America, revealed the renewed efforts he is leading in USAR to get more game time for the U20s, as the USA Hawks will have several U20s players contracted and will be playing about 8 matches against MLR teams in the MLR preseason as well as the Argentina U20s. This is big news, and coupled with the annual Correndon tour for the U18s and U20s and the renewal of the U20s Trophy, will provide plenty of valuable game time for young Eagle aspirants, who will likely make up the bulk of the 2031 squad.
In our last post we discussed the depth of the forward positions, who are the starters when everyone is fit and available, who are in the rotation, and who should be getting time in camp and with the squad. This time around we’ll be looking at the depth of the backs at their respective positions, and give our brief opinion on the outlook for each.
SCRUMHALF
STARTER: Nick McCarthy, 28-years-old, 5’11 185lbs, 5 Caps
McCarthy has come on strong in his first season for the Eagles, as he quickly locked down the jersey. McCarthy has brought a speed on attack that others have not been able to bring, and his experience overseas comes through in his play for the Eagles. Behind him, De Haas is still only 25 and has 31 caps to his name alongside over 30 caps for the Saracens and Free State Cheetahs overseas. He is a very talented player, but has room for improvement if he wants to reclaim his starting spot. De Haas, unfortunately, suffered a knee injury in September that kept him out of the recent matches in Spain, and looks to sideline him till March of next year. Hopefully, he makes a full and quick recovery and returns to form.
Baska, 29, only has 4 caps for the Eagles to date, but is a good depth piece behind McCarthy and De Haas. He has overseas experience, playing 13 matches for Rouen in the Pro D2, to go along with his 51 MLR matches. Outside of these three, the experience is limited amongst American qualified 9s, but there are some up and comers.
Connor Buckley has come in strong for New York, taking over after the retirement of All Black, Andy Ellis. The 24-year-old clearly benefitted greatly from the World Cup winner’s tutelage, in his 3 MLR seasons he’s played in 31 matches and made 19 starts. Alongside Buckley, his teammate Connor McManus, also 24, has played in 36 matches over 3 seasons for New York, making 14 starts. The pair of young scrum halves are likely close to making their international debut as they continue to push each other in practice for their club, it will be interesting to see if one eventually moves to another club for more starting minutes, and how they shake out on the international stage. Ryan Rees, 25, is experienced in MLR with 40 matches played in 3 seasons, and young Sidney Shoop, at only 22, has 3 seasons of MLR under his belt with 17 matches played, and 5 starts this past season. The young number 9 out of Indiana, has represented his country at age grade, and could get a look for the senior team in the near future.
FLYHALF
STARTER: Luke Carty, 26-years-old, 6’0 200 lbs, 17 Caps
Luke Carty has been the starter for the Eagles this season, as they try to morph him into the successor for AJ MacGinty. Carty has gained a lot of international experience, and is a solid player, but not a game changer. His goal kicking is inconsistent on deep kicks and tough angles. His touch finder has been good, but his attacking kicks, while often a solid idea, lack execution and end attacks early. Although to his credit, he had some nice 50:22 kicks this season.
AJ is 33 now but still has plenty left in the tank, he didn’t play for the Eagles this season, but there is a good chance he’ll remain in the squad, possibly through the 2027 World Cup. AJ has loads of experience, 152 professional caps and 35 international caps. He has a great boot and a brilliant rugby mind, his passing is crisp and methodical, and his tactical and attacking kicks are accurate and well timed. The only things that may hold him back from being the full time, as opposed to part time, starter, is his availability, given his injury history, age, and club duties. MacGinty just had hamstring surgery and is expected to be out till February at the earliest.
Behind These two Irishmen, there is not a lot of players with experience. Duncan Van Schalkwyk, 27, was a part of the wider squad this year but didn’t make his debut. Van Schalkwyk made the move from scrumhalf to flyhalf over the past three MLR seasons. He kicked 78% this past season with 7 made penalties and 11 conversions. He is a skillful player, and his sevens background with Life shows when he decides to dummy and keep the ball, he has a quick step and good acceleration through gaps.
Harris Rutherford is a name that many fans will be unfamiliar with, but the young flyhalf recently signed a deal with San Diego for the upcoming season. At 6’3 and 205 pounds, the 20-year-old from Scotland has prototypical size, and had previously represented Scotland at the U16 and U20 levels, and played for the Southern Knights in the Super Six, Scotland’s highest professional level below the URC. With his American grandfather, he is a strong pick to represent the US in the future and should develop under the tutelage of head coach and former All Black, Danny Lee, and fellow Scotsman, Josh Henderson.
Max Schumacher, the number 2 overall pick in the recent draft, is another interesting prospect, he’s only 22 and has great skills and complimentary speed and agility. With Schumacher, it remains to be seen if he will be primarily used as a flyhalf or a fullback, as he can cover both positions. Schumacher has a good attacking boot and can insert himself into the line to put defenses under pressure with his running game, in college he excelled at fixing defenders with his running threat before making a flat pass to put his teammates away.
CENTERS
STARTERS: Tommasso Boni, 30-years-old, 6’2 231 lbs, 4 Caps | Tavite Lopeti, 25-years-old, 5’11 210 lbs, 14 Caps
Boni has been a great addition this season, the veteran international from Italy has provided a lot of experience and skill to the midfield. Boni has a very well developed all around game, he is a solid defender, a good ball carrier, and reads defenses well to make good passes to teammates hitting gaps. He also has a decent boot in midfield. Really the only knock against him for the Eagles is his age, he’ll likely only be around until after the 2027 RWC. Lopeti meanwhile, is still fairly young, he is a bruising ball carrier, even if he seems undersized, and creates a physically imposing combination with Boni. While he isn’t lightning fast, he has the speed to make line breaks, coupled with the strength to muscle past arm tackles and put some jarring shots on opponents. His defensive positioning is still developing, but he is a hard hitter that bring pace to the defensive line, and doesn’t give up many breaks thanks to his athleticism.
Behind the starters, young Dominic Besag has already made an impression at this level. He’s clearly still developing, but he exudes talent. He has great skills, good speed, and decent strength and size for his age. At only 19, the 6’0 200 pound center seems to be the long term future at the position, and he’ll continue to add on weight and strength as he goes through his college career and eventually reaches a professional outfit. Elsewhere, Bryce Campbell has been a great servant to the Eagles, he’s captained the side, and is a rock in midfield, tackling hard and carrying harder. His pace, however, leaves much to be desired. Campbell can get caught out of position defensively at times, and lacks the speed to cover up for a mental mistake in the way some of the younger centers can. It may be unfair to completely dump Campbell, as his experience would be much needed in camp, it is time that he, and the now oft injured Paul Lasike, pass the torch to the new midfielders coming through.
Center is overflowing with young talent, including the likes of Christian Dyer. The Houston captain has primarily played at wing for the Eagles, but plays almost exclusively at center for his professional side. The midfield seems where his talents are best utilized, though he also should remain an option at wing given his experience and versatility. Aki Pulu and Erich Storti are two other U20s players that have been included in the Eagles extended rosters recently, and seem poised to make their debut within the next year or two. Pulu plays professionally for the Raptors in SLAR, and is a phenomenal athlete. He started in 10 matches for the Raptors this past season, scoring a try along the way, and played for the U20s against Canada. At 5’10 and 215 pounds, Pulu is already physically well developed for his age, as he is a powerful player with excellent speed. Storti, Besag’s teammate at St. Mary’s, was included in the wider Eagles squad as well. Storti is a little older at 22, but is also a superb athlete with great skills, he’ll likely receive another call up next year. Finally, Calvin Whiting could also get called back up to the national side, while he is 28 and has only made 2 international appearances, he is an intelligent defender and plenty experienced, two qualities that could be useful for this Eagles side.
WINGERS
STARTERS: Joe Mano, 28-years-old, 5’11 198 lbs, 2 Caps | Mika Kruse, 25-years-old, 6’1 210 lbs, 7 Caps
Joe Mano made a statement in his first two matches. The man was a try scoring machine and did well to show off his finishing and ball carrying. The former Sevens international, has a great blend of speed and strength, he is a hard man to bring down and has a bit of a penchant for coming off his wing and making big hits for Utah. His teammate, Mika Kruse, is a star in the MLR, he has a great athletic profile, and has scored 23 tries in his 71 MLR matches across 6 seasons. Kruse, like Dyer, could be listed at center as well, he has the versatility and experience to play both, but has been primarily a winger for his club in his recent years.
Futi and Augspurger received a lot of run in the squad this season. Futi, 27, made his debut earlier this year and bagged his first try in his third match, against Brazil. Futi displayed his great blend of power and speed that has made him a force in the MLR, but he has had issues being too aggressive at times and giving away penalties, but when his timing is on, he makes hits that fire up a team. Augsurger started every match this season, but he is now 33, and will be 34 when the next MLR season starts, so we expect that Lawrence will be looking to find a successor for him. That said, the converted scrumhalf has done an admirable job for the Eagles, he has been a very good defender on the wing, with some great scramble defense to save tries, and has shown he can still make moves on attack.
Behind Futi and Augspurger, there are several young wingers waiting to break in. Ryan James, 24, has debuted for the Eagles already, but that was back in 2021. Now that the talented winger is back in MLR, so Lawrence will be able to see him play weekly, he may find himself back in the squad if he can show off his athleticism and skills. Caleb Strum, 24, began to come into his own this last season for Chicago, as he featured in 7 matches and started in 4. Strum is one of the fastest players in MLR, posting a speed in the 4.3s during the Rugby Showcase, and continues to hone his rugby skills.
Conner Mooneyham, 27, is a little older than the others listed, but is a supremely talented individual. He was the number one overall selection in the inaugural MLR draft, and has appeared in 35 matches over his 3 seasons, scoring 11 tries along the way. Connor and his new Seattle teammate, Tyren Al-Jiboori, could also make an impression on the Eagles staff during his rookie season. At 6’2 and 220 pounds, the 22-year-old Tulsa native is an imposing player, with good speed and agility. He has already represented the USA at the U20 and U23 levels, so Lawrence should be well aware of him. His blend of power and speed should make him a force, and his talented backline partners should help slow the game down for him and open up gaps for him to burst through, he’ll just need to earn enough playing time to show off his ability to the Eagles selectors.
FULLBACK
STARTER: Chris Mattina, 30-years-old, 6’2 211 lbs, 6 Caps
Chris Mattina took over the starting spot for Mitch Wilson this season. Wilson struggled under the high ball and seemed too small to make an impact on defense, and not quite quick enough to open things up on attack. Perhaps winger would be a more suitable position for him, it is his primary position for New England, after all. Mattina, meanwhile, was solid in his duties under the high ball, and showed off his own boot, doing well to gain parity in the kicking game, but rarely ever attaining dominance. Mattina, is a smart defender, but lacks the kind of speed international fullbacks need to be dangerous on attack, and make the necessary try savers on defense.
Line Latu, 25, was a part of the Eagles wider squad but was unable to get onto the matchday squad. Latu is a versatile player, able to cover flyhalf and the wing, and was name the SRA first team fullback this past season for the Raptors. He has since moved to Houston, where he’ll compete for a starting job, and look to get another call up. Steffan Crimp, was meant to be in the Eagles camp this season, but suffered a concussion, so he was ruled out for selection. Crimp has an excellent boot, he was the primary goal kicker for the USA U20s this past season, and is a dangerous man with ball in hand out of the backfield. He reads the game well for his age, expect to see him be recalled in the near future.
Other options are young Erik Naposki of the Dallas Jackals. Naposki, a former number one overall pick, was bitten by the injury bug this season, as he only appeared in 5 matches, but the 23-year-old remains a great talent. He has played more wing than fullback lately, but with the need for more depth in the 15 shirt, it’s likely this is where Lawrence would trial him. Mike Dabulas, 26, made his debut for the Eagles back in 2021, but has dealt with injuries since then that have kept him out of the squad. Able to play flyhalf, fullback, and winger, Dabulas seemed on the cusp of taking over the starting jersey prior to his injuries. We’ll see if he is able to return to form this season.
