USA Men's Sevens finish 7th in second round of HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series

The USA Men’s Sevens National Team claimed 7th Place in the second of two back-to-back weekends in Dubai. After winning a silver medal in the opening round last week, the USA Men battled hard to maintain their progression but ultimately conceded meaningful games due to costly errors.

As is the case with every World Series tournament, simple mistakes can make the ultimate difference between a spot on the podium and an arm wrestle in the placement matches. After all is said and done, promising performances from the likes of debutante Lucas Lacamp and veterans Perry Baker, Stephen Tomasin and Kevon Williams (to name a few) put the program in a promising position to build as the season unfolds.

Dubai also marks the final sevens tournaments for Olympians Matai Leuta (44 World Series caps) and Martin Iosefo (50 World Series caps) who will leave the USA Sevens Residency Program to pursue a new chapter in rugby. Comments from Leuta and Iosefo along with an official farewell will be released in the coming week. For now, both players will relish in their final event and use the journey back home to put two important legacies into words before addressing the American rugby public.

Team USA will enter the next year ranked 4th in the World.

Head Coach Mike Friday Said

“The World Series is a ruthless place if your performance is off the mark and unfortunately that was us today. We have to look in the mirror and realize that if we play like this, we’ll get punched in the face. Still, these are valuable lessons as we evolve and we have a lot to look forward to in the tough challenges 2022 will bring. We will enjoy our time with families over the holidays and will continue working hard to be better for the next two legs where we’ll welcome back a number of the exciting players who will return from injury.”

Group Play | 2-1

The opening match with Canada was well in hand while Kenya was relatively back and forth with Perry Baker sealing the win on the final play.

Australia delivered a harsh loss that was entirely determined by the clock. Even though the Aussie’s had a strong start, the U.S. came back with an impressive try from an offload by Lucas Lacamp to Baker; then Baker scoring again at full-time, just as he did against the Kenyans. Penalties on the final play slowed the clock, with Australia drawing a red card, and the USA simply didn’t have time to capitalize on a clear shift in momentum.

Knockouts | 1-2

France dominated the Cup Quarters thanks to silly errors and penalties by the United States. A passing error by Folau Niua and a turnover at the breakdown led France to a 21-7 lead that was amplified by a clean breakaway with one minute to go. Lucas Lacamp cut the deficit with a try in the final minute but the French had it in the bag at 28-14.

Kenya had its revenge in the 5th Place Semis, controlling possession to shut the U.S. out 28-0. After two uncharacteristic performances, the USA bounced back to defeat Ireland 26-19, scoring four straight to bookend the latter part of first and beginning of the second half. The Irish attempted a comeback in the final minutes but the USA held on for the win to claim 7th Place.

Team Stats Leaders

Results

Next Tournament

The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series will return for back-to-back weekends in Spain, starting with Malaga from Jan 21-23, followed by Seville from Jan 28-30. Both tournaments will be combined men's and women's with matches broadcast LIVE on NBC's streaming platform Peacock. Schedules and information are available here.

USA Men’s Sevens Roster

PLAYER	POSITION	HSBC TOURNAMENTS (including this event)
1. Carlin Isles	Wing	59
2. Logan Tago	Forward	2
3. Gavan D’Amore	Forward	4
4. Matai Leuta	Forward	44
5. Joe Schroeder	Forward	16
6. Kevon Williams (Captain)	Halfback/Wing	31
7. Folau Niua	Halfback/Flyhalf	71
8. Marcus Tupuola	Flyhalf/Center/Wing	11
9. Stephen Tomasin	Utility	39
10. Naima Fuala’au	Halfback/Flyhalf	12
11. Perry Baker	Wing	49
12. Martin Iosefo	Center/Prop	50
13. Lucas Lacamp	Flyhalf/Center	2

USA Men’s Sevens Traveling Staff