USA Sevens coach Al Caravelli has named a strong squad of 23 players to attend a 10-day training camp prior to the NAWIRA (North America West Indies Rugby Association) Sevens Rugby World Cup qualifiers in Nassau, Bahamas next weekend.
Three notable inclusions are powerful forward Todd Clever and foreign-based stars Takudzwa Ngwenya of Biarritz and Chris Wyles of Saracens. Many other players in the list also have several IRB Sevens World Series events under their belts.
The squad is also among the youngest Caravelli has ever assembled - 10 players are 20 or below - and the coach is looking forward to an energetic and competitive camp before he narrows the squad down to the 12 he will take to the tournament.
“We are looking to pick up from where we left off at our last assembly, just a month ago,” Caravelli said. “Everyone invited to this camp has been putting in the hard work and doing exactly what we have requested of them. I expect this to be among the most difficult selection decisions I’ve ever faced.”
The week long training assembly will culminate in a series of games - three on 17 October and four on 18 October - to simulate what the side will face in the Bahamas.
Eleven men’s and nine women’s teams will contest the NAWIRA qualifiers on 25-26 October, all aiming to secure one of two places available from each competition to play at the RWC Sevens 2009 in Dubai next March.
The USA have been drawn in Pool A with Mexico and Bermuda, while joint-favourites Canada head Pool B with Trinidad & Tobago, Cayman Islands and the Bahamas. Guyana, the reigning Caribbean Sevens champions, are joined in Pool C by Jamaica, Barbados and St Vincent & The Grenadines.
At the end of day one the three pool winners and runners-up will be re-drawn into two Cup pools, the top two in each progressing to the semi finals with the two finalists securing their passage to the RWC Sevens 2009.
“Even though we are seeded first in the tournament we will not take any competitor lightly,” Caravelli added.
“As I’ve said before, in the sevens game anyone can beat anyone on any given day. We open the tournament against Mexico and then face Bermuda. Mexico has played a series of games in Dallas last weekend so they will be very prepared. We just have to take one game at a time.”
US training squad: Marco Barnard (Kutztown); Mark Bokhoven (Denver Barbarians); Justin Boyd (Dallas Harlequins); Matthew Byrd (University of Utah);
Todd Clever (Xerox Lions); James Gillenwater (Belmont Shore); Brad Keys (Louisville); Valenese Malifa (Belmont Shore); Charles McCrea (Unattached); Jone Naqica (San Francisco Golden Gate); Takudzwa Ngwenya (Biarritz); Zach Pangelinan (OMBAC); Rikus Pretorius (OMBAC); Dallas Robinson (Unattached) ; Anwar Salaam (Unattached); Blaine Scully (UCLA); Peter Sio (Belmont Shore); Dallen Stanford (Belmont Shore); Roland Suniula (Pearl City); Shalom Suniula (Brisbane); Kevin Swiryn (St. Mary’s); Taylor Welch (Warrington Wolves); Chris Wyles (Saracens)
