Can the Eagles soar over the Wallabies?

Who would win in a fight between an eagle and a wallaby?

The USA Eagles face off against the Australian Wallabies at Soldier Field in Chicago on Saturday September 5, rekindling one of the oldest rivalries in the sports history of both nations.

These teams first played in 1912, at Berkeley, with the Wallabies winning closely 12-8. Since then, Australia has gone on to win all seven games, the most recent by 67-5 in Sydney.

It’s a very different story in the 7-man version of the game. The Eagles Sevens recently trounced Australia 45-22 to clinch an HSBC Sevens World Series round. Showing awesome power and athleticism, they blew the Aussies off the park.

It was no fluke. On the way they thrashed England 43-12.

Can that translate to the 15-man game? We shall see. It certainly bodes well for the future of rugby in America. It’s a truism in rugby that if the USA ever really gets interested in the game, they’ll be a world force straight away. That kind of Sevens performance is evidence of that.

They face a strong Australian side, with powerful attacking threats across the park, who must be considered a chance to win the Rugby World Cup in September and October, even if a risky selection policy has been dogged by controversy at home.

That’s right: the World Cup is just round the corner!

Every game now must be viewed through that prism. For both sides, this is the last hit-out before the main event. Australia starts with Fiji at Millennium Stadium. That’ll be a cauldron, with a 75,000-strong Welsh choir screaming for the Fijians. The Eagles face Samoa, a powerful team in their own right, in Brighton. That should be a cracker of a game.

Eagles

Eagles head coach Mike Tolkin has chosen a squad of 31 players for this match:

AJ MacGinty – Life Rugby

Al McFarland – NYAC

Andrew Durutalo – Men’s Eagles Sevens

Andrew Suniula – CSM Bucuresti (Romania)

Blaine Scully – Cardiff Blues (Wales)

Brett Thompson – Men’s Eagles Sevens

Cameron Dolan – Cardiff Blues (Wales)

Chris Baumann – Santa Monica RC

Chris Wyles – Saracens FC (England)

Danny Barrett – Men’s Eagles Sevens

Eric Fry – Newcastle Falcons (England)

Folau Niua – Men’s Eagles Sevens

Greg Peterson – Glasgow Warriors (Scotland)

Hayden Smith – Saracens FC (England)

John Quill – NYAC Joseph Taufete’e – Belmont Shore RFC

Louis Stanfill – Seattle Saracens RC

Matekitonga Moeakiola – Castenet (France)

Mike Petri – NYAC

Niku Kruger – Glendale Raptors RFC

Olive Kilifi – Seattle Saracens RC

Phil Thiel – Life Rugby

Samu Manoa – RC Toulonnais (France)

Scott LaValla – Stade Francais CASG (France)

Seamus Kelly – San Francisco Golden Gate RFC

Shalom Suniula – Seattle Saracens RC

Takudzwa Ngwenya – Biarritz Olympique (France)

Thretton Palamo – London Welsh RFC (England)

Titi Lamositele – Saracens FC (England)

Zach Fenoglio – Glendale Raptors RFC

Zack Test – Men’s Eagles Sevens

How good are these Eagles?

The truth is, we don’t really know.

There are some seriously good rugby players in that list, including five from the outstanding Sevens team. Some reckon Takudzwa Ngwenya to be the fastest man to play the game, although a couple of Eagles Sevens flyers might have something to say about that. Ngwenya famously skinned Bryan Habana to score one of the most memorable tries in RWC history:

They finished 5th in the Pacific Nations Cup, against strong opposition from Fiji, Tonga and Samoa: all teams capable of frightening first-tier nations on their day.

Wallabies

Wallabies head coach Michael Cheika has chosen a squad full of quality and experience:

Stephen Moore – C – Brumbies

Tatafu Polota-Nau – Waratahs

Greg Holmes – Reds

Sekope Kepu – Waratahs

Scott Sio – Brumbies

James Slipper – Reds

Toby Smith – Rebels

Kane Douglas – Reds

Dean Mumm – Waratahs

Rob Simmons – Reds

Will Skelton – Waratahs

Scott Fardy – Brumbies

Michael Hooper – VC – Waratahs

Ben McCalman – Force

Sean McMahon – Rebels

Wycliff Palu – Waratahs

David Pocock – Brumbies Will Genia – Reds

Nick Phipps – Waratahs

Quade Cooper – Reds

Bernard Foley – Waratahs

Kurtley Beale – Waratahs

Matt Giteau – Toulon (France)

Matt Toomua – Brumbies

Adam Ashley-Cooper – VC – Waratahs

Israel Folau – Waratahs

Rob Horne – Waratahs

Drew Mitchell – Toulon (France)

Henry Speight – Brumbies

Joe Tomane – Brumbies

Tevita Kuridrani – Brumbies

In addition, there’s an extended squad, consisting of Sam Carter, David Dennis, Tetera Faulkner, James Hanson, Scott Higginbotham, James Horwill, Samu Kerevi, Christian Lealiifano, Taqele Naiyaravoro and Nic White. They’ll all be in Chicago, whether or not they get on the field.

For the Wallabies, this is a pivotal match. It’s their last chance to test important combinations before the World Cup, particularly the crucial 9-10 axis. Will backs coach (and Wallaby legend) Steve Larkham stick with one of the established pairings, or will he mix and match? Will he utilize the outrageous skills of Quade Cooper, or go for Bernard Foley, the quiet (some say too quiet) facilitator?

We’re about to find out.

How good are these Wallabies?

Again, we don’t really know. They beat South Africa, Argentina and New Zealand to win The Rugby Championship undefeated. Then they capitulated 41-13 to New Zealand at Eden Park in a shambolic affair.

Ouch.

We think they’re very good. Cheika has added some authentic Mongrel-brand™spice to the Wallabies’ traditional playmaking recipe. They’ll shock some teams in England with their physicality.

And what playmaking skills they are. No team with Israel Folau, Quade Cooper, David Pocock, Matt Giteau and Michael Hooper to choose from can be discounted against any competition. Add to that a front row who’ve started to believe, and you have the makings of a world-class outfit.

The World Cup winning Wallaby coach Bob Dwyer once said that to win the Rugby World Cup a side should include five world-class players, capable of starting in the top sides. These Wallabies certainly have that.

Who will Cheika pick for this match? That’s an interesting one. He could well choose his A team, to give them a final crack before the World Cup. It’s a real possibility.

Or he might rest his frontline players. Whatever he decides, it’ll be a powerful Wallabies lineup. The B team might well be the more entertaining proposition.

You have to say that this Wallaby squad has more depth than any Wallabies squad, ever.

Our Fearless Forecast

Who wins when an eagle fights a wallaby? Rugby does.

We’ll update this preview when the teams are selected, with head-to-head match-ups, courtesy of our American friends.

Until then, it’d be a brave man to pick an Eagles win.

But more unlikely Eagles have landed!

What: Australia Wallabies v USA Eagles

Where: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL

When: Sat, Sep 5, 2015 6:30 PM (9:30 AM Sunday AEST)

Broadcaster: NBCSN (live on Fox Sports in Australia)

Tickets: http://usarugby.org/usa-v-australia

Finally, please get behind our campaign to help fill the stadium. Just Tweet the hashtag #FillSoldierField. We have no commercial interest in the game. We just want to see a rip-roaring contest in front of a huge Chicago crowd.

#FillSoldierField

#ThirtyJarryHaynes