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| Photo: Martin Bennett |
For fans, the Eagles loss to Tonga has to be frustrating. After all, the Eagles have played much better of this last year and seemed to have gotten over their terrible slump in the summer of 2013. The team had a strong fall that year narrowly losing to the Maori All Blacks and then beating both Georgia and Russia. They then beat Uruguay in World Cup qualifying, lost to solid Japan and Scotland sides, and then beat Canada for the first time in a long time. The All Blacks match aside the Eagles looked like they were set for a positive November after they thoroughly beat Romania. Now after their deflating defeat to Tonga questions need to be asked where the Eagles really stand.
Any observer of the team has to note that the Eagles have made a lot of strides over the past year, but as the list of losses and victories above points out they still have trouble beating any team ranked higher than 14th in the standings. Japan, Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga have all had the better of the Eagles of late and it hasn't been close. Beating Canada, Romania, Russia, and Georgia is fine but if the Eagles really want to prove they are an improved team and can threaten others at the World Cup they need to beat an opponent the level of Tonga.
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One thing gleaned from the match last Saturday is getting players consistent playing time at a top level is extremely important and the basis for a successful side. If you look at the Pacific Island teams and Japan there is a common thread: they pick players that are playing regularly for their clubs, not matter where they are located. Nearly every single player on their teams is also a professional. It helps that Japan has a professional league and that it's easier for Pacific Islanders to get visas to play in Europe than Americans but if you scroll down their roster every player is playing week in and week out in competitions like Super Rugby, the ITM Cup, the Top 14, the Premiership, Pro D2, and the RFU Championship. These squads still have to deal with a lack of assembly time together but because each players is playing week in and week out the transition doesn't take as long as it does for the Eagles.
Even though increased domestic camps, a stronghold in Seattle, and the ARP and PRP are helping the situation by and large most domestic Eagles struggle taking the jump up to international rugby. Look at the play of Tom Coolican and Greg Peterson the last two matches. It hasn't been perfect but they don't seem phased by the pace of play and have an easier time adjusting because they just came off campaigns in the NRC where they played regular. Again, this is a generalization and some domestic players excel while not all foreign-based players thrive, however, generally it holds true. Going from the level of the NRC to international rugby is much easier than going from the ARC to international rugby.
As discussed after the All Blacks match, really only a professional competition will put the Eagles on the same level but that is year's away from happening. Maybe placing more players in San Diego in the lead up to the World Cup where they can play regularly will help but professionalization is the answer.
Playing week in and week out is important because it not only makes the level of play not seem so fast, but it also exposes players to more situations tactically as they face different teams. Tonga repeated found gaps in the U.S. backs where they could chip over the top. It didn't always work but by and large Tonga used it to pin the U.S. back and it did create tries at times. If the U.S. players had a little more exposure to that type of play prior to the match they might have recognized what was happening earlier and adjusted.
After the Tonga match we also learned that the Eagles are not as deep as they would like. In certain positions they have a decent amount of depth (especially the locks) but they really lack depth elsewhere. Thretton Palamo's return is excellent but overall they seem thin in the centers. They are definitely thin at prop without Titi Lamositele and Eric Fry, and the halfbacks are especially bare. These are issues that head coach Mike Tolkin is going to have to address before the World Cup.
Overall, the loss to Tonga exposed mostly weaknesses we already knew. We knew that the scrum was an issue as was adjusting to a high-level of play (a professional league helps this). We also knew that the U.S. needed depth at key positions. So while the loss is disappointing, especially in giving up so many points in a short amount of time, it doesn't change anything we fundamentally about the team, it simply reinforces the challenges that are ahead and that need solutions.
The challenge will be finding some of the solutions before the World Cup. If the U.S. truly wants to make ground in the American sporting public they need to pick up more than one win at the World Cup. Currently they aren't favored to beat any of Japan, Samoa, Scotland, or South Africa. They must pick up at least one win possibly two to even be noticed. What the Tonga loss has taught us is that they still have a ways to go before they reach that level.