With yesterday’s conclusion of pool play in the 2015 Pacific Nations Cup, it is time to look at another set of my way-too-early Rugby World Cup Starting XV for the Eagles. We are 50 days away from the start of the tournament and 31-man rosters are soon to be announced. The Eagles finished pool play 1-0-2 and will face Canada (0-0-3) in the fifth/sixth match on Monday. With a friendly coming against the Maple Leafs on August 22, I expect Tolkin to run out an experimental squad, similar to the team that just played Tonga, against them on Monday. All that aside, let’s look at a potential RWC Starting XV based on PNC play.
(Age) [Caps]
15:Chris Wyles(31) [48]
Wyles proved a solid Captain and I don’t expect anyone else to start here. Write this one down in ink.
14:Blaine Scully(27) [24]
Scully is a solid option on the wing, who excels under the high ball. With Manoa in the lineup as well, the Eagles have options on kickoffs.
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13:Seamus Kelly(24) [20]
Tolkin said on TSN during the Tonga match that he expects Kelly to become a known name during RWC and with the centers being one of the Eagles thinner positions, I’m trusting coach on this one.
12:Thretton Palamo(26) [8]
He had some lapses in defense against Samoa in the first match, but I remember Palamo standing out during last fall’s Friendlies. I love big, physical backs.
11:Taku Ngwenya(30) [33]
Seems to have lost a step since he scorched Habana in ‘07, but with 11 more caps he provides an experienced and reliable partner to Scully.
10:AJ MacGinty (25) [2]
After shaking off the early nerves against Samoa, MacGinty has proved to be the solution for the Eagles at fly-half. He is 10/13 (77%) from the boot in his two matches and seems to play better with the ball in hand as the match goes on.
9:Mike Petri(30) [50]
While Suniula looked crisp in the start against Samoa, Petri provided the spark both times he’s come off the bench (Samoa, Tonga) and has a 1-0 record (Japan) in this year’s PNC when starting. His experience has shown to steady MacGinty and provide a solid halfback pairing.
1:Eric Fry (27) [30]
I don’t think there is any objection here. Fry and Thiel help steady a seasoned front row.
2:Phil Thiel(30) [37]
Thiel is obviously the starting hooker for the Eagles, providing captaincy against Tonga as well.
3:Titi Lamositele(20) [12]
I thought the BaaBaa played better than Moeakioa when he replaced him against Samoa. The scrum stood up well against a strong Samoan pack, the only time we’ve seen this front row together.
4:Greg Peterson (24) [4]
It is a toss up to me whether you start Peterson or Hayden Smith here… I like Smith’s experience coming off the bench (who can also cover flanker), so we’ll go with Peterson.
5:Scott LaValla (27) [38]
LaValla has been playing flanker for the Eagles, but with Manoa back in the lineup, it allows LaValla to bump inside to lock, his position with Stade Francais. LaValla is also a lineout magnet.
6:Cam Dolan(25) [13]
With this configuration in the forwards, I believe Dolan is the best option in the six shirt.
7:Samu Manoa(30) [10]
I cannot wait to see Manoa in an Eagles shirt again. He can play just about anywhere in the pack, so stick him on the openside and let the Blockmonstah wreck havoc in the open field.
8:Danny Barrett(25) [6]
Barrett has proved himself to be a solid Number 8. He is a big, physical player, which fits right in with this XV’s DNA. He plays in the same mold as Manoa and having them both on the field at the same time should leave opponents trembling. Barrett has played this tournament at No. 8 and I don’t think flipping him and Manoa would be wise. I think Barrett has earned his spot on the starting XV. If Barrett’s arbitrarily assigned No. 8 skill level is an eight, and his flanker is a 5, and Manoa’s No. 8 is a nine and his flanker is an eight, while Manoa is the better No. 8 (and overall player), the highest combination of skill level would be Barrett at No. 8 and Manoa at flanker.
Bench
16:ZachFenoglio (26) [26]
Has proved to be a solid replacement for Thiel.
17:Nick Wallace (25) [22]
With the status of Olive Kilifi up in the air, I go with Wallace’s experience over Chris Baumann.
18:Mate Moeakiola(37) [36]
The same goes for Moeakioa as the second replacement prop.
19:Hayden Smith(30) [26]
As stated earlier, Smith provides experience coming off the bench and can cover multiple positions in the second row.
20:Andrew Durutalo(27) [6]
With three tries in two matches (albeit two of them from rolling mauls), I think Durutalo has earned his spot on this squad. I’ve been more impressed with him than Quill or Stanfill. The more 7s players in the XVs squad, the better in my opinion. They bring a winning and optimistic culture to the locker room. Durutalo and Barrett have both been stellar at the breakdown as well.
21:Shalom Suniula(27) [12]
Again, as I said earlier, I think he was crisp in his start against Samoa, but I think Petri pairs better with MacGinty.
22:Andrew Suniula(33) [39]
Like Smith, Andrew Suniula will provide experience off the bench for the centers and certainly played better than Niua (who looked awful against Tonga).
23:Zach Test(25) [3]
I like Zesty Zach Testy a lot. I couldn’t believe he only received his first cap this year. He needs to clean up some of his technique (he looked sloppy under the high ball against Tonga) but I believe he can challenge Ngwenya for the 11 shirt.
Averages
Starting XV(26.7) [22.3]
23-Man Roster (27.4) [21.9]
Age and Cap numbers from www.worldrugby.org/pnc/teams/51 and the USA Rugby App.
Kicking statistics from the Ultimate Rugby app.