On Monday, the New Zealand national rugby team arrived in Chicago before the first match against the US Eagles in America since 1980.
Although they have gone almost unnoticed in the metropolitan area, the All Blacks will undoubtedly have a huge impact on the field next Saturday in the match against the USA.
More than 61,000 people will visit Soldier Field, the birthplace of the Chicago Bears, to watch one of the most dominant teams in all sports. But what do we do with the US Eagles?
In some reports, this game was called unnecessary due to the differences in the level of play between the USA and New Zealand.
Although the gap between the first and the 18th world teams is wide, it is beneficial for the host country to consider this game as a formality.
The U.S. rugby team has a solid history that began with a 12-8 loss to Australia in 1912. From that moment on, the popularity of rugby decreased for decades, but recently there has been a positive turn.
Rugby is the fastest growing sport in America. Take a minute to install this app. Rugby is moving at a pace that surpasses any other sport, from football to baseball to hockey and every other imaginable sport.
In recent decades, this growth has allowed the US to produce rugby players who are expected to satisfy even the “all black”.
Out of a list of 35 players released for the upcoming test schedule, 16 are currently playing professional rugby matches overseas in the Northern and Southern hemispheres.
Todd Clover, the captain and most experienced player of the current team, works as a flank player in Japan in the Shining Arcs team of the NTT Company. Clover is best known as the first American rugby player to take part in super rugby competitions, where he played for the South African Golden Lions.
He previously spent one season in the New Zealand national tournament, the ITM Cup, as part of North Harbor. There are still 59 international matches to go and Clever should be a solid pillar for the Eagles if they want to achieve one of the most awesome sports coups.
Chris Wiles will be the real star when you compete against the “men in black”. Wiles, who has represented the U.S. 44 times in the past, is considered another leader who could help reverse the trend in favor of the U.S. this Saturday.
Since 2008, Wiles has been the mainstay of the Saracens team on match day, as they take part in the prestigious competition of the English rugby Union federation, the Aviva premier League. With the Saracens, Wiles played over 150 games, demonstrating his rude skills, speed and intelligence. There is no doubt that Wiles will take every opportunity that arises at the Eagles this weekend.
Manoa himself embodies everything that America loves about his athlete: tall (his height is 6 feet 7 inches, and his weight is about 270 pounds), strong (among his clubmates he is considered one of the “blue brothers”), fast (when crushing rivals, he has an extra pace to achieve a valuable result). after crossing the penalty line) and versatile (he plays both in the defender and flank position, as well as in the position no. Last weekend he celebrated his 100th birthday. anniversaire.Il is part of the Northampton Saints, a team for which he was twice awarded the Player of the Year. Last year, Manoa helped the Saints win their first Premier League title at Aviva. If the mind is a stone and Wiles is a tactician, then Manoa is the person who leads the Eagles into the field against the All Blacks.
With players at this level, we can expect the Eagles to show a great game, as they showed against the New Zealand Maori last year. But even as an inveterate fan of the USA, it’s hard not to consider the confrontation insurmountable. But that’s why America loves our sports stories: for outsiders. We love our Villanova Wildcats in 85, Red Sox and pistons in 04 and our miracle on the ice. That is why all American rugby fans and some newcomers to this sport will be sitting on our seats this Saturday, watching every line jump,
