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Monday, July 26, 2021 9:13:11 AM
The U.S. men’s rugby sevens team is in the ‘group of death.’ They’ve survived so far.
Joe Schroeder, center, and the U.S. men’s rugby sevens team beat Kenya on Monday.Credit...Ben Stansall/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
The American men’s rugby sevens team has made its way through the so-called group of death. After beating Kenya in the morning session on Monday, the U.S. team hung on to beat Ireland, a tougher opponent, 19-17.
The victories were crucial to the Americans’ medal aspirations, especially because they face South Africa, a perennial powerhouse, in the third and final match of the group stage. With two wins already, the Americans have a solid chance of advancing to the quarterfinals.
“You know, it’s all about going into Day 2,” said Perry Baker, the two-time player of the year. “We took care of the first few games, which was very important for us. So I feel good, no matter how we got the win.”
The Americans were ranked second in the world in the 2018-2019 season and expected to convert that run into an Olympic medal before the Tokyo Games were postponed. But they had an uneven start to the 2019-2020 season before it was shut down, and several players have been recuperating from significant injuries.
The U.S. team has not had many chances to test itself against opponents. Teams from New Zealand, South Africa and other rugby nations also faced restrictions on overseas travel, but they have far larger rugby communities in their countries, so they have had more chances to practice.
The Americans’ passing wasn’t sharp against Ireland, but they controlled the clock and were aggressive on defense, which was good enough to beat a tough squad.
The United States dominated the beginning of the game. Baker started the scoring when he sprinted down the left wing for the first try of the match, and the Americans took an early 12-0 lead.
With three minutes remaining, the U.S. led, 19-10. The Irish added a try just before the whistle, but it wasn’t enough.
“I think we know that we’re contenders,” Captain Madison Hughes said. “But every time we get on the pitch, we’ve got to prove that not only to ourselves, but to the rest of the world.”
— Ken Belson
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/07/25/sports/olympics-tokyo-updates-schedule#ariarne-titmus
Joe Schroeder, center, and the U.S. men’s rugby sevens team beat Kenya on Monday.Credit...Ben Stansall/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
The American men’s rugby sevens team has made its way through the so-called group of death. After beating Kenya in the morning session on Monday, the U.S. team hung on to beat Ireland, a tougher opponent, 19-17.
The victories were crucial to the Americans’ medal aspirations, especially because they face South Africa, a perennial powerhouse, in the third and final match of the group stage. With two wins already, the Americans have a solid chance of advancing to the quarterfinals.
“You know, it’s all about going into Day 2,” said Perry Baker, the two-time player of the year. “We took care of the first few games, which was very important for us. So I feel good, no matter how we got the win.”
The Americans were ranked second in the world in the 2018-2019 season and expected to convert that run into an Olympic medal before the Tokyo Games were postponed. But they had an uneven start to the 2019-2020 season before it was shut down, and several players have been recuperating from significant injuries.
The U.S. team has not had many chances to test itself against opponents. Teams from New Zealand, South Africa and other rugby nations also faced restrictions on overseas travel, but they have far larger rugby communities in their countries, so they have had more chances to practice.
The Americans’ passing wasn’t sharp against Ireland, but they controlled the clock and were aggressive on defense, which was good enough to beat a tough squad.
The United States dominated the beginning of the game. Baker started the scoring when he sprinted down the left wing for the first try of the match, and the Americans took an early 12-0 lead.
With three minutes remaining, the U.S. led, 19-10. The Irish added a try just before the whistle, but it wasn’t enough.
“I think we know that we’re contenders,” Captain Madison Hughes said. “But every time we get on the pitch, we’ve got to prove that not only to ourselves, but to the rest of the world.”
— Ken Belson
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/07/25/sports/olympics-tokyo-updates-schedule#ariarne-titmus
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