The model of success established by the Fijian Drua in the Super Rugby Pacific competition is now being implemented by World Rugby as part of its efforts to enhance rugby standards in the United States.
Alama Ieremia, a former star centre for the All Blacks and Manu Samoa, is leading this initiative. He currently serves as the back and attack coach for the USA national rugby team, which is set to face the Flying Fijians in the Pacific Nations Cup semi-final in Tokyo on Saturday, with kickoff scheduled for 10:05 PM.
Ieremia has also taken on the role of head coach for the Anthem Rugby Carolina club in the American Major League Rugby (MLR) competition, a team that was announced earlier this year in partnership with World Rugby, which is providing partial funding to help launch the club in Charlotte.
“The aim is to create pathways for American players and those eligible to progress to the Eagles,” said Ieremia, who previously coached the Hurricanes and Manu Samoa. “I’m passionate about developing a lot of academy players. Our focus will be on nurturing young American talent based on the Fijian Drua model in Super Rugby.”
World Rugby stated that the establishment of this new team will significantly enhance high-performance objectives and support the long-term goals of the USA men’s national team ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia and the 2031 tournament hosted on American soil.
“This successful partnership model, demonstrated by Fiji’s quarter-final run in Rugby World Cup 2023 with the Drua, shows great promise for Anthem RC as a significant franchise contributing to MLR’s long-term success,” World Rugby commented.
In addition to these initiatives, USA Rugby is conducting a global recruitment drive to identify eligible American players. Ieremia has begun reaching out to a number of players based in New Zealand who have the necessary eligibility to represent the Eagles in the future.
“We’re actively seeking players interested in representing the USA if they have American heritage,” Ieremia remarked.
However, according to USA Eagles head coach Scott Lawrence, the process of integrating eligible players into the USA team is still in its early stages. “We consider these types of players, but they must have a genuine desire to play for the USA. Playing for the USA is a matter of pride, not just financial gain,” Lawrence explained.
After missing out on last year’s World Cup in France, the team’s sights are now set on 2027 and 2031, when they will host the Rugby World Cup for the first time on American soil.
“In 1962, JFK stated we would land on the moon, and just seven years later, we achieved that. Seven years from now, we will have a World Cup, and we will reach the quarter-finals,” Lawrence said. “That’s our ambition; that’s our moonshot.”