The Fijian Drua’s success in the Super Rugby Pacific competition is now being emulated by World Rugby as part of its initiative to enhance the standard of rugby in the United States. Former All Blacks and Manu Samoa star Alama Ieremia is at the forefront of this effort. He currently serves as the back and attack coach for the USA national rugby team, which is set to compete against the Flying Fijians in the Pacific Nations Cup semi-final in Tokyo this Saturday at 10:05 PM.
Ieremia has also assumed the role of head coach for the Anthem Rugby Carolina franchise in Major League Rugby (MLR). The team was introduced earlier this year in collaboration with World Rugby, which is providing partial funding to establish the franchise in Charlotte.
“It’s about creating pathways for American players and those eligible to transition to the Eagles,” said Ieremia, who has previous experience coaching the Hurricanes and Manu Samoa. He is focused on promoting academy players, emphasizing a model similar to that of the Fijian Drua in Super Rugby.
World Rugby has stated that the new team is expected to significantly propel the high-performance goals of the USA men’s national team in preparation for the upcoming Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia and the 2031 Rugby World Cup, which will be hosted in the USA. The organization noted, “This partnership has proven successful for Fiji, who reached the quarter-finals in the 2023 Rugby World Cup, and we are excited about the potential of Anthem RC as both a pathway and a key franchise for MLR’s future.”
In addition to these efforts, USA Rugby is conducting a global recruitment drive to attract eligible players. Ieremia has already reached out to several players in New Zealand who possess the necessary documentation to represent the Eagles.
“We’re definitely casting the net to say, hey we’re out here now if you’re keen and have any American blood,” Ieremia stated.
However, the recruitment of eligible players for the USA and preparing them for potential international play is still in the early stages, according to USA Eagles head coach Scott Lawrence. “We consider these players, but they must have a strong desire to represent the USA,” Lawrence explained. “It has to be about passion rather than financial gain.”
Following the USA’s failure to qualify for last year’s World Cup in France, the focus has shifted towards 2027 and 2031, when the nation will host the Rugby World Cup for the first time. “In 1962, JFK said we’d go to the moon, and seven years later we accomplished that. Seven years from now, we will have a World Cup and aim for a quarter-final. That’s our goal,” Lawrence declared.