The Fijian Drua’s success in the Super Rugby Pacific competition is now being emulated by World Rugby as part of efforts to enhance rugby standards in the United States. Alama Ieremia, a former All Blacks and Manu Samoa standout, is spearheading this initiative.
Ieremia 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, Japan, at 10:05 PM on Saturday. He has also recently assumed the role of head coach for the Anthem Rugby Carolina franchise in the American Major League Rugby (MLR) competition.
This new team was announced earlier this year, developed in collaboration with World Rugby, which is providing partial funding to establish the franchise in Charlotte.
“It’s a concerted effort to create pathways for American players, ultimately leading to the Eagles,” Ieremia stated, drawing on his passion for mentoring young players through the academy system. “The focus will be on nurturing young American talent, inspired by the Fijian Drua model in Super Rugby.”
World Rugby noted that this initiative aims to significantly advance the high-performance targets for the USA men’s national team in preparation for the Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia and the 2031 event, which will be hosted in the USA.
The partnership has shown success for Fiji, who reached the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup 2023 with the establishment of the Drua, and there is optimism for the future of Anthem Rugby Carolina both as a development pathway and a key franchise in MLR.
Additionally, USA Rugby is initiating a global recruitment campaign to attract eligible American players. Ieremia has contacted potential players based in New Zealand who would qualify to represent the Eagles.
“We’re opening our doors and inviting those with American ties who are interested,” Ieremia remarked.
However, USA Eagles head coach Scott Lawrence emphasizes that bringing in eligible players for future international roles is still in the early phases of development. “We’re looking at those players, but they must have a genuine desire to play for the USA,” he explained. “It’s about passion rather than financial gain.”
Following their failure to qualify for last year’s World Cup in France, the focus shifts to the upcoming tournaments in 2027 and 2031, with the latter being the first World Cup on American soil.
“In 1962, JFK said we would go to the moon, and seven years later we accomplished that. In seven years, we aim to reach the World Cup quarter-finals,” Lawrence asserted. “That’s our ambitious goal, and we are committed to achieving it.”