The Fijian Drua’s successful model in the Super Rugby Pacific competition is now being utilized by World Rugby to enhance the quality of rugby in the United States. Alama Ieremia, a former All Blacks and Manu Samoa star center, is leading this initiative. 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, Japan, on Saturday at 10:05 PM.
Ieremia has also assumed the role of head coach for the Anthem Rugby Carolina franchise club in Major League Rugby (MLR). This team was announced earlier this year and is being partially funded by World Rugby to launch operations in Charlotte.
Ieremia explained, “It’s a push to really drive pathways for American players and eligible players to lead on to the Eagles.” He emphasized his passion for nurturing academy players to develop them into strong contenders for the national team. The focus will be on cultivating young American talent using the Fijian Drua model as a blueprint.
World Rugby expressed confidence that the new team will significantly contribute to the USA men’s national team’s high-performance objectives ahead of the Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia and the 2031 World Cup, which will be hosted in the U.S. They noted the success of the Fijian Drua and are optimistic about the potential of Anthem Rugby Carolina as a major franchise within the MLR framework.
Additionally, USA Rugby is conducting a global recruitment drive to identify eligible U.S. players. Ieremia has already reached out to some New Zealand-based players who would meet the requirements to represent the USA in the future. “We’re definitely casting the net to say, hey we’re out here now if you’re keen and have any American blood,” he said.
USA Eagles head coach Scott Lawrence acknowledged that while they are considering players eligible to play for the USA, it is essential that these individuals genuinely wish to represent the country. “They must have a strong desire to play for the USA; it’s an affair of the heart, not the wallet,” he stated.
After not qualifying for last year’s World Cup in France, the focus has shifted to the upcoming tournaments in 2027 and 2031. Lawrence expressed ambition, quoting former U.S. President John F. Kennedy regarding the moon landing, and stated, “Seven years from now we have a World Cup, and we will be in a quarter-final. That’s our moon shot; that’s what we’re going to do.”