The Fijian Drua’s successful model in the Super Rugby Pacific has been adopted by World Rugby to enhance rugby in the United States. Alama Ieremia, a former All Blacks and Manu Samoa star, is spearheading this initiative. He serves as the backs 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 been appointed head coach of the Anthem Rugby Carolina franchise in the Major League Rugby (MLR), a new team that was established this year in collaboration with World Rugby, which is providing partial funding to support its inception in Charlotte. Ieremia emphasized the importance of creating pathways for American players, aiming to funnel talent into the national team, the Eagles.
He expressed his commitment to nurturing academy players, focusing on the development of young American talent akin to the Fijian Drua’s approach in Super Rugby. World Rugby stated that this new team aims to significantly advance high-performance goals for the USA men’s national team, preparing ahead of their Rugby World Cup 2027 qualification and the opportunity to host the 2031 tournament on American soil.
Additionally, USA Rugby is initiating a global recruitment effort to attract eligible American players. Ieremia has reached out to some players based in New Zealand who meet the necessary criteria to represent the Eagles in the future. He noted their openness to engaging potential players with American heritage.
However, Scott Lawrence, head coach of the USA Eagles, highlighted that recruiting these eligible players is still in the early stages. He noted that while they are considering such players, they must possess a genuine desire to represent the USA, as playing for the national team is a matter of passion, not financial incentive.
After missing out on qualification for last year’s World Cup in France, the focus is now on the upcoming tournaments in 2027 and 2031, the latter marking the first time the World Cup will be held in the United States. Lawrence drew a parallel to former President John F. Kennedy’s moon landing ambition, expressing confidence that in seven years, the USA will reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup.