US champions before kickoff

By WYNNE GRAY

Whatever the United States achieve at the Cup - their best chance will be against Japan - they cannot be parted from one rugby honour.

The Eagles will arrive as the defending Olympic champions, a title they have held for the past 79 years.

Johnny Weissmuller may have been the American swimming star at the Paris games in 1924, but the United States were the Tarzan of the rugby domain.

A subsequent IOC decision to remove rugby from the Olympic programme damaged the sport's popularity in the States and it fell well behind gridiron, basketball and baseball.

There was a revival in the 1960s, but rugby is a sport enjoyed mainly at college level and by those players unable to crack the NFL.

This will be the fourth Cup for the Eagles after they failed to qualify for the 1995 tournament in South Africa.

The States won their first game in the inaugural tournament, in 1987, when they beat Japan at Ballymore but they have not won a game since.

But they have been buoyed for this tournament by two recent victories over neighbours and arch-rivals Canada.

While they lost 46-6 to the All Blacks at Gloucester in the 1991 tournament, the most memorable performance that day came from Eagles lock and captain Kevin Swords.

For this event, the States will bring forwards such as Dan Lyle, Dave Hodges, Mike MacDonald and Kort Schubert, who may provide a similar impact.

Hardy flanker Hodges will skipper the side and while he was once named the Llanelli club player of the season, his 35-year-old legs may struggle to last the distance.

Lyle is a great athlete at 112kg and 1.93m.

The loose forward began playing rugby only as a way of staying in shape while he waited for a trial for the Washington Redskins. He remains the only local rugby player to be featured in the famed Sports Illustrated magazine.

Halfback Kevin Dalzell brings the experience of club play in France and England but the rest of his backline are light on international exposure.

Organising and coaching the Eagles is former captain Tom Billups, who played in the 1999 Cup.

The Eagles were forced to qualify for this tournament through several repechage matches after losing in a qualifying game last August to Chile.

They then had to rely on other results and a home-and-away series against Spain, which they won comfortably to seal their place in Australia.

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