FORMER CONNACHT MEN Tadhg Leader and Pat O’Toole have been named in the USA Men’s Selects squad for the upcoming Americas Pacific Challenge, while ex-Trinity College and Munster U20 playmaker Conor Kearns has also been included.
The Men’s Selects is essentially the second national team for the US.
The 2018 version of the Americas Pacific Challenge will see the developmental USA squad compete with Tonga A, Uruguay XV, Argentina XV, Canada A and Samoa A from 6 to 14 October in Montevideo, Uruguay.
While the games do not involve players winning caps, the involvement of Leader, O’Toole and Kearns underlines that they are now on the senior national team radar in the US.
Three players from the 2017 USA Men’s Selects squad have since graduated to become fully-capped internationals for the Eagles, and the hope for Leader, O’Toole and Kearns will be to do the same.
All three play for San Diego Legion in Major League Rugby, which had a promising inaugural season in 2018.
Leader, whose brother Darragh still plays for Connacht, moved to the US in 2015 and became US-qualified last month.
The 26-year-old out-half initially made the move Stateside on a rugby scholarship at Lindenwood University and he also shone for the St. Louis Royals in club rugby. His performances for San Diego Legion this year have added to his growing reputation.
23-year-old hooker O’Toole, a native of Mayo, came through Connacht’s academy and moved onto a senior contract for the 2017/18 season but never got the opportunity to win his senior debut for the province.
An Ireland international at U19 level, O’Toole made the move to San Diego Legion at the end of last season and is understood to qualify to play for the US through his family.
Former Trinity out-half/fullback Kearns has previously played for the US at U20 and Collegiate All-American levels, qualifying due to being born in San Francisco.
25-year-old Kearns grew up in Limerick and went to school at Glenstal Abbey, going on to play for Munster at U19 and U20 level.
Having impressed in the All-Ireland League for Trinity, Kearns was capped by Munster A in 2016, starting at fullback and scoring a try in a win against the Ireland U20s.
Kearns – who is joined in the Selects squad by former Trinity wing Tim Maupin – subsequently moved to Oxford University to study for a Master’s degree, but joined San Diego Legion this year and has now advanced into the USA Men’s Selects squad.
The influence of Irish players and coaches in US rugby has grown in recent years, with Dublin native AJ MacGinty well established as first-choice out-half for the Eagles side, having qualified on residency terms in 2015.
Former Greystones and St. Mary’s hooker Dylan Fawsitt has followed in MacGinty’s footsteps this season, earning his first senior USA caps and impressing in Major League Rugby on loan to Glendale Raptors from Rugby United New York.
Cork man John Quill, who qualifies through his US-born mother, has been an Eagles international since 2012.
Ex-Ireland Women assistant coach Greg McWilliams – who moved to the US in 2014 – is now attack coach for the Eagles, working alongside head coach Gary Gold as the Eagles have notched some memorable wins, including their shock victory over Scotland in June.
There are several other Irish players involved in Major League Rugby, while Irish coaches such as Justin Fitzpatrick and Gavin Hickie are forging fine careers for themselves in the States.
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What if the corner backs are cynically wasting time passing between themselves – will they be getting black cards too? And if Spillane counts too many hand passes on the Sunday game will there be more sanctions?
Maybe the offending player should hop on their bad leg for 2 minutes or something? That would liven it up!!
Or maybe the GAA should let teams do what they do best and commit everything they have to winning and stop pandering to certain commentators.
Leon — I’d have to disagree with you. The amount of cynical fouling, play-acting, and lack of respect for refs and officials has been doing my head in for the past few years. I think the ‘professional foul’ in particular needs to be addressed. If one team needs a goal to win or draw, for instance, the other team pulls them down on the edge of the square and takes one (a yellow card) for the team. It shouldn’t be like that.
Should they let them have a chance to win or draw then?? Nonsense.
I would love to get rid of the play acting and have a lot more respect for officials and i agree with you there. But this is just trying to “improve” (see increase scores) the game to please certain pundits who spout the same rhetoric week in week out with no constructive input.
The Dublin v Donegal semi-final a few years ago was one of the most fascinating games I’d ever seen because of the tactics, intensity and strategy. Not every game needs 60 yd kick passes and 20 points to be entertaining.
@Leon
You seem to be incapable of disagreeing politely.
Quickly turning into a non contact sport ,with all the rule changes & diving.
What about abusing officials, is that to be condoned?
Dreadful suggestion. The problem is the standard of refereeing. Totally different rules on Saturday evening in a club game than you get on Sunday in an intercounty championship game.
Not great for the small clubs who mightn’t have big panels at their disposal either.
If they’re so insistent on bringing in some sort of rule as a solution to the fouling (rather than addressing the real issue of refereeing), why don’t they try the sin bin exactly the way it’s used in rugby. It works very well.
Sin bin would definitely be good. I think this black card is also worth a go though. Notwithstanding refereeing issues; something does have to change in my opinion. If a team gets 7 or 8 points ahead in the second half they can see the game out by faking injury and cynical fouling. It’s crap to watch.
And how many games have you refereed Cormac ?
This years championship should be good craic … FFS. Change the system and bring in the Sin Bin.
It’ll probably be scrapped because of racism!!
And put diving in there too!!
they are right blackcards :-)
Replace the rte studio with the newstalk crew and we can enjoy the coverage, problem solved.
Newstalk presenters really irritating me lately. Way to far up their own ar*es & ill tell you what newstalk guys & gals ( if you read the journal that is ) you are not really that good or funny. I loved the station initially it’s not even on my saved stations in my car anymore.
Sin bin anyone? Works in rugby and ice hockey. Forget this substituting for another player. That is not a punishment
You’ll need a degree to officiate games and the public wont have a clue. Tripping abuse and cynical fouls red card. Soccer and Gaa need to catch up,manly the players
Sin bin is the only logical solution. This black card can’t work at grass roots for obvious reasons.. They seem to be determined to break What’s not broke..
On a related topic….used to be a great rule in ice hockey….not sure if it still applies. When two players go at each other….the third man in gets red carded. Result is that two guys slug away until seperated by officials. No mass brawls. Would def be worth a shot in GAA.
What about the team who gets a black card and has no substitute? Joke of a rule
Please don’t play the black card
There may be trouble ahead with all the confusion and its all of their own making. Black cards, yellow cards and red cards, why don’t they use a deck of cards cos it sounds like a game of chance. Looks as though the GAA are just putting feelers out to see the reaction from managers. Too much spin from FRC and co. They may dig a hole and bury their report.
I can see it being an absolute nonsense but great for the media of course.
Why don’t they ban them from using their hands, make the pitch smaller and get rid of those sticks on top of the cross bar. Then you’d have a sport
There are too many cynical and violent tackles. I think perhaps stricter refs rather than a new card, would do it.
Just leave the game alone ! Had one on the best inter county championships last fee years last year