Caravelli Names 7s Team to Face World

Saturday Jul 18, 2009 in Elite Level Rugby USA 7s

USA 7s head coach Al Caravelli leads his team to the World Games to be played July 24 and 25 in Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei.

Caravelli has picked three players who have never played for the USA 7s team before – Ata Malifa, Colin Hawley and Leonard Peters.

Malifa and Hawley have USA experience with the XVs team, and Malifa’s twin brother Nese has been a USA 7s stalwart for several years. Peters is completely new, having just come back to rugby after a long period of success playing football at the University of Hawaii  and then pushing for an NFL spot. He has been playing 7s with Aspen but is still a work in progress.

“I think in retrospect I probably should have taken Dallas Robinson along on a couple of tournaments as a 12^th man to use his athleticism,” Caravelli said of another crossover prospect, who is now injured. “Leonard has such speed and explosiveness he is really impressive. In addition, his professionalism and how he fits in with the team chemistry is outstanding.”

Of the remaining nine players, five have only one or two tournaments under their belts: Blaine Scully, Steve St. Pierre, Marco Barnard, Tai Enosa and Corey Blair.

The experienced players are Jone Naqica – USA 7s most prolific scorer – Thretton Palamo, PJ Komongnan and Jason Pye. Palamo, who turns 21 in just over two months, is the second-most-experienced player on the squad, and has been named captain.

Caravelli said Palamo emerged as a true leader in London and Edinburgh.

The coach said Steve St. Pierre, who was a revelation in the UK tournaments, was the most improved player in camp.

“He and Blaine Scully have improved a great deal,” Caravelli said. “But a lot of players improved. I look at players like Alex Ross, Dustin Muhn, Richard Herbert and Brendan O’Meara, who didn’t make this squad, and I say watch out next time. They were all banging on the door. Alex Ross not making this team should be a wakeup call to everyone.”

Ross played for the USA team in London and Edinburgh and did well. Justin Boyd, Pete Dahl and Clint Whittler all missed out due to injury – Boyd’s being especially nasty (see here).

Several of the young players have already emerged as capable of taking the game by the horns. Barnard was excellent in Scotland, for example. And the return of Pye is big for the USA, especially in the absence of Boyd.

“Having Jason Pye back is really great,” Caravelli said of the former Utah All American.

Pye is one of the older players on the squad, but his college background is quickly becoming the norm. Scully, St. Pierre, Barnard, Komongnan and Hawley all came from the college ranks.

USA 7s Team:
Thretton Palamo (Capt.)
Blaine Scully
Steve St. Pierre
Ata Malifa
Jone Naqica
Leonard Peters
Jason Pye
PJ Komongnan
Marco Barnard
Tai Enosa
Corey Blair
Colin Hawley



- Alex Goff