All Blacks more than just another test for US coach

‘‘A lot of the better teams aren’t going to want to play us until we get better, but we’re not going to get better until we play that calibre of teams. Gary Gold US Eagles coach

After this weekend’s test in Washington, the All Blacks will head to Europe for four more matches, but for the Eagles, that’s them done until next July.

For USA Rugby, success this weekend against the All Blacks won’t so much be measured by the scoreline, but for the doors it could open.

USA Eagles coach Gary Gold, who has been with the team since 2018, acknowledges that the sport in the States still has a way to go, but he can see the untapped potential for rugby.

However, for the game to grow there, the Eagles need to have more fixtures like Sunday’s test against the All Blacks.

‘‘We need competitions and we need a high level of competition regularly, otherwise we’re not going to get better,’’ Gold told Stuff.

‘‘It’s a chicken and egg scenario, because a lot of the better teams aren’t going to want to play us until we get better, but we’re not going to get better until we play that calibre of teams.

‘‘That’s why tests like this are so incredibly important to us,’’ he added.

‘‘It may not look like it after 80 minutes of rugby in Washington, but in the long run, this will have an incredibly powerful effect on all of our players.

‘‘To get a cap against the All Blacks makes a huge difference and that experience will resonate.’’

For New Zealand Rugby, having the All Blacks play in America is no doubt a moneydriven exercise to accommodate the needs of sponsors.

But the positive aspect of this test which shouldn’t be overlooked, which is that this test could advance rugby in the States and help with their plans to bring World Cups to the country.

If rugby can make inroads like football has in America, then that’s a win for everyone.

But it’s an age-old problem with the sport, that unless you’re one of the teams in the Six Nations or Rugby Championship, getting tests against the top nations is almost impossible.

For the game to grow in a place like America, the Eagles need to have more fixtures like Sunday’s test against the All Blacks.

‘‘The big challenge is that we need to be doing this regularly. We need to be playing 15-20 games a year,’’ Gold said.

‘‘You saw that with Japan. That’s what Japan did in the build up to the 2015 World Cup and in the four years building up to 2019.

‘‘Under Eddie Jones and then Jamie Joseph, they played rugby, even if it was under the guise of another team, they got to play.

‘‘That’s what any team needs and you’re seeing that now in South America, with teams like Chile and Uruguay.

‘‘There’s a reason why they’re improving so much and it’s because they’re playing in that SLAR [Superliga Americana de Rugby] competition and those teams are playing regular rugby.’’

In years when the British and Irish Lions play, there are more opportunities for tier 2 nations to play against tier 1 countries, as the more powerful nations send off second string teams and the Eagles were able to play England and Ireland this year.

But after this weekend, there’s nothing for the Eagles until they play Chile in World Cup qualifying games in July 2022.

‘‘Unfortunately nothing is scheduled in November,’’ Gold said.

‘‘The All Blacks go onto Europe to play those four test matches, but for us nothing and that’s where the challenge lies.’’