Eagles lift U.S. rugby

By: BRIAN HIRO - Staff Writer
Home team inspires crowd at USA Sevens | Sunday, February 10, 2008 10:57 PM PST ∞

SAN DIEGO ---- If you closed your eyes and simply listened to the roar of the crowd, you might have thought LaDainian Tomlinson was galloping toward the winning touchdown in a Chargers game ---- well, maybe a Chargers preseason game.

Instead, the sport was rugby, the venue was Petco Park, and the finely tuned athlete in the open field was Chris Wyles, the captain of the U.S. sevens team.

After hurdling a mass of defenders and faking a pitch to a teammate, Wyles sprinted away from his pursuers and dove across the goal line for the go-ahead try with fewer than 30 seconds left in a match against France on Sunday afternoon.

Mobbed by his teammates, Wyles chucked the ball into the right-field stands while red-white-and-blue-clad fans screamed wildly and Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" boomed over the loudspeakers.

"That moment was one of the best of my life, in front of the U.S. crowd to close the game," Wyles said after the Americans' 12-10 win in their second of three matches Sunday. "It was an amazing feeling."

The second edition of the USA Sevens international rugby tournament in San Diego closed Sunday with several memorable scenes: New Zealand players performing a war dance following their 27-12 victory over South Africa in the championship match, which extended their winning streak to a record 36 games; Kenya beating England to help lift the spirits of a nation plunged into ethnic strife; Mexico being serenaded by its small pocket of fans even after losing its five tournament matches by an average score of 52-0.

But the highlight of the day, and indeed the event, was the inspiring performance of the Eagles ---- as the U.S. team is nicknamed ---- and the attachment that began to be formed between the players and their gradually expanding fanbase. After dropping their first two matches of the tournament, the Americans proceeded to beat Mexico, Chile and France, then roared back from a 21-0 deficit against Wales before a missed conversion kick in the waning seconds sealed a 21-19 defeat in the Final Bowl.

Still, the crowd of 16,489 treated the U.S. team like champions as it circled the ballpark for one final bow.

"People said, 'Great job, we were behind you, we can't wait until next year,' " U.S. coach Al Caravelli said. "A lot of young kids were saying, 'I want to be an Eagle.' "

That comment would surely produce a smile from USA Sevens officials and other leaders of American rugby, who are counting on the grass-roots growth of the sport to help it finally enter the athletic mainstream in this country.

"What we need to do is reverse that picture that's in your mind, that when I say rugby, you think of drinking, fighting, badly behaved, non-athletic footballers, to a game of fit guys playing in front of big crowds and a global TV audience," said Nigel Melville, a former English rugby star who's now the CEO of USA Rugby. "That's where the game is now."

Based on the evidence from the weekend, it's also where the game is slowly moving in the United States. The two-day attendance total was 35,773, about 5,000 more than last year but still 15,000 short of tournament organizers' hopes. Melville was quick to point out that not even the Hong Kong Sevens, the biggest such tournament in the world, was an overnight success story.

"It's crucial for the U.S. team to do well," USA Sevens director Dan Lyle said. "If they're performing like we know they can, it adds to the value of this sport and our tournament is successful."

Among the throng cheering on the Eagles was Rod Heisler, who flew down from San Francisco for the weekend with 10 teammates from his rugby club in Berkeley.

"It's a fantastic event," said Heisler, 34. "The city of San Diego needs to keep supporting this. The whole club is going to make this an annual pilgrimage."

Recreational players like Heisler could only marvel at the exploits of Wyles, a 24-year-old whose eight tries was a tournament-best total. Wyles was born in Connecticut and raised in Pennsylvania before moving to London when he was 12.

It was there that he picked up rugby, and he became so good at it that he eventually played professionally for three years.

Now he lives in Pacific Beach and suits up for the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club along with Todd Clever, another sevens star who has spurned pro money to play for his country.

"We showed a lot of passion out there, showed what kind of potential we have," Wyles said. "I hope there's going to be people jumping on this bandwagon."

Contact staff writer Brian Hiro at b_hiro@hotmail.com.