Americans in the Premiership

[norcalbuff]

Seems to be an ever-increasing amount of Americans playing in the Premiership with Saints signing Cam Dolan today. Wonderful to see it and I'll be following the competition much more closely. I think the current number has to be a record?

Cam Dolan (signed today) - Saints
Samu Manoa - Saints
Chris Wyles - Saracens
Hayden Smith - Saracens
***i Lamositele - Saracens (academy)
Andrew Suniula - Wasps
Blaine Scully - Tigers

 

[dasNdanger]

Yes, I've been noticing it, too. I hope it really helps the sport in general here in the States, and - of course - the national team.

I will, however, still always root for the ABs.



das

 

[ratsapprentice]

http://www.thisisamericanrugby.com/2013/12/interview-with-us-eligible-leicester.html#more

Add another to that list.

 

[McTallshort]

Seems to be an ever-increasing amount of Americans playing in the Premiership with Saints signing Cam Dolan today. Wonderful to see it and I'll be following the competition much more closely. I think the current number has to be a record?

Cam Dolan (signed today) - Saints
Samu Manoa - Saints
Chris Wyles - Saracens
Hayden Smith - Saracens
***i Lamositele - Saracens (academy)
Andrew Suniula - Wasps
Blaine Scully - Tigers

Great lad already a Welford rd favorite hoping he gets a long term contract.

 

[SuperEagle]

Great lad already a Welford rd favorite hoping he gets a long term contract.

Seconded

 

[norcalbuff]

I was surprised no one picked Scully up after the 2011 RWC. Glad to hear he is doing well at Leicester.

We also have a number of guys at the Championship level (I'm surprised we don't have more guys playing at this level as the quality is there and they might be good signings for some of the Championship sides):

Robbie Shaw - London Scottish
Eric Fry - London Scottish
Will Magie (played USA U20 in 2012, uncapped) - Ealing

 

[norcalbuff]

http://www.thisisamericanrugby.com/2013/12/interview-with-us-eligible-leicester.html#more

Add another to that list.

Would love to see him turn out for our U20 side in the JWRT. We are going to need it because we are going to be missing many of our best players due to the timing of the tournament (it's in April this year, and ~80% of our U20 players go to university).

 

[LittleGuy]

Is John Quill still at the London Irish academy?

Many more American players at this level than Canadians but a disparity between our presence in the Championship and yours almost the complete reverse. Are they any Americans in the Rabo right now? I didn't think there were when I thought about it today but I may have overlooked someone. Than there is Zee and Lavalla in the Top 14, and Clever in Japan.

 

[norcalbuff]

Is John Quill still at the London Irish academy?

Many more American players at this level than Canadians but a disparity between our presence in the Championship and yours almost the complete reverse. Are they any Americans in the Rabo right now? I didn't think there were when I thought about it today but I may have overlooked someone. Than there is Zee and Lavalla in the Top 14, and Clever in Japan.

No Eagles in the Rabo right now, although there are a few US-eligible guys in it. Quill's back in Ireland with Dolphin. Luke Hume had a trial at Gloucester that went quite well but they didn't see the need to add another wing. There were some rumors during that trial that Bath were interested too, so it wouldn't be shocking to see him pick up a Premiership contract next year.

Thiel, Wallace and Cullen have signed with the same agent that Manoa and Dolan have so I wouldn't be surprised to see them in England, but probably at Championship level. Cullen has the athleticism to go higher than that but he's still quite raw and above the age of academy level so a Championship side seems right for him. Wallace has great potential and is excellent as a ball carrier but his scrummaging still needs a lot of work and simply isn't Premiership quality at this point. And Thiel I just don't rate that highly. I think he's a serviceable player who is pretty much Championship quality at his age. I'd love to be wrong and see them get Premiership contracts though.

Two other guys worth mentioning are Folau Niua and Adam Siddall. Niua hadn't played much high level 15s until the RWCQs but he has been outstanding every time he's taken the pitch. Siddall is a little younger and can play pretty much any position 10-15. He can also kick well at goal.

Ultimately it's best for us to get as many guys playing at a high level of professional rugby is possible. The same goes for Canada. If our nations were level with Italy, at the very least we'd get far more Tier 1 test matches and there is a chance we might be considered for inclusion in some type of expanded 6N as the commercial attractiveness of North America is quite powerful.

 

[The American]

I'm excited to see Dolan join the Premiership, and specifically excited he's joining the Saints. Manoa, Hartley & Lawes are the reasons I started supporting Northampton. I think he'll play a large part in the growth of the American game one day. The Autumn tour was a beautiful start for Cam, specifically the Maori test, but the Premiership is another level up from what he's seen thus far.