EAGLES XV: COACHES DOWN TO FINAL 4!

The USA Men’s National Team  Head Coaching job seems to be down to a short list of …

(In alphabetical order)

Les Cusworth

Dave Hodges

Paul Keeler

Mike Tolkin

All four are apparently going to meet with the USA Rugby Board in Las Vegas during the USA 7s February 10-12, and will give a presentation on how they will tackle the job.

Les Cusworth, 57, is a former England flyhalf who played for Leicester back when they had letters instead of numbers on their jerseys. Cusworth coached at Leicester and also with the Argentina national team, where he was also Director of Rugby. If he were to be hired, he is expected to at least consult with former Argentina Head Coach Marcelo Loffreda.

Dave Hodges, 43, was a rugby and football All American at Occidental College and played 54 times for the USA, 27 as captain. During his professional career at Llanelli he also served as the team’s strength and conditioning coach, and was Head Coach of the Collegiate All Americans and the Denver Barbarians. He has been an assistant with the USA Men’s National Team since 2009 in charge of the forwards and performance analysis.

Paul Keeler, 40, is the Director of Rugby at San Francisco Golden Gate, where he led the club to appearances in the last three Super League finals, winning two. Before that he was Head Coach of Old Blue in New York City. His elite-level coaching includes several union all-star teams at the senior and collegiate level. He also coached the USA Selects in the first incarnation of the Americas Rugby Championship.

Mike Tolkin, 44, is the Head Coach of Xavier High School, where he also teaches, Head Coach of the New York Athletic Club men’s team, and assistant coach for the USA MNT, in charge of defense. In 2010 Tolkin coached Xavier and NYAC to national titles. He was also a national champion for Xavier as a student.

Source: RugbyMag.com

Photo Credits: Getty Images