As native New Zealanders, John Fletcher and Lance Henwood will be in Chicago on Saturday, dressed in All Blacks shirts and cheering loudly when their nation’s national rugby team plays the United States in an exhibition match.
As coaches in Clark County who are working to build rugby’s profile here, they are excited about the exposure Saturday’s match provides their sport.
“The All Blacks are heavy favorites, and they won’t take their foot off the pedal,” said Fletcher, who coaches the club rugby team at Prairie High School. “But the USA will give them a good challenge.”
The sold-out stands at Soldier Field might not be the only place where Clark County is represented. Tim Stanfill, a 2007 Evergreen High School graduate, is among the 35 players selected to the USA Eagles roster for its fall tour that begins with this match and includes three matches in Europe. It is his first time on the Eagles roster.
If he doesn’t see the field against the All Blacks, Stanfill figures to play later in a tour that include matches against Romania, against Tonga in England, and against Fiji in France.
Troy Hall, the development director for Rugby Oregon, was also named to the USA Eagles roster for the November matches. A native of New Zealand, Hall now lives in Oregon and leads Rugby Oregon’s program to introduce elementary school students to the sport.
A wing player, Stanfill first played rugby as a junior in high school when a friend invited him to join the Vancouver Sharks club team.
He said he enjoyed the non-stop action.
“I Iiked that everyone gets a chance to shine. Everyone gets to touch the ball,” Stanfill said, remembering his early rugby days.
At Central Washington University, Stanfill chose to play for the rugby club instead of walking on to the football team. There, he developed into a standout who was named MVP of the 2011 USA Rugby College 7s National Championships as CWU finished second. In August, Stanfill played with his Seattle Saracens club at the World Club 7s tournament in England.
Noted for his speed and tenacity, Stanfill’s call into the national team for this tour came after a strong performance earlier this month for a USA Selects team in the Americas Rugby Championships tournament in Canada. Stanfill scored two tries (like touchdowns) in each of his appearances, wins over Canada A and Uruguay.
“The ARCs were a lot of fun,” Stanfill said. “I was just waiting for my opportunity and just tried to make the most of it.”
On the horizon for the USA are the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England. And in 2016, rugby 7s — the seven-a-side version of the sport — makes its Olympics debut.
Henwood, who officiates high school matches and coaches middle school rugby in Battle Ground, predicts the Olympics will give rugby a significant boost in the United States.
“It’s amazing what can happen in seven-minute halves. I think (the Olympics) are going to create a lot of hype in this country.”
Stanfill said he isn’t thinking that far ahead. This November tour as just another step in his development.
“This is the next step on the stepping stone,” Stanfill said.
Youth coaches Fletcher and Henwood believe Saturday’s visit by their beloved All Blacks can be a bellwether moment for their favorite sport in America.
“We coach kids who have never seen a game,” Fletcher said. “This is a chance to watch the best in the world.”
On TV: USA Eagles vs. New Zealand All Blacks, 12:30 p.m. Saturday on NBC.
