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Caravelli initially brought in 19 players and after a week of training and fitness testing at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista near San Diego, he has trimmed the squad to 12.
The team leaves for Australia Saturday.
“I’m extremely pleased that we have nine of the players who were in Las Vegas on this tour, and that Mark Bokhoven joins the squad back from injury,” Caravelli said.
“That gives us 10 players who have played in the series thus far this season. That is huge for us. That experience is invaluable and doesn’t come our way too often.”
In the last two series stops, the US side secured the Shield in Wellington and the Bowl in Las Vegas, and is looking to improve on those results for the next two tournaments.
New to the team is Tommy Saunders of the Kansas City Blues, who proved to be the fittest player at camp.
“We have never had a football player without rugby experience crush the beep test the way he did,” Caravelli said. “He is still learning the game, but he makes up for his lack of experience with his athleticism.”
The other new player to the squad is Zach Pangelinan, who played in four IRB Sevens tournaments last season, but until now had yet to make this season’s tour squad.
The team will train in Adelaide for just two days prior to the Australian leg, with scrimmages against South Africa and France scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. Following the Adelaide event, the team will travel to Hong Kong for the sixth stop on the circuit.
For more information on the US men’s Sevens team, please visit www.usarugby.org/goto/mens_sevens
For more information on the IRB Sevens World Series, please visit www.irbsevens.com
US Sevens team:
Barnard, Marco (Kutztown)
Bokhoven, Mark (Denver Barbarians)
Edwards, Nick (NYAC)
Emerick, Paul (Parma)
Hawkins, Matt (Belmont Shore) [Vice Captain]
Malifa, Valenese (Belmont Shore)
Pangelinan, Zach (OMBAC)
Peters, Leonard (Aspen)
Saunders, Tommy (KC Blues)
Suniula, Shalom (Pearl City)
Swiryn, Kevin (Old Puget Sound Beach) [Captain]
Test, Zach (Loughborough)
