USA - The Eagles

Team Preview

Coach:
Peter Thorburn

Previous World Cups:
1987, 1991, 1999, 2003

Best Performance:
Pool Stage 1987, 1991, 1999, 2003

Played:
12 - 1 win, 11 losses

World Ranking:
No.15

Fixtures:
v England, Lens, September 8
v Tonga, Montpellier, September 12
v Samoa, St-Etienne, September 26
v South Africa, Montpellier, September 30

Facts:
1. The USA has missed out on only one World Cup, in 1995.
2. With only two nations competing, the USA stunned France to win gold in the 1920 Olympic Games.
3. In July 2006, the side beat Barbados 91-0 - the best result in its history.
4. Lock Luke Gross is America's most-capped player with 62 appearances to his name.
5. The national side is nicknamed 'the Eagles'.

Key Players:

MIKE HERCUS
Captain and all-time leading points-scorer Mike Hercus is the man leading the charge to put United States rugby on the map.

Born in Virginia to Australian parents, Hercus represented the Wallabies at under-21 level before being handed the opportunity to gain full international honours with the US.

The 28-year-old No.10, who made his debut against Scotland in 2002, will have first-hand knowledge of some of the opponents he will come up against in France from his club experience in the UK.

After brief stints with Sale Sharks - where he was understudy to England's Charlie Hodgson - and Newport Gwent Dragons, Hercus returned to California to join former club Belmont Shore earlier this year. He pulled out of the Churchill Cup after undergoing groin surgery.

PAUL EMERICK
Having switched to rugby after a college career in gridiron and wrestling, Newport Gwent Dragons centre Paul Emerick also cuts an imposing figure.

He has established himself as a key figure in the backline and boasts a wealth of big-game experience.

A versatile player who can do a job at centre, wing or fullback, Emerick made his full bow against Spain in 2003.

He is one of just seven full-time players available to the Eagles, joining Celtic League side the Dragons in 2006 following a successful spell with Italian outfit Overmach Parma.

The 27-year-old believes the lack of a professional league has left the USA trailing its Test rivals, but is nevertheless relishing his role as one of the country's senior players.

CHAD ERSKINE
Waterloo halfback Chad Erskine has been thrust onto the international scene and will be looking to cap his rise by making a name for himself in France.

The 27-year-old made his USA debut against North American rivals Canada in August 2006.

The Durban-born No.9, who began playing rugby at the age of six, has represented South Africa at polo and will no doubt relish the opportunity to test himself against the fearsome Springboks in Montpellier on September 30.

MIKE MACDONALD
With the USA looking to its forwards to make the difference at the tournament, Mike MacDonald is sure to figure prominently in such plans.

An instrumental figure in Leeds Tykes' immediate return to the English Premiership after joining the club from Worcester last year, the 26-year-old has collected more than 40 caps since making his debut against Fiji seven years ago.

A dangerous proposition with ball in hand, the 110kg prop is able to play on either side of the front row.

Another player with a background in wrestling and gridiron, Berkeley-born MacDonald began playing rugby at high school in 1997.

He went on to win four national championships with the University of California, and was named in the All-American XV - a team made up of the nation's best collegiate players - every year from 2000 to 2004.

LUKE GROSS
Veteran lock Luke Gross brings vital experience to the United States set-up, with more than 60 caps to his credit since making his bow against Ireland in 1995.

The 37-year-old was the first American to reach a half-century of caps and now holds the all-time record for international appearances.

A powerful force with a 6ft 9in, 125kg frame, Gross is sure to be a crucial cog in the US wheel at the lineout.

The Indiana-born second-rower, now at Rotherham, has played in the UK for several years and counts Llanelli Scarlets and Newcastle among his former clubs.
Like Hercus, Gross has undergone surgery recently with the demands of full-time rugby having taken their toll.

Gross admits his most embarrassing moment in the sport was emerging from a maul to score what he thought was a try ... on the 22m line.