These US Eagles have their talons sharpened for Ireland

True story. An Irishman landed in Milwaukee over 30 years ago. A decent club player with Lansdowne, he wasn’t long seeking out what the locals called “a skirmish”.

He also wasn’t long being decapitated. On screwing his head back on he decided the time had come to work on his handicap.

Rugby in the States has evolved since, but the common denominator of contact sports in North America remains intact; the paying customer likes audible pain, they want collisions.

They want blood.

Tune into TG4 at 1.30am next Sunday morning and see the aptly named Todd Clever and Manu Samoa go about delivering this for the 22,000 capacity crowd at the BBVA Compass stadium in Houston, Texas.

“A few years ago I got off the plane from Leicester on a Wednesday and next day at training I got hit harder than I had ever been hit before.”

That’s an astonishing thing for Gavin Hickie to say. The former St Mary’s College and Leinster hooker arrived for a season of amateur rugby at Belmont Shore in California having been eased out of the professional game after mangling his shoulder trying to tackle Jason Robinson in 2007. Of all the places, he arrived from Welford Road where hard hitting and training ground fights are still a way of life.

“The game is extremely physical over here and it will be like that next week in Houston.”

Hickie is currently preparing the USA under-20 forwards for the Junior World Cup and doubles up as interim head coach for the sevens and 15 aside at Dartmouth College. He also runs a website, lineoutcoach.com.

Well placed

All told, it leaves him well placed to call Ireland’s impending tour of North America.

“I would say the USA will win this one.”

Really, Gavin? Maybe the past five years coaching in the land of hope and glory clouded his mind. Maybe he has gone all patriotic on us?

Actually, he views it with logic.

“You take so many leaders out of the Ireland team due to the Lions. I know the young guys have a lot to prove and it is a great chance for them but they are coming up against a very hard hitting team.

“Mike Tolkin (the Eagles head coach) has put in some good structures, rugby is growing over here and for this match it feels like there is a lot at stake for American rugby.

“I know there is a lot at stake for Les Kiss and the new coaching structure but I feel the USA might just get this one right.”

So, this handy two-match tour of North America could get really serious really quickly. At least Les Kiss had his young squad, with 23-year-old captain Peter O’Mahony, boarding the plane to Houston this morning forewarned.

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These US Eagles have their talons sharpened for Ireland