MEDIA ALERT

For Immediate Release
November 20, 2017

Strong Showing by Glendale Raptors players in
Inaugural Test Match with Germany

GLENDALE, Colo. - With five Glendale Raptors players on the U.S. Men’s National Rugby Team roster and coach David Williams debuting as the American defensive specialist, the Glendale Raptors proved an integral part in the USA’s 46-17 victory over Germany on Saturday.

The USA Eagles were actually trailing the Germans throughout most of the first 40 minutes until Glendale’s 6’5” flanker Ben Landry made a massive hit, creating a turnover and drawing a penalty late into the half. That huge play by Landry spurred a series of runs that led to Eagles captain Blaine Scully (Cardiff Blues) scoring the first try of the game and giving the U.S. a three-point lead heading into halftime.

Following the break, Glendale’s scrumhalf Shaun Davies came out fast and furious for the USA, breaking through and diving for the line from five meters out. Davies nearly scored the try himself, but came up just short, and teammate Joe Taufet'e (Worcester Warriors) jumped in to help score the first points of the second half. A.J. MacGinty (Sale Sharks) slotted the conversion and the score was 20-10.

Just moments later, however, Taufet’e and Davies would work together again, this time with Shaun making the try, bringing the score to 27-10. In just a blink of an eye, the Eagles had scored three tries, gained a 17-point lead and the U.S. would never look back.

Additionally, near the end of the match, Glendale Raptors John Quill and Will Magie would both come off the bench to help contribute to the USA’s fifth try for the team. Although the Germans would score one more of their own, the Eagles would walk away with a solid win in their inaugural match against Germany.

“The Glendale community is tremendously proud of the players representing the Raptors and USA Rugby,” said Mark Bullock, director of Glendale Rugby. “The positive impact they had on the game is a testament to their hard work and the influence of both the Glendale and USA coaching staffs.”

Raptors Head Coach David Williams is in the rare position to be a member of both - the Glendale and USA coaching staff. Williams, a former USA Eagle himself, knows how valuable this international experience can be to a player’s development, but also how the Glendale Raptors program allows these players to be uniquely qualified to play at this level.

“Playing for the Raptors is an ideal environment for both training and playing at the domestic elite and international level,” Williams added. “The Raptor players representing the Eagles this past weekend did themselves and the U.S. proud.”

The USA Eagles, along with several Glendale Raptors, will now travel from Frankfurt to Tbilisi to face off against Georgia on November 25, which will serve as their final contest in 2017.

For more information on the USA Eagles upcoming international test visit www.usarugby.org. For more info on the Glendale Raptors and their upcoming Major League Rugby season that kicks off in April, visit http://www.glendaleraptors.com/.

#WeAreRugbyStrong

About Glendale Raptors Rugby

The Glendale Raptors Rugby Football Club was established in 2007, accompanied by the creation of Infinity Park. The first rugby-specific stadium built in the U.S., Glendale’s Infinity Park is both a milestone in the development of rugby in this country and a major investment in the future of the city and the sport. Since the team’s creation, the Raptors have become standard-bearers for U.S. rugby, creating a template both on and off the field for what a successful rugby team looks like. In the decade-plus since the club’s inception, the Raptors have hoisted multiple championship banners in Infinity Park. As one of the teams across the country entering the forthcoming professional Major League Rugby organization, the Raptors enter a new chapter of competition at the highest level.

Beginning in 2018, Major League Rugby (MLR) will become the crown jewel atop the USA Rugby domestic participation pyramid, providing a focal point for fans, an aspirational goal for young players, and opportunities for businesses to engage with the sport. By stitching together the local with the national, the national with the global, MLR will be the embodiment of rugby’s character-driven model of sport and athleticism, teamwork and diversity, participation and community – and an open invitation for the American public to join the unique and vibrant rugby world.

For more information on the Raptors, please visit www.glendaleraptors.com.