USA Men's Sevens head coach Mike Friday has a plan to handle the fact that his opening game at the Rugby World Cup Sevens this weekend in San Francisco will be against a team that already has a match under its belt.

The knockout bracket format of the RWC 7s has thrown quite a few players and coaches for a loop. The top eight teams get a bye to the round of 16, to be played on Friday evening (July 20). The bottom 16 of the men's field of 24 play off in an earlier game. 

The Eagles will play the winner of Wales or Zimbabwe, and Friday says it's not an advantage to get the bye.

"I think that those teams that play the extra game are at an advantage," Friday said. "We are genuinely contemplating on Friday, at midday, of playing a game, at midday, 7-on-7, full-contact between us. And that may mean we have injuries."

But not playing a game leaves you at risk of getting caught cold. He calls being able to play a game to warm up and get going an unfair advantage.

"Look at the World Series in Paris," said Friday, referring to South Africa losing the opening game 14-12 to Scotland. "If you have the [World Cup] format, South Africa would have gone out of the tournament in round one and they don't win the World Series. It's an advantage to the likes of Wales and Zimbabwe because they will be battle-ready whoever comes through it. We are seriously looking at what we're doing on Friday and they're going against each other, full metal jacket, and we'll see who comes out the other end."

Needless to say, Friday doesn't love the knockout format. The game is so up and down, a very good team can lose a game.

"You should be able to lose a game, one game, and still have a shot at winning," he said. 

So will there be a full game on Friday somewhere in San Francisco for the Eagles men? At the very least, "our session will be hugely, hugely physical," said Friday.