2018 Americas Pacific Challenge

Eagle Men Depth Chart: Lock

Eagle Men Depth Chart: Lock

A look at the Eagle depth chart with second row top of mind.

Oct 2, 2018 by Alex Goff
Nick Civetta: 'Tired Is Relative, Right?'

Round two of our look at a potential USA MNT depth chart has us looking at lock, which, in many ways, is the toughest position to fill out for an Eagles coach.

Watch All Nine Americas Pacific Challenge Games LIVE on FloRugby
Round 1 October 6
Round 2 October 10
Round 3 October 14

If you're tall and athletic, why aren't you playing football or basketball? You have to have a special combination of skills to filter into rugby, and even then, many want to put you at No. 8. So it is that while the USA is really good at the lineout, the country doesn't normally produce especially tall locks, and we're constantly looking at 6-foot-4 players hopping from 8 to 6 to 5.

Here's our ongoing list:

Lock


Samu ManoaCardiff Blues (Pro 14)
Nick CivettaDoncaster Knights (English Championship)
Ben LandryEaling Trailfinders (English Championship)
Greg PetersonGlasgow Warriors
Brendan DalySFGG (PRP)
David TameilauGlasgow Warriors
Siaosi MahoniSan Diego Legion (MLR)
Matt JensenUtah Warriors (MLR)
Nate BrakeleyNYAC (ARP)
Taylor KrumreiSeattle Seawolves (MLR)



Now there are several players in college who have potential, and one player that didn't make our top 20, James Mocke of BYU, is another to watch. But it's tough to find, again, that combination of height and rugby ability. Tommy Clark is a talent at AIC, but at 6-4 he's at the short end. Still, he could be in this list.

Also, lock is a crossover position. So of the players above, Manoa can play 6 or 8, Landry can play 6, and Brakeley can, too. Meanwhile we don't list David Tameilau and Cam Dolan, but certainly they could be here. We list them at flanker or No. 8.

At the APC this month, we'll see Daly back in action, along with Brakeley, Jensen, and Krumrei. Their job? Win the physical battle. Carrying the ball is nice, but the big job will be lineouts, rucks, scrums, and, above all, defense.