Nigel Melville

On a more serious side the weather has in part hampered the tour as Melville points out "the weather has been a bit of a problem. The games have been affected by the weather and the team has yet to play to its potential. However, every player has had game time. Our next team will be our best team, so we will see if improvements have been made."

This All American tour provides these young players with a taste of what the Rugby world has to offer and what it takes to become a top level Rugby player these days. Melville who is ultimately charged with reinvigorating US Rugby notes "The AA's tour is a very important part of our program. These players are all aged between 19 and 23. They are great athletes but very new to the game. The most experienced player will have played for 5 years, so the chance to play against experienced players is a great development opportunity.

There is no doubt that exposure to the skills of the kiwis, the rugby culture and even the awful weather helps players to grow and learn. Exposure to the rugby culture will help the players to understand the global nature of the game, and I believe help to keep them playing the game when they leave college."

It can be argued that one of US Rugby's greatest challenges to attaining regular success and moving up the rankings has been developing enough high quality players from a player pool that has little Rugby experience. A point not lost on Melville "I would hope that all the players proceed to the next level of play, Scott Johnson is here watching the squad, so maybe players will progress faster than many thought - they are the right age, they are excellent athletes."

There has been much talk in recent times that Rugby's popularity is on the wane in New Zealand. With a Bledisloe match this coming weekend in Sydney and a recent loss to the Springboks, it is refreshing to hear from Melville how warmly the All Americans have been received "Any team that makes the effort to come to New Zealand will be well received. We have been very well received, in fact the All Blacks invited us to watch them train earlier this week, what a fantastic gesture and opportunity for the US players, and we appreciate their help, enjoy their friendship and wish them every success."

There is no doubt in our minds that should the US continue to promote programs and tours such as this then they will soon become a hotbed of talent and rise up through the rankings.

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