(Source) It looks like he’s back! Todd Clever was announced today as the captain for the USA Eagles for the American Rugby Championships. This weekend the Eagles will face off against Argentina at BBVA Stadium in Houston, TX. The announcement came up just a week after Todd Clever, the long time face of the USA Eagles XVs, was invited back to play with the Eagles.
Clever was dismissed from the Eagles, before the World Rugby Cup, by former head coach, Mike Tolkin. The stories behind the release of Todd Clever were publicly revealed in online letter to the fans, written by Clever. This year, it looks like newly hired head coach, John Mitchell, has made the decision to bring him back to lead in this effort. This can’t be denied as a wise decision, especially under the announcement of Chris Wyles retirement from the Eagles Xvs team. Tied in with the retirement, the Eagles will be competing in the American Rugby Championships with a record number of young rugby players (11) who developed through the USA Rugby Age rate system, such as Cameron Falcon and Mike Teo.
The addition of veteran leadership will help guide these young players, as well as the new culture of Rugby, Mitchell wants to establish as they prepare for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. This will be a great confidence and motivational boost for this young Eagles team. Very interesting start to the John Mitchell Era of USA Rugby.