New England’s Safety, Nate Ebner proved he is willing to work for his chance at achieving his dream in representing the USA Sevens in Rio this summer. Ebner had three tries this past weekend against Portugal, showing himself as a force to be reckoned with on the pitch. Ebner has increased his chances at playing in Rio by roughly thirty or forty percent. Not to mention helping the team build better communication skills for the field. So what’s next for Ebner is he headed to Rio?
“He has a 50:50 chance now [of making the squad for Rio] but if he stays on this trajectory then it’s only going one way and that’s up,” Friday after the Singapore leg of the tournament. Previously when Ebner initially told Friday that he would be working to force his way into contention Friday gave Ebner about at “10 or 20” percent chance. As of last weekend these chances have more than doubled, and forward momentum is expected.
Ebner is no stranger to rugby but is still adjusting to the game of sevens since playing safety for the New England Patriots. What we can all get from this is, he is not slowing down. Friday says, “He has surprised me, how quickly he has bedded himself down. It’s no mean feat to come in with three weeks training and not look out of place on the world circuit.” With this kind of enthusiasm coming from a Friday, Eagles fans can expect great things in the future as training continues.
Friday wants to keep working on Ebner’s pass and ability to create space and manipulate it during attack. He played Ebner as a versatile forward in Singapore and plans on getting him plenty of play time while he trains to be a contender for the Olympics.With time winding down on the clock and Rio getting closer Ebner will have to prove he has all the skills to compete if he is going to represent the USA.
As the Paris and London leg of the tour get closer we expect to see a lot from Nate Ebner as he fights for his chance to join USA Sevens on their “Road to Rio”.