The Worcester hooker is a try-scoring threat in an Eagles squad full of seasoned pros and determined to mount a challenge in Japan
In preparation for USA’s
World Cup opener against
England in Kobe on Thursday, head coach Gary Gold has worked his players hard. In the heat and altitude of
Colorado, in the humidity of Okinawa, the pace has been so high that Joe Taufete’e, the biggest hooker in world rugby, has ended up a little less big.
“When I got into camp in July,” he says, down the phone, “I had put on a little weight. I was almost 130kg. Now I’m sitting at 120 so you can see the amount of work we’ve put in. It’s been horrendously tough.”