USA and Greece prepare for Friday clashes as first game is cancelled

The USA and Greece men’s squads are preparing for tomorrow’s (Friday) senior international in Las Vegas after their initial clash was called off.

The match was pulled due to player safety concerns caused by lighting issues at Silver Bowl Park after thieves stole copper from the floodlights, which electricians from Clarke County were unable to rectify in time with the players already in attendance.

As a result, tomorrow’s games will be played in daylight at the venue, USA and Greece women kicking off at 1.30pm (local time) followed by the men at 3.30pm.

USARL head coach Sean Rutgerson commented: “It’s obviously disappointing with the technical difficulties but we get a couple of extra training sessions in, and it makes tomorrow’s game more important. We get a chance to advertise it, hype it up and, hopefully, get a big crowd - it will be a good game. We’ve got six new guys, one of whom has trained out here with Cronulla, and we’re all looking forward to it.”

“We’ll start to build a team for the next World Cup qualifiers from this experience,” said Greece head coach Steve Georgallis. “We’ve got a lot of young players and up to eight debutants so similar to USA. I’m expecting a close match, getting new combinations together so this is a valuable experience. It’s great for Greece RL and exciting for the players. The women’s game has taken off in Greece.”