Takedown Report

Meet the college wrestling star propelling the USA towards Rugby World Cup 2027

For Cory Daniel and the USA Men’s Eagles, the inaugural Nations Cup arrives at a useful point in their journey to next year’s Rugby World Cup.
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The July window will give Scott Lawrence’s side three Tests against Portugal, Zimbabwe and Spain, with the wider competition also featuring Tonga. For the USA, it is a block that should offer a clearer read on where the squad is, which players are forcing their way into the picture, and how much progress has been made since the start of the year.
For Daniel, it is another chance to keep building.
The Old Glory DC back-row has never had the standard rugby route. He came to the sport late, having first competed in wrestling and American football, and only started playing rugby when he was almost 24. His college wrestling coach connected him with the game, and although there was plenty to learn, Daniel found a way to digest it.
“I started playing it, and I fell in love with it pretty early on,” Daniel told RugbyPass. “There were definitely challenges, for sure, but with my football background, I understood that, if you simplify the game as much as you can, one team has the ball and is trying to score, and the other team is trying to stop them.”
That football background helped with the basics of handling, evasion and contact skills. Wrestling however shaped far more of the player he has become.
“With the wrestling, that really helped me, especially in the tackle area and the breakdown area,” he said. “I did not realise early on, but it was probably the best sport I could have transitioned from.”

That remains clear in his game. Daniel has become one of the Eagles’ more dependable defensive forwards who regularly gets through heavy contact work and has built much of his value around tackling, breakdown pressure and repeat effort.
Lawrence sees that value in straightforward terms. “Cory is the kind of no-nonsense, work hard, love your family, love your country individual that represents the true heartbeat of our country.”
Daniel did not brush off the comment when asked about it. “I think that is a good way to describe someone like myself, and it is pretty special he said something like that.” … more at … https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/meet-the-college-wrestling-star-propelling-the-usa-towards-rugby-world-cup-2027/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

July 2, 2026 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | rugby, sports