Gary Gold on Friday resigned as head coach of the United States after the Eagles failed to qualify for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
READ: 20 tips for next-gen rugby stars
The Eagles, who are set to host the 2031 World Cup, lost a North American qualifying two-match series to Uruguay in October 2021, lost 52-51 in a two-game aggregate series against Chile last July and lost out on the final World Cup spot last month to Portugal, who advanced on a 16-16 draw with the Americans.
The former Springbok assistant coach, Gold was appointed to the job in 2018 after two seasons as Worcester Warriors director of rugby and leaves with the best win rate in team history.
“One of the things I believe about leadership is that the position comes with accountability for outcomes,” Gold said. “And I feel that I need to take responsibility for the fact that we haven’t qualified.”
Gold guided an American side that went 0-4 at the 2019 World Cup in Japan. The Eagles are 3-26 overall in eight World Cup appearances, their most recent win by 13-6 over Russia in 2011.
“I want to thank Gary for his dedication, passion and service to the USA Men’s Eagles,” USA Rugby chief executive officer Ross Young said. “He has brought home the most successful record of any previous coach and helped carry the team to its highest ever World Rugby ranking of 12 in 2018.”
USA Rugby’s board of directors also announced it will conduct a review of its high performance program. Gold will remain at hand to the end of the year to participate in the review.
Saturday Quiz: Euro Cup challenge!
© Agence France-Presse
