Folau Niua scored an early try and New England Patriots safety Nate Ebner added a second with the man advantage as the USA opened up a 14-0 lead at halftime.
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Argentina scored a try in injury time to erase a 14-12 US lead. Rugby sevens is making its Olympic debut in Rio. Belichick and the Patriots team as a whole have made no secret about their enthusiasm for Ebner’s Olympic participation.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick has supported Ebner’s rugby ambitions and gathered the team together to watch the game today at training camp. Ebner’s play in the Olympics is also great PR for an organization who has been talking about deflated footballs for far too long.
Team USA commenced its Olympic schedule on Tuesday afternoon against Argentina in group play.
During Tuesday’s practice, reporters began sharing photos of Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and members of the coaching staff wearing Nate Ebner rugby shirts.
Ebner has the full support of his National Football League team.
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The U.S. will return to the pitch Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. ET against top-seeded Fiji.
