Gagiano and co. march to New Zealand

The Varsity Cup looks set to produce its first Rugby World Cup player, after JJ Gagiano and his USA Eagles team qualified for the 2011 World Cup which is to be held in New Zealand.

The USA beat Uruguay 27-6 last month to complete a 54-28 aggregate win over Los Teros and, thereby, secure their position at Rugby World Cup 2011 as the Americas 2 qualifier.

They will compete at RWC 2011 in Pool C against Australia, Ireland, Italy and Europe 2 (TBC) and Gagiano will hopefully be a part of the Eagles squad in the Land of the Long White Cloud.

Gagiano made his Test debut for America in November 2008 and has now played nine Tests for his adopted country, having first caught the eye during the 2008 FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International.

The star loose forward captained UCT to the final in 2008, where they narrowly went down to the Maties, before leading the side to the 2009 semifinals.

But Gagiano, 24, will be back in 2010 and is hoping to finish his Varsity Cup career on a high with his beloved Ikey Tigers.

The 2010 Varsity Cup kicks-off on Monday, February 1. Click HERE for all the fixtures!