Zack Test, 2x Olympian & USA 7's Coach

From a Bay Area kid who broke his nose at his first rugby practice to head coach of the USA Men's Sevens, Zack Test has lived several rugby lives. He walked on at Oregon football, snapped his ankle at the U20 World Cup, and chose rugby, which took him to Loughborough University and the Sevens circuit. He then played in the 2015 Rugby World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympics. A traumatic brain injury in his first fifteens game back ended his playing career at 27.

Zack shares his story, along with how he rebuilt his life through coaching. We cover his path from San Diego State to the San Diego Legion to assistant coach of the USA women's bronze medal team in Paris, and the heartbreak of missing the Men's Sevens job before getting a second chance at it. He also talks about balancing brotherhood with competition, the Groundhog Day grind of Chula Vista, and his mission to make sure American coaches never get overlooked again. Then he builds his all-time XV and Sevens teams, and one big name is missing.

Show notes

Guest: Zack Test, head coach of the USA Men's Sevens and former USA Eagle and Olympian

In this episode

• Growing up in the Bay Area, his dad's rugby background, and how his sister's friends got him into Peninsula Green
• Walking on at Oregon football under Mike Bellotti, then the ankle injury at the U20 World Cup that forced a choice
• Loughborough University: being the "Yank," learning professionalism, and balancing school with Sevens camps
• Coming up in Sevens alongside Todd Clever, Takudzwa Ngwenya, and Matt Hawkins
• The early full-time residency in Chula Vista and the program's rise under Mike Friday
• A MRSA scare, the 2015 Rugby World Cup, and facing Bryan Habana
• The pressure cooker of the Rio Olympics year, and how Zack made the team
• The February 2017 traumatic brain injury against Uruguay, and a recovery that took more than the body to heal
• Finding coaching through the Maccabiah Games, San Diego State, and the San Diego Legion
• Learning from Rob Holdley, coaching Samu Manoa, and the COVID year in Vegas
• Joining the women's Sevens program and the bronze medal run in Paris
• Missing out on the Men's Sevens job, then getting the call after Simon Amor stepped down
• Why Nesse Malifa was his first choice as assistant coach
• Zack's goal of a self-sufficient top-four team, and his push to open doors for American coaches