Somewhat tangentially, I would suggest that it might be desirable to play an attractive brand of rugby if more people are to be drawn toward playing the sport. I would argue that the current commercial considerations would be directed primarily at efforts by USA Rugby to better the sponsorship situation at the national level so some progress can be made lower down.

I agree that the Polynesian influence is certainly a factor. In addition, it seems likely to me that the tough tackling and effective close-quarters play around the breakdown could be attributed to the significant influence of (American) football on many of the players in the national program.