On the other side of the world, some of the toughest athletes on the planet are literally going head-to-head in the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Among them is Pella High School graduate Paul Emerick, who is playing as a member of the United States rugby team; the Eagles.

Emerick was an All-American rugby player at the University of Northern Iowa and has played for a number of clubs throughout Europe since his debut in 2003.

He and the rest of the Eagles are coming off of a 13-6 victory over the Russian National Team – the Bears – which just finished in the early morning hours our time. The game was viewed by analysts as a “must-win” for the Americans, who lost to a highly-touted team from Ireland in the opening round of pool play, and needed a victory over the Bears to have a shot at reaching the quarterfinals.

Paul Emerick and Team USA still have teams from Australia and Italy to face in their pool. The 2011 Rugby World Cup began this past Friday and runs through October 23rd in New Zealand.