games of qualifying for the World Cup, the United States were dropped from 14th down to 15th place when the new world rankings were released after the tournament. In 2009 and 2010 the United States hosted other emerging North American teams in the Atlantic Cup. 2011–2013: First World Cup In 2011, seven teams in the AMNRL domestic competition broke away to form the USA Rugby League. The AMNRL denied selection to players affiliated with USARL teams, including players who had been selected for the Tomahawks previously. In 2012, the USA entered World Cup qualifying for the second time in another bid to qualify for their first World Cup in 2013. They began with a comprehensive 40–4 victory over the South Africa in Philadelphia, and followed it up with a 40–4 victory over Jamaica to qualify for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup for the first time. The Tomahawks won a warm-up match against 4th-ranked France, defeating them 22–18 in Toulouse in the USA's best victory to date. In the finals, they were drawn in a group with the Cook Islands and Wales as well as an inter-group game against Scotland. They began by beating the Cook Islands 32–0 and then Wales 24–16, before losing 22–8 to Scotland, although they still ended up winning their group. As group winners, they advanced to the quarter finals to face Australia, losing 62-0 to be eliminated from the tournament. 2014–present: USARL Following the World Cup, the national team was put on hiatus while the governance dispute between the AMNRL and the USARL was resolved. The team subsequently lost the right to automatic qualification for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup. In November 2014, stewardship of the national team was transferred to the USARL, and the team was rebranded from Tomahawks to Hawks. Brian McDermott was subsequently appointed head coach and his first job was to help the USA re-secure the World Cup qualification that they first won four years earlier. The team performed the qualification tournament, held in the US, in December 2015. The team qualified for their second consecutive World Cup after winning both their matches. The United States were drawn in a tough group with Fiji, Italy and Papua New Guinea. They lost their first game against Fiji 58-12, following it up with a 46-0 thumping by Italy and finally losing 64-0 in their final pool game against Papua New Guinea. Coaching