USA Sevens Team© Tony Marshall - Getty Images

USA Sevens head coach Mike Friday has challenged American rugby to build on their landmark World Sevens Series win.

The Sevens side won their first ever Series title at Twickenham on Sunday as they knocked out England in the semi-finals before then bulldozing Australia in the finals and Friday feels the game must have a stronger presence in the country's high schools if they are to capitalise on the vast potential.

"They must get rugby into the high schools so they can see the sport as complimenting American football and basketball rather than competing against them, then they are on to something," Friday told ESPN. "They have to use that pathway to capture the majority of the American public and the young kids.

"They have to use rugby to compliment the others as the player pool will swell. With the number and ability of players they have, there is a massive opportunity. The reality is if you have the opportunity to play football at say Notre Dame and play in front of 120,000 people every week for three years: what 18-year-old, however good you are at rugby, wouldn't take that? If you can use rugby to complement that - 98% never make it to the NFL - then you have a rugby playing pool that has the tactical education between the ages of 12 and 18 that we can draw upon."

The Sevens triumph marked the end to a remarkable week for American rugby after San Francisco was confirmed as the hosts of the 2018 Sevens World Cup and the Wallabies confirmed they will play a Test against the Eagles in Chicago on September 5.

Following on from the Eagles' match against the All Blacks in front of a sold-out Soldier Field last November, there are signs rugby is growing in America. Captain at Twickenham for the USA Sevens side was 22-year-old Madison Hughes and he wants their triumph to be seen as a building block for greater success.

"It was a big validation of everything we have been doing this year," Hughes told ESPN. "Getting to sixth in the series is great and getting the cup shows the hard work we have put in. We want to build on this; we aren't satisfied with one win. We want to get better and better."

World Rugby CEO Brett Gosper believes the last week in American rugby is "sign of huge growth in the sport". "We got a good look at the future when we saw the Sevens team at Twickenham," Gosper told ESPN. "They have come on very quickly and it shows you the reservoir of talent they have.

"If you bring that talent into rugby, it's extraordinary. Nigel Melville and his team have done a great job to get that strong a team on to the field a year out from the Olympics. They will be incredibly tough to beat and of course they are defending champions [the USA won the Olympics back in 1924, the last time rugby was in the sporting event].

"It is a great strategic decision to take the Rugby World Cup Sevens to San Francisco in 2018. You can use the Sevens to create an interest in the sport, along with the work the media does to create some great synergies.

"The third element is the Wallabies game. We saw the appetite at the All Blacks game and hopefully that has created a sustainable appetite for one big game a year in a place like Chicago. My sense is that will also be a resounding success."

Anchoring continued development is qualification for the Olympics. Their next opportunity to achieve that is at the NACRA Sevens in June, with the winner of the two-day tournament qualifying for Rio 2016. "It is a lottery" is Friday's take on it with their main competitors likely to be Canada but the Olympics are an ever-appealing carrot.

"Canada are a tricky side who have challenged us in the past," Hughes said. "The Olympics has elevated the sport in the USA. Someone like Carlin Isles has earmarked that in the past. They are the pinnacle of the sport and to play in that would be a dream come true. We just want to make that happen. Getting a medal is a big goal of mine."

For Eagles and Leicester winger Blaine Scully he feels the Twickenham triumph is a sign "the USA is here to compete and not just participate". Friday feels the same but emphasises: "It shows the potential is there but there is a bigger piece of work to be done if they want to awake the sleeping giant." American rugby is getting tired of being dormant, if the last week is anything to go by it is emerging from its lethargy.