Head coach Jack Clark was forced to make due with size 15s instead of the size 14 he is more accustomed to.

But the biggest shoes he will soon have to fill will be those of right wing Gary Hein, playing in his 25th cap today when the Eagles line up against Bermuda in the World Cup qualifier at National Sports Club (3 p.m.).

Should Bermuda play the role today of giant-killers, many of the US veterans, including Hein, will be swept aside as a youth movement, now in its early throes, takes full flight.

"He's really had a wonderful career,'' said Clark. "I think Gary understands that this might be his last international game if we're not successful. That's a pretty sobering thought to a guy who's had a long international rugby career.'' Hein, 28, is the ninth leading scorer in Eagle history with four tries, three of them coming against Tunisia in 1987, a record he shares with team-mate Chris O'Brien.

He was a member of the US World Cup teams in 1987 and 1991 and would like nothing more than to extend his career beyond today for a last-gasp shot at next year's rugby festival in South Africa.

"I think this game means more to everybody,'' Hein said yesterday, while relaxing in a cosy wicker chair at the team's headquarters at the Elbow Beach Hotel. "The fact that it's my 25th cap doesn't mean so much to me. It's just a number.

"What I think is on everyone's mind, and especially me being one of the older players, is that this is getting to the point where it's do or die. If we were not to play to our capabilities and something was to go wrong it would be the last game in my Eagle career.'' Only two other Eagles have won more caps than Hein -- current captain Kevin Swords, with his 33rd today, and Ray Nelson, who played 25 games for the US before his retirement.

At first glance, it seems unusual for Hein to get this far in the first place.

His grandfather was New York Giants stalwart Mel Hein, so it was much more likely that the 28-year-old would end up playing pro football.

Hein ended up captaining the Berkeley Golden Bears, but when he was presented with the opportunity to play rugby for Clark at the University of California, he quickly agreed.

"I introduced him to the sport a long time ago,'' said Clark. "He was a good rugby player from the first time he put on a jersey. He improved obviously over the first five or six years he played the game. He's a very good athlete.'' Said Hein: "I had given thought to finding an agent and signing as a free agent or trying to get a trial with an NFL team. I sometimes wonder whether I would have been able to do it, but as a kid I always had that dream.

"I was probably a little too slow to play cornerback in the NFL and a little too small to play safety, so I would have had to put some weight on. But rugby was becoming a bigger presence in my life. I don't regret anything. I feel I've gained so much in my career. I went to Oxford basically because of rugby.'' While studying law, Hein, five-foot-11 and 175 pounds, played for the Oxford rugby squad where he distinguished himself on the hallowed turfs of England, including Twickenham.

His notoriety as a tackler took hold and before long he was being called Hitman by team-mates.

"Yeah, I had a big tackle against a French player and it just kind of continued from there,'' said Hein, with a smile. "I had a lot of big tackles, including one in the World Cup in 1987. But the last year or two I haven't had any really big tackles so I'd like one to come up in this game.'' As the leader of the back row, Hein will play a major role today, and with heavy winds expected he will have his hands full.

"It could be difficult,'' he said. "The wind will be a challenge.'' Added Clark: "Gary's on the team because he's a solid player and he's certainly a good leader and he's a calm guy. He's played a lot of big-time football in front of 80,000 people and he's been to a couple of World Cups.

He's not the kind of guy who's going to get rattled.'' Appearing fresh following a nap, Hein credited Clark and Tim O'Brien, his current club coach, with awakening his career.

Hein hopes today's match will not mark the end of his long association with Clark, but he is also realistic.

"I've thought about that a little bit,'' he said. "I don't know that without Jack I would have ever been in the position to be playing for the Eagles. It's ironic, but it's also kind of pleasing to me to be able to come full circle and wind up my career with Jack.'' With US rugby enjoying renewed vigour under the stewardship of Clark and manager Ed Schram, Hein was asked if he wished he was a rookie again just starting out in the programme.

"Either that or I wish the programme would have taken the strides that we've taken with Jack a few years earlier. I'm not thrilled with the prospect of having played for seven or eight years with the Eagles and as I go out the programme picks itself up. But we've had our moments. In the back of my mind tomorrow (today) I want to do that certain extra thing to avoid this being my last game. I want to realise my goal of going out on a strong note, and I'll do that by playing in the World Cup.'' More coverage, Page 17.