November Internationals Preview – USA

A year of transition is almost at a close for the Eagles, with their three-week end of year schedule set to begin on Friday. They’ll end a week earlier than everyone else with only two test matches scheduled but will also start a week earlier with a ‘friendly’ against the touring New Zealand Maori in Chicago. After that it’s a fortnight in Europe where Romania await in Bucharest and then another neutral venue match against Tonga in Spain.

 

2016 FORM

 

An entirely new coaching staff was taken on this year headed up by John Mitchell with the support of former Wasps professionals Marty Veale, Phil Greening, Rob Hoadley, and now Mike Friday who has doubled up on his Eagles 7s duties. The upgraded Americas Rugby Championship came with mixed results including disappointing losses to Brazil and Uruguay but also afforded the opportunity to blood several new players, some of whom have been carried forward in to the full squad.

June tests against Italy and Russia gave fans a better indication of where the team was at and even in that limited window the team showed signs of improvement from a disappointing World Cup. With a record of three wins and three losses – plus a non-test loss to the Argentina XV – the Eagles have a chance to close out their season with a winning record. They have not achieved even .500 since 2012.

 

HOW THEY MATCH UP

When they last met the Māori they defied long odds to give the visitors a tough match, losing only 29-19 in a very entertaining event in Houston. This time the Maori have bolstered their lineup with a handful of senior All Black internationals in one of their strongest teams in recent years, while the Eagles will be short a significant number of their top professional players. It’s a tall order and expectations should be tempered towards performance rather than a result.

The Eagles currently sit in 17th spot on the official World Rugby Rankings, just one spot under Romania but more than 3 points behind. It’s no secret where the Romanian strength lies. They are built to scrum and their forwards can give just about any team fits but the American backline should be seen as superior even without star flyhalf AJ MacGinty. The Eagles have historically had the better of Romania despite their scrum challenges and have won the last three matches against the Oaks, the last two in Bucharest.

Tonga are one spot further up the ladder in 15th position but only narrowly ahead of Romania on points. While their proximity on the rankings suggests that the two teams should be evenly matched, their historical results do not agree with Tonga winning seven in a row against the Eagles, losing only their first ever meeting at San Francisco in 1999. Their last two tilts have also been on neutral ground – in Gloucester and Toronto – so that will not be a foreign feeling to either side.

 

PLAYERS TO WATCH

With a number of new players in the group there will be plenty to keep an eye on but some stand out just a little more than others. Nick Civetta does so literally and at 6’8″ he is just the kind of athlete international teams are looking for. He looks to be something of a late-bloomer having only just broken into the side after signing with Newcastle Falcons, but he is cerebral and mobile. If his trajectory continues on its upwards trend he could be a regular in the side heading towards the 2019 World Cup.

The absence of MacGinty means that the critical decision-making role of flyhalf will be left to one of two players – JP Eloff or Will Holder. It’s the latter who will be given the first crack against the Māori, an interesting choice given that he was seen as a fullback during the June tests. In 2012 he was very much in the picture as a no10, however, and his physical presence makes him stand out at the position. Eloff is a very different player who uses his quickness to attack the line but is possibly seen as more of a maverick and an impact player. They will both have an opportunity to make their case as MacGinty’s understudy for the near future.

A lack of depth in the front row has been a problem area for the Eagles and their scrum problems were brought to full light during the Americas Pacific Challenge. Dino Waldren was not in Montevideo and to some he will be a bolt from the blue, but before jetting off to Ireland where he is now based with the famed Blackrock club in Dublin, he was a collegiate All-American  and considered one of the best prospects in the country. At 25 years old he is at the right age to test himself on a bigger stage.

The ‘big money’ addition to the team is Marcel Brache. An established player in the Southern Hemisphere in both domestic leagues and Super Rugby, Brache will not be intimidated by the occasion. The question is where does he slot in? There are already quality options on the wing, and it could be outside center where he is most useful for the Eagles. He will debut against Romania and will be expected to make an immediate impact given his experience.

In terms of entertainment value there is only one Mike Te’o. At first glance one might think he is a front row, but his ability to step is unmatched in the USA side and he has deceiving pace to go with his more visible strength. Te’o can be a game breaker at fullback, but can also make mistakes defensively. If he can limit those errors, the position is his for the taking.

 

 

VERDICT

 

It’s a shame the Eagles have seemingly had to sacrifice a third test to accomodate the match against the Māori – was it impossible to have both? That said this is a good stretch of matches with the first unquestionably the hardest. The ones that count are Romania and Tonga. Both are appropriate given their standings just above on the World Rugby Rankings and with the majority of the USA’s best players available there should be realistic expectations of victory in each.

 

FIXTURES

DATE	LOCAL	ET	OPPONENT	LOCATION
Fri, Nov 4	19:00	20:00	vs NZ Māori	Toyota Park, Chicago
Sat, Nov 12	18:00	11:00	vs Romania	Stadionul Arcul de Triumf, Bucharest
Sat, Nov 19	17:00	11:00	vs Tonga	Anoeta Stadium, San Sebastián

 

SQUAD

NAME	POS	HGT	WGT	DOB	CAPS	CLUB
Baumann, Chris	PR	1.88 6-2	122 270	May 18 1987	11	Wellington Lions (NZ)
Lamositele, Titi	PR	1.80 5-11	127 280	Feb 11 1995	19	Saracens (UK)
MacLellan, Angus	PR	1.85 6-1	116 255	Aug 24 1992	2	Chicago Lions
Maughan, Alex	PR	1.78 5-10	107 235	Apr 24 1995	–	Life
Waldren, Dino	PR	1.82 6-0	113 250	Jul 11 1991	–	Blackrock (IR)
Hilterbrand, James	HO	1.84 6-0	108 240	May 21 1989	3	Sydney Rays (AU)
Taufete’e, Joe	HO	1.84 6-0	125 275	Apr 10 1992	7	Belmont Shore
Brakeley, Nate	LO	1.96 6-5	110 240	Aug 31 1989	5	N.Y.A.C.
Civetta, Nick	LO	2.03 6-8	115 255	Nov 5 1989	–	Newcastle Falcons (UK)
Jensen, Matt	LO	2.03 6-8	113 250	Apr 21 1992	–	Brigham Young
Mahoni, Siaosi	LO	2.03 6-8	134 295	Jan 29 1997	–	EPA Bulldogs
Manoa, Samu	LO	1.98 6-6	122 270	Mar 15 1985	15	Toulon (FR)
Blair, Pat	FL	1.87 6-2	102 225	Jan 27 1990	1	Seattle Saracens
Clever, Todd	FL	1.93 6-4	103 225	Jan 16 1983	68	Austin Huns
Durutalo, Andrew	FL	1.86 6-1	110 240	Oct 25 1987	13	Sunwolves (JP)
Lamborn, Tony	FL	1.87 6-2	105 230	Jul 31 1991	2	Hawke’s Bay (NZ)
McFarland, Al	FL	1.93 6-4	109 240	Jun 2 1989	9	N.Y.A.C.
Barrett, Danny	N8	1.91 6-3	105 230	Mar 23 1990	13	USA 7s
Dolan, Cam	N8	1.98 6-6	114 250	Mar 7 1990	22	Cardiff Blues (UK)
Haupeakui, Langi	N8	1.86 6-1	118 260	Jul 3 1989	1	Glasgow Warriors (UK)
Augspurger, Nate	SH	1.72 5-8	75 165	Jan 31 1990	2	Old Blue
Hughes, Madison	SH	1.75 5-9	80 175	Oct 26 1992	–	USA 7s
Tomasin, Stephen	SH	1.78 5-10	90 200	Sep 25 1994	1	USA 7s
Cima, Ben	FH	1.85 6-1	89 195	Mar 20 1996	–	Rocky Gorge
Eloff, J.P.	FH	1.78 5-10	84 185	May 28 1991	4	Chicago Lions
Suniula, Shalom	FH	1.72 5-8	86 190	May 6 1988	18	Seattle Saracens
Campbell, Bryce	CE	1.88 6-2	100 220	Sep 21 1994	–	Indiana Hoosiers
Filikitonga, Lemoto	CE	1.85 6-1	111 245	Mar 25 1993	1	Metropolis
Harajly, Ahmad	CE/FB	1.93 6-4	102 225	Jan 20 1994	–	Detroit Tradesmen
Iosefo, Martin	CE/WI	1.85 6-1	98 215	Jan 13 1990	–	USA 7s
Niua, Folau	CE	1.83 6-0	93 205	Jan 27 1985	17	USA 7s
Palamo, Thretton	CE	1.91 6-3	115 255	Sep 22 1988	15	Bristol (UK)
Brache, Marcel	WI/CE	1.90 6-3	92 200	Oct 15 1987	–	Perth Spirit (AU)
Hughes, Madison	WI/FB	1.75 5-9	80 175	Oct 26 1992	–	USA 7s
Leuta, Matai	WI	1.93 6-4	107 235	Jul 20 1990	–	USA 7s
Ngwenya, Takudzwa	WI	1.78 5-10	86 190	Jul 22 1985	36	Brive (FR)
Scully, Blaine	WI/FB	1.90 6-3	100 220	Feb 29 1988	31	Cardiff Blues (UK)
Holder, Will	FB/FH	1.88 6-2	95 210	Mar 19 1991	5	Army
Te’o, Mike	FB	1.72 5-8	93 205	Jul 23 1993	6	Belmont Shore