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Los Leones will meet the Men’s Eagles for the first time in 20 years on Saturday. The two sides will be competing for the La Vila International Rugby Cup. While that title has little meaning, the clash is very much relevant to the World Rankings where the 18th-ranked USA sit just one spot above Spain.
Both sides were victorious at the same venue in Villajoyosa last weekend. The Eagles clobbered a poorly-prepared Brazil side, while the Leones ran up a lopsided scoreline by halftime against Canada before shifting to cruise control in the second half.
It’s unclear at this stage what the future holds for Scott Lawrence, with a permanent position as Head Coach seemingly still in doubt despite a largely positive year. A convincing win over Spain could be just the leverage needed to persuade those making the final call.
Nate Brakeley continues as captain for what will be his final test, the second row confirming his retirement from international rugby. Cam Dolan has recovered from illness to pack down alongside in the engine room, allowing Sam Golla to shift to the side of the scrum. Up front both props are changed with loosehead Jake Turnbull handed a first start and David Ainu’u wearing the No3.
The backline is more stable with no changes to the run-on side. Utah Warriors flanker Bailey Wilson could win his first cap, named alongside brother Mitch Wilson. Bailey is one of six forwards in reserve with Nate Augspurger providing cover at scrumhalf if needed.
Spain shows just three changes to the run-on side, all necessitated by the departures of France-based trio Álvaro García, Jon Zabala, and Gónzalo Lopez. Santiago Ovejero and Joaquín Domínguez come in at hooker and loosehead prop respectively, with Federico Casteglioni starting in the midfield. Mario Pichardie captains the side for the first time in Zabala’s absence.
Weather will not be a factor with ideal conditions expected at kickoff. Both teams are coming off reasonably strong performances, but the Leones did let up slightly in the second half against Canada. A 6/2 split for the Eagles should give them an edge in the second half, and with Spain down three important figures from a week ago the favorites tag goes to the visitors.
Kickoff is set for 8pm local time, 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern, 4pm Brasilia. Live broadcasts will be available on Star+ in Brazil, TSN+ in Canada, and RugbyPass TV for viewers located elsewhere.
SPAIN
1 Thierry Futeu, 2 Santiago Ovejero, 3 Joaquín Domínguez, 4 Mario Pichardie (capt.), 5 Alejandro Suárez, 6 Matt Foulds, 7 Facundo Domínguez, 8 Ekain Imaz, 9 Tani Bay, 10 Iñaki Mateu, 11 Martiniano Cian, 12 Álvar Gimeno, 13 Federico Casteglioni, 14 Jordi Jorba, 15 John-Wessel Bell
Replacements: 16 Vicente Del Hoyo, 17 Nicolás Fernández, 18 Marcos Muñiz, 19 Pepe Borraz, 20 Mathéo Triki, 21 Ike Irusta, 22 Joaquín Gali, 23 Pau Aira
USA
1 Jake Turnbull, 2 Dylan Fawsitt, 3 David Ainu’u, 4 Nate Brakeley (capt.), 5 Cam Dolan, 6 Sam Golla, 7 Paddy Ryan, 8 Luke White, 9 Nick McCarthy, 10 Luke Carty, 11 Joe Mano, 12 Tommaso Boni, 13 Tavite Lopeti, 14 Nate Augspurger, 15 Chris Mattina
Replacements: 16 Peter Malcolm, 17 Nathan Sylvia, 18 Alex Maughan, 19 Bailey Wilson, 20 Siaosi Mahoni, 21 Thomas Tu’avao, 22 Mitch Wilson, 23 Bryce Campbell
Date: Saturday, November 18
Venue: El Pantano, Villajoyosa
Kickoff: 20:00 local (11:00 Pacific, 14:00 Eastern, 16:00 Brasilia)
Broadcasts: RugbyPass TV, Star+, TSN+
Referee: Adam Jones (Wales)
HISTORICAL RESULTS
2003-04-27 – USA 58, Spain 13 (Fort Lauderdale)
2003-04-12 – Spain 13, USA 62 (Madrid)
1998-04-12 – Spain 3, USA 49 (El Puerto de Santa María)
