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Revenge will be a dish served warm, at least that’s what the Eagles will have in mind when they welcome Brazil to Dell Diamond in Saturday’s second-round Americas Rugby Championship fixture. The players will not have needed to be reminded of the historic 24-23 defeat suffered at the hands of Os Tupis in São Paulo last year, though only two experienced it first-hand, and both JP Eloff and Mike Te’o were only second half replacements on that fateful day.
Brazil, on the other hand, have relived the moment countless times in their memory since. Of the 15 starters set for Saturday, 11 ran out in last year’s contest with only Matheus Cruz, Josh Reeves, and De Wet van Niekerk not in the 23 that day. That’s not to say Brazil’s performance will be the same. They have improved steadily and the likes of Wilton Rebolo, Luiz Vieira, and the Sancery brothers were all test novices at the time. A year on they each have considerably more experience under their belts.
It’s the Sancery’s, Felipe and Daniel, who pose the greatest threat to American chances. The deadly duo gave the Eagles fits last year and while they were relatively quiet in last weekend’s match against Chile, they both have the ability to break the game open. Daniel’s counter-attacking from fullback is as dangerous as any in the competition, so the Eagles will be wary to put the ball in space if they choose to kick tactically.
The return of Vieira strengthens the Brazilian lineout, something that was an area of great strength against Los Cóndores. Yan Rosetti’s throwing was excellent, with Lucas Piero a strong option at the front despite his relative lack of height for a second row forward. The scrum also went reasonably well, though it is not of the same potency of Uruguay or Argentina.
Cruz, Reeves, and van Niekerk will be new names for the Eagles. Reeves adds a new dimension to the Brazilian game, with his left boot capable of plugging the corners and keeping the defense honest. He is also a viable long-range goal kicking option, with Moisés Duque set to handle anything inside 40 metres. Cruz and van Niekerk are both lively players with a bit of x-factor about them. The Eagles would be wise to mark them closely.
The revolving door that is John Mitchell’s selection policy continues for the USA. Tony Lamborn is an strong addition to the back row who probably should have started against Uruguay, but it’s somewhat of a surprise to see Todd Clever relegated to the bench, a role he has occupied on only two previous occasions. Instead it is James Hilterbrand nominated as captain. He’ll be tasked with holding together an inexperienced front row with both Ben Tarr and Dino Waldren starting a test match for the first time. It’s a gamble, and one Eagles fans hope will not come back to bite them.
Less of a risk seems new halfback duo Shaun Davies and Will Magie. While they also run out for the first time, both are proven players who should have no trouble meeting the Brazilian challenge. The quick distribution game of Davies and Magie’s wide array of footballing skills look well suited to each other, and they’ll have Eloff in the midfield this week to act as a second decision maker. This bodes well for winger Spike Davis, who’s debut is one of the most anticipated in recent memory. If he gets the ball early and often, it could spell major problems for the Brazilian defense.
The choice of scrumhalf Nate Augspurger on the wing is a strange one, particularly with two outside backs on the bench in Peter Tiberio and Deion Mikesell. Perhaps Mitchell is planning on using Augspurger as an auxiliary scrumhalf, in effect giving him two sets of halfbacks on the field. Whatever the reason we’ll have to wait until game time to see how it pans out.
Heading into last year’s match nobody expected Brazil to win. With the match on US soil this time it seems the consensus is much the same. On paper the Eagles are the stronger side but not by much, and American fans should be very cautious of writing off the Tupis, especially given their confidence after beating Chile decisively last weekend. The USA must be accurate with the dual threat of Reeves and Duque capable of putting points on the board. If they are at all complacent, it could be a nervous evening for Eagles fans.
USA
1 Ben Tarr, 2 James Hilterbrand (capt.), 3 Dino Waldren, 4 Nate Brakeley, 5 Nick Civetta, 6 John Quill, 7 Tony Lamborn, 8 Al McFarland 9 Shaun Davies, 10 Will Magie 11 Nate Augspurger, 12 JP Eloff, 13 Bryce Campbell, 14 Spike Davis, 15 Mike Te’o
Replacements: 16 Peter Malcolm, 17 Anthony Purpura, 18 Chris Baumann, 19 Cam Dolan, 20 Todd Clever, 21 Ben Cima, 22 Peter Tiberio, 23 Deion Mikesell
BRAZIL
1 Jonatas Paulo, 2 Yan Rosetti, 3 Wilton Rebolo, 4 Luiz Vieira, 5 Lucas Piero, 6 João Luiz da Ros, 7 André Arruda, 8 Nick Smith (capt.), 9 Matheus Cruz, 10 Josh Reeves, 11 Stefano Giantorno, 12 Moisés Duque, 13 Felipe Sancery, 14 De Wet van Niekerk, 15 Daniel Sancery
Replacements: 16 Daniel Danielewicz, 17 Caíque Silva, 18 Pedro Bengaló, 19 Diego López, 20 Arthur Bergo, 21 Beukes Cremer, 22 Luan Smanio, 23 Guilherme Coghetto
Date: Saturday, February 11
Venue: Dell Diamond, Round Rock
Kickoff: 18:00 local (19:00 Eastern, 22:00 Brasilia)
Referee: Pablo De Luca (UAR)
Assistants: Scott Green (USAR) & Jim Rogers (USAR)
Broadcasts: The Rugby Channel, ESPN+
