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It’s the USA’s turn to host Canada in the second leg of their series to determine the Rugby Americas North seeding for Rugby World Cup 2023 qualification. The Eagles suffered a stunning defeat in St. John’s last Saturday, their first to the Canadians since 2013, and will be hoping the friendlier confines of Glendale’s Infinity Park will inspire them to higher standards.
“Completely and totally unacceptable” were the words used by Gary Gold to describe the loss. Entering halftime with a 14-10 lead, the USA conceded 24 unanswered points in a miserable second half. A last-gasp try reduced the final deficit to 13 points, which stands as they mark the Eagles must overcome to advance to the Americas 1 series against Uruguay.
Seven changes in all are made to the starting lineup. Notably the entire front row is swapped out with David Ainu’u, Kapeli Pifeleti, and Joe Taufete’e swapped in for Chance Wenglewski, Dylan Fawsitt, and Paul Mullen respectively. All three ply their trade for European clubs. This will be the first start at prop for Taufete’e since 2016, having played the vast majority of his test career at hooker.
Cam Dolan has been deemed fit to resume after failing a head injury assessment just before halftime. He provides a boost to the side along with the presence of star flyhalf AJ MacGinty, who takes over not only as first choice goalkicker but also as captain.
Mika Kruse and Luke Carty are both ruled out after taking knocks in Newfoundland. Ryan Matyas is recalled on the left wing for his first cap since November 2018, while Marcel Brache moves from the midfield to fullback. Tavite Lopeti is handed a first test start at outside center and Old Glory’s Mike Dabulas could make his Eagles debut as a replacement.
At the other end of the spectrum, Kingsley Jones has rewarded his team for their outstanding effort by selecting a virtually unchanged side. The only alteration to Canada’s match day 23 sees NOLA Gold captain Kyle Baillie join the bench as second or back row cover having recovered sufficiently from injury, with Mason Flesch the odd man out after winning his first cap last weekend.
The conditions in Colorado will be dramatically different from those in Newfoundland. Warm and dry weather is on the forecast and there will be no swirling winds to complicate kicking and throw-ins. The claustrophobic environment of St. John’s is exchanged for a wide-open 5,000-seat stadium.
Confidence is a different matter entirely. Having overcome an eight-year hoodoo, Canada has a spring in their step and a 13-point cushion. That is significant but not insurmountable – the USA’s average winning margin in the five previous matches between the two was 16.
The challenge has been set. There is now genuine belief in the Canadian camp and the odds are in their favor. With their backs against the wall, however, expect a response from the Eagles. On home ground they should still be considered favorites despite the loss. Look for them to win the fight in Glendale. Will it be enough to save the series?
Kickoff is set for 7pm local time, 6pm Pacific, 9pm Eastern. Live broadcasts will be available on FloRugby in the USA and via Premier Sports in Canada.
USA
1 David Ainu’u, 2 Kapeli Pifeleti, 3 Joe Taufete’e, 4 Nate Brakeley, 5 Nick Civetta, 6 Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz, 7 Hanco Germishuys, 8 Cam Dolan, 9 Ruben de Haas, 10 AJ MacGinty (capt.), 11 Ryan Matyas, 12 Bryce Campbell, 13 Tavite Lopeti, 14 Christian Dyer, 15 Marcel Brache
Replacements: 16 Dylan Fawsitt, 17 Chance Wenglewski, 18 Paul Mullen, 19 Siaosi Mahoni, 20 Andrew Guerra, 21 Nate Augspurger, 22 Will Magie, 23 Mike Dabulas
CANADA
1 Djustice Sears-Duru, 2 Andrew Quattrin, 3 Matt Tierney, 4 Corey Thomas, 5 Conor Keys, 6 Lucas Rumball (capt.), 7 Matt Heaton, 8 Siaki Vikilani, 9 Ross Braude, 10 Peter Nelson, 11 Kainoa Lloyd, 12 Spencer Jones, 13 Ben LeSage, 14 Brock Webster, 15 Cooper Coats
Replacements: 16 Eric Howard, 17 Cole Keith, 18 Tyler Rowland, 19 Kyle Baillie, 20 Michael Smith, 21 Robbie Povey, 22 Jason Higgins, 23 Patrick Parfrey
Date: Saturday, September 11
Venue: Infinity Park, Glendale
Kickoff: 19:00 local (18:00 Pacific, 21:00 Eastern)
Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland)
Assistants: Scott Green (USA) & Luke Rogan (USA)
TMO: Derek Summers (USA)
Broadcasts: FloRugby (USA), Premier Sports (Canada)
Recent results:
2021-09-04 – Canada 34, USA 21 (Swilers Rugby Park, St. John’s) *RWC Qualifier
2019-09-07 – Canada 15, USA 20 (BC Place, Vancouver)
2019-07-27 – USA 47, Canada 19 (Infinity Park, Glendale)
2019-03-08 – USA 30, Canada 25 (Starfire Stadium, Seattle)
2018-06-23 – Canada 17, USA 42 (Wanderers Grounds, Halifax)
2018-02-10 – USA 29, Canada 10 (Papa Murphy’s Park, Sacramento)
2017-07-01 – USA 52, Canada 16 (Torero Stadium, San Diego) *RWC Qualifier
2017-06-24 – Canada 28, USA 28 (Tim Hortons Field, Hamilton) *RWC Qualifier
2017-02-18 – Canada 34, USA 51 (Swangard Stadium, Burnaby)
2016-02-13 – USA 30, Canada 22 (Dell Diamond, Round Rock)
