USA Eagles display resilience despite loss, aiming for redemption against Fiji In The Pacific Nations Cup

The Eagles look to bounce back against Fiji in crucial rugby semifinal matchup against Fiji on Saturday

Following their loss to Japan, the Eagles are ranked second in Pool B and will face Fiji on Saturday /

By Priscilla Jepchumba

The USA Eagles rugby team lost their last match to Japan’s Blossoms in the opening game of the Pacific Nations tournament. Standout Japanese players Dylan Riley and Harumichi Tatekawa made notable performances.

The young USA team was unable to maintain its lead, and with strategic changes from Japan, Japan secured a spot in the semi-finals as the champions of Pool B.

In the second half of the game, the USA Men’s Eagles showed improvement, gaining confidence and demonstrating aggressive performances. However, Japan ultimately emerged stronger, winning the match 41-24 against the USA.

While the USA had some promising moments, there were also positive highlights, including two tries from Nate Augspurger, who was playing his 45th test match on the wing.

As the Eagles prepare for the semi-final match, ranked second in their pool, the players will focus on consolidating progress and optimizing their chances, among other strategies.

The Eagles had some positive moments in this Japan-dominant game, which they will take away as they work toward the Pacific Nations Cup semifinals.

Typically, a team has a week's rest before a match, and during this time, the Eagles are preparing to face Fiji in the Pacific Nations Cup semi-final scheduled for 6:05 am ET on Saturday, September 14.

Head Coach Scott Lawrence congratulated the Japanese team on their solid performance throughout the game. He acknowledged the efforts of the young USA team.

“Congratulations to the Japanese team. It was a really solid performance from zero to 80 minutes this week. I thought from a young USA team, we did some good things in this game, but ultimately, it was just a well-executed game by the Japanese team,” said Lawrence.

Captain Greg Peterson commented on the match, praising both teams for their performance. “It was a great contest from both teams. I’m very proud of our boys, and Japan came out very strong in that first 20,” said Peterson.

“They're 9s took advantage of the penalties with the quick tap a few times, but they were what we expected them to be. We just failed to capitalize on small moments in the game, which made the score run away just a little bit, but I'm just proud of the effort,” he added. 

On Sunday, Japan is set to meet Samoa in the semi-finals. Tonga will be facing Canada in the fifth-place playoffs.