USA Men's Eagles Head To Europe For November Rugby Tour
By Priscilla Jepchumba
In November, the USA Men’s Eagles will embark on a nine-test match series in Europe. Their journey will take them to Portugal, Tonga, and Spain, where they will compete against these formidable opponents.
Currently, Spain holds the 18th rank, Tonga the 16th, Portugal the 15th, and the USA the 19th. Notably, the USA achieved its previous highest ranking of 12th before the 2019 World Cup.
The team's first stop will be Lisbon on November 9th, where they will face Portugal. They will then travel to Chambéry, France, on November 16 for their second match against Tonga. The series will conclude with a match against Spain in Madrid on November 23.
The USA's fall squad of 30 traveling players has been selected by Head Coach Scott Lawrence and his coaching staff. Captain Greg Peterson and Nate Augspurger will be joining the tour, and they will have the opportunity to achieve their 50th international test match milestone.
Previously, Lawrence said that the November tour presents an opportunity for the team to challenge themselves against the three teams. He emphasized the importance of gaining more test match experience for the players through these challenging fixtures.
“The November tour is an opportunity for us to test ourselves against a formidable team in Tonga, with their full contingent, as well as Spain and Portugal. Two nations with plenty of time together and a player base getting consistent professional minutes” said Lawrence concerning the tour.
“As we look to improve test match minutes of our players, by way of the national team, we’ll have a chance to do it against three teams who are already there,” he stated.
Returning to the USA Men's Eagles squad are flyhalf AJ MacGinty and Siaosi Mahoni. In addition, four players are set to make their debut for the Men’s Eagles. The team is scheduled to compete against Portugal and Spain, with the goal of replicating their previous victory against Spain.
