In a key momentum match, the USA Men’s Eagles arrived in France this week for their second of three fixtures on the November tour, facing off against Tonga on Saturday.
Part of a double-header hosted by World Rugby; the match will give the USA an opportunity to see the one team not faced during this summer’s Pacific Nation Cup in Tonga. Greg Peterson will Captain the USA team, stepping out for this 50th international appearance with the USA Eagles. Coming off a gritty finish against Portugal last weekend, the USA prepare for a brisk French climate and quality showdown with a fellow Pacific side. USA vs Tonga kicks off Saturday, November 16 at 11:30am EST live on RugbyPass TV.
Head Coach Scott Lawrence said on keeping momentum into the second match, “We will continue to work toward delivering a full 80-minute performance focus. As this team grows, we are learning the consistent intensity required in both preparation and test matches.”
The USA and Tonga both compete in the re-emerged Pacific Nations Cup, however, did not have a chance to play each other this past summer during the first tournament. Tonga travel into France following a loss to Romania last week. Head Coach Scott Lawrence and staff have a few selection changes this week, with two potential debuts in line for Mikey Grandy and Mark O’Keeffe, both named to the reserves. Grandy recently joined the MLR ranks from the American Raptors, set to compete in Charlotte next year with Anthem RC. While O’Keeffe earns his first international selection following a noteworthy year with the Chicago Hounds.
Lock Greg Peterson prepares for another match as Captain, this time with a special benchmark as he will earn his 50th international cap. First debuting in 2014 against Romania, Peterson’s road to 50 will make him only the 12th of over 500 capped Men’s Eagles to achieve the mark.
When asked what it means, Peterson replied, "It means everything, a couple years ago I never thought I would get close to it. So sitting here a few nights away from it is exciting."
| NAME | CLUB | CAPS |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jack Iscaro | Old Glory DC | 11 |
| 2. Shilo Klein | San Diego Legion | 1 |
| 3. Alex Maughan | Anthem RC | 7 |
| 4. Jason Damm | RFCLA | 7 |
| 5. Greg Peterson (C) | San Diego Legion | 49 |
| 6. Viliami Helu | San Diego Legion | 12 |
| 7. Cory Daniel | Old Glory DC | 8 |
| 8. Paddy Ryan | San Diego Legion | 12 |
| 9. Ruben de Haas | Cheetahs | 34 |
| 10. AJ MacGinty | Bristol Bears | 38 |
| 11. Nate Augspurger | Chicago Hounds | 47 |
| 12. Tavite Lopeti | San Diego Legion | 18 |
| 13. Dominic Besag | Saint Mary's College | 7 |
| 14. Conner Mooneyham | Anthem RC | 6 |
| 15. Mich Wilson | Anthem RC | 12 |
| 16. Kapeli Pifeleti | Saracens | 16 |
| 17. Jake Turnbull | Anthem RC | 12 |
| 18. Paul Mullen | NOLA Gold | 37 |
| 19. Tomas Casares | Miami Sharks | 1 |
| 20. Mikey Grandy | Anthem RC | Debut |
| 21. Ethan McVeigh | Old Glory DC | 2 |
| 22. Mark O'Keeffe | Chicago Hounds | Debut |
| 23. Luke Carty | Unattached | 21 |
Scott Lawrence | Head Coach
Alama Ieremia | Backs and Attack Coach
Nick Easter | Forwards and Defense Coach
Blake Bradford | Scrum Coach
Alex Ross | Head of Athlete Performance
Jimmy Harrison | Head Analyst
Rodolfo Broggi | Athlete Performance
Michael Sheridan | Head Athletic Trainer
Jennifer Roney | Assistant Athletic Trainer
Willie Berlanga | Sports Massage Therapist
Matt Schmitz | Team Doctor
Oscar Alvarez | Team Manager
Nov 9 | Portugal vs USA | 17-21 (W)
TRIES | P. Ryan, N. Augspurger, K. Pifeleti
CONV | A. MacGinty (3)
Nov 16 | Tonga vs USA
Chambery, FRA, 11:30am ET on RugbyPass TV
Nov 23 | Spain vs USA
Madrid, ESP, 6:45am ET on FloRugby
