USA Vs. Scotland Rugby Preview: Can Eagles Recover To Shock Scots Again?
USA Vs. Scotland Rugby Preview: Can Eagles Recover To Shock Scots Again?
The last time Scotland and the United Stages met on a rugby pitch, a now-infamous game occurred. Six years later, can the Eagles find more magic in D.C.?
There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done in order for the USA Eagles to get back to the Rugby World Cup and perform at their best with a new coach leading the charge.
So, why not face the opponent that gave the Eagles arguably the finest moment in their modern history last time out?
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The second of two home summer tests for the Eagles will be against Scotland on Friday, six years after the United States stunned the rugby world and shocked Scotland in a now-infamous victory in Texas. However, the Eagles and Scotland are in different places nowadays, and anything close to a repeat of Houston 2018 on Friday would be an eye-popping result that would get the attention of the rugby world.
Still, as the Eagles showed on that magical night, anything is possible, even in the sometimes top-heavy world of elite rugby union.
Here’s a look ahead at Scotland vs. the United States, scheduled to kick off from Audi Field in Washington, D.C., on Friday at 6:30 p.m. It will be streamed live, and exclusively, on FloRugby.
Windy City Blues
It had been two years since the United States’ men’s national rugby team competed on home soil before last weekend, and it’s safe to say a lot has happened in American rugby since the Eagles lost to Chile in Colorado in July 2022 - a loss that got Los Condores to the Rugby World Cup and contributed to the United States missing its first Rugby World Cup since 1995.
And while there has been a lot of turnover and change in American rugby since the failure to make it to France (most notably, a new head coach in ex-Rugby ATL boss Scott Lawrence), the Eagles’ first performance in some time back in front of home fans to face Romania last Friday in Chicago wasn’t exactly the grand return for which they were hoping.
The Stejarii, who Lawrence defeated in Bucharest last August in his first match as interim boss, went into the Windy City and pulled off a 22-20 victory, despite being down to 13 men toward the end of the match, with a try from wing Tevita Manumua less than 10 minutes in being the only five-pointer it needed, as Alin Conache booted through 14 points in the victory.
Though the loss to Romania meant nothing for the United States in terms of qualifications to any tournaments or standings in any events, it was a disappointing result in the first test match of a new era for the Eagles after Lawrence was able to shed the interim tag earlier this year.
It also makes the aim against Scotland this weekend simple: perform better.
“Generally, we weren’t good enough to win the game; Romania were the better team,” Lawrence was quoted as saying in USA Rugby’s recap of the match last Friday. “They were the team that played test rugby and won the game. That’s the difference; that’s a sign of where we are right now. We have to learn how to play test rugby, what that means, and how it’s different from the professional game.”
Eager Eagles
Lawrence has made six changes to the starting lineup that faced Romania, with some reinforcements arriving from abroad, while shifts across the board have been made elsewhere.
Up to three Major League Rugby players could make their senior international debuts Friday night, as the Seattle Seawolves’ Conner Mooneyham, Utah Warriors’ Saia Uhila and Old Glory DC’s Ethan McVeigh all are listed in Lawrence’s 23-man squad to face Scotland, with Mooneyham slated to start at right wing, after the former No. 1 pick in the MLR Collegiate Draft impressed enough with Seattle in the league’s regular season to earn a call-up.
The Eagles’ front line also has been shifted a bit, as DC-raised Old Glory prop Jack Iscaro gets the nod at loosehead, with Stade Toulousain’s David Ainu’u his opposite. Ainu’u arrives to camp this week off of the back of a Top 14 and Champions Cup double with the French giants, scoring a try in the Top 14 final. Chicago Hounds star Dylan Fawsitt is in between them and will start again at hooker.
San Diego Legion’s Viliami Helu will share the second row with club teammate and captain Greg Peterson, while Old Glory’s Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz, the starting openside flanker against Romania, moves to No. 8, with the Legion’s Paddy Ryan filling in the slot left behind.
Familiar faces in the backs, such as AJ MacGinty and Nate Augspurger, return while, Chicago’s Luke Carty replaces the New England Free Jacks’ Mitch Wilson at fullback. Meanwhile, Seattle’s JP Smith earns another start at scrum-half after, earning his first Eagles cap against Romania.
Veterans Bryce Campbell and Paul Mullen, with 80 caps between them, are available for selection off of the bench, as is Kapeli Pifeleti, the Tonga-born hooker with 10 caps who just came off another season with English powerhouse Saracens.
No Punches Pulled
Think Scotland is still thinking about its historic loss to the United States six years ago?
Take one look at the squad that coach Gregor Townsend is bringing to the American capital, and it’s easy to tell he plans to bring the fight right to the Eagles.
For those who aren’t aware, the last time Scotland and the United States clashed resulted in one of the worst defeats in Scottish rugby history and one of the greatest wins in American rugby history; the Eagles won 30-29 in June 2018 in Houston, a seismic result for the Eagles, who picked up their first victory over a Tier 1 senior international side since beating France at the 1924 Summer Olympics.
It was an absolute debacle for Scotland ahead of the 2019 Rugby World Cup, where Scotland would fail to make it out of its pool in Japan, but it also was influential in straightening the heads of the squad under Townsend, who now has the Scots clicking and ranked sixth in the world entering this weekend.
It’s also a much different Scotland squad raring to face the Eagles than the one that walloped Canada 73-12 last weekend (a match in which 10 players got their first senior caps) - and a much more experienced one, too.
Numerous members of the United Rugby Championship-winning Glasgow Warriors side will suit up and start against the Americans, including Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Kyle Steyn, Rory Darge and George Horne, who, with Gloucester’s Adam Hastings, made his senior international debut during that fateful night in Houston in 2018.
And like the leadup to Houston, Scotland will be favored to win over the Eagles once again - only this time, with the painful memories of what happened last time it played the Americans on their soil lingering.
How To Watch USA Rugby Vs. Scotland
Summer internationals will be streaming in the United States on FloRugby and the FloSports app.
That includes games from Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.
Match replays, highlights and more will be on both platforms.
USA Rugby Schedule 2024
- Friday, July 5 - USA 20, Romania 22
- Friday, July 12 - USA vs. Scotland - 6:30 p.m. EDT
- Friday, November 15 - USA vs. Tonga - 6:00 p.m. EST
Scotland Rugby Schedule 2024
- Saturday, July 6 - Canada 12, Scotland 73
- Friday, July 12 - USA vs. Scotland - 6:30 p.m. EDT
- Saturday, July 20 - Chile vs. Scotland - 3 p.m. EDT
- Saturday, July 27 - Uruguay vs. Scotland - 3 p.m. EDT
- Saturday, November 2 - Scotland vs. Fiji - 1:40 p.m. EDT
- Sunday, November 10 - Scotland vs. South Africa - 11:10 a.m. EST
- Saturday, November 16 - Scotland vs. Portugal - 10:10 a.m. EST
- Sunday, November 24 - Scotland vs. Australia - 8:40 a.m. EST
World Rugby Rankings 2024
- South Africa, 94.86
- Ireland, 90.37
- New Zealand, 90.12
- France, 88.49
- England, 85.66
- Scotland, 82.82
- Argentina, 80.10
- Australia, 78.15
- Italy, 77.99
- Fiji, 77.44
- Wales, 76.58
- Japan, 74.04
- Samoa, 73.65
- Georgia, 72.95
- Tonga, 71.57
- Portugal, 70.28
- Uruguay, 67.39
- USA, 66.01
- Spain, 64.37
- Romania, 63.59
Where To Watch Summer Rugby Internationals 2024?
In the USA, FloRugby will broadcast some of the best international rugby fixtures of 2024.
South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand and England will play matches on FloRugby and the FloSports app.
How To Watch International Rugby In USA?
FloRugby broadcasts dozens of international rugby matches throughout the year, including the summer rugby internationals from July to September.
How To Watch Rugby Matches In the United States On FloRugby
FloRugby and FloSports also are the U.S. home to:
FloRugby also is home to match archives and match replays.