USA men's 15s head coach Gary Gold has picked his lineup to face Russia on Saturday at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Denver by opting for size, power, and experience—when and where it's available.

Here's a look at six Eagles players to watch and why Gold selected them:

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Saturday, June 9 | Kickoff: 7 PM CT

Bryce Campbell and Paul Lasike

Campbell has been the masher at inside center most of his time as an Eagle, but Lasike brings another dimension.

Lasike is massive. He could be the widest player in the backline on either team. He's just broad—not overweight, just big side to side. And he has pace and a sidestep. So suddenly Campbell becomes the smaller, elusive player at outside center. 

MORE: Former BYU, NFL Player Lasike Looks To MLR Challenge

"We believe that the biggest threat Russia is going to give us is the physicality," Gold said. "I have some experience in coaching against them and physicality is one of their strengths. I am really excited about what this group can do and our backline is as big and strong as almost anyone in World Rugby."

With Gold picking those two and putting Marcel Brache, who's usually a center, on the wing, the coach again has said he's going with brawn. And it's going to work. Campbell plays 80 full minutes, every time. Lasike won't have to. He can just barrel into defenders until it's time to bring on Nate Augspurger (I know, Augspurger, who is half Lasike's size, comes on for Lasike—Augspurger to win, Brache to outside center, and Campbell to inside).

AJ MacGinty and Will Hooley

To back up his choice of power runners in the midfield, Gold has two flyhalves in the starting lineup. He has sent Ben Cima back to the San Diego Legion for this week (that club got slammed with USA callups). Hooley will be at fullback, where he has played before, but he's a similar player to MacGinty in some ways, and you might see those two switch spots at times.

"One of the things we do want to have from an attacking point of view we want to have playmakers on either side of the ruck," Gold said. "With Paul and Bryce, we need to complement our playmaking in another area."

So watch for Hooley to be involved in the decision-making.

Samu Manoa

Enormously popular with fans, Samu Manoa is a game-changer. He is also very unselfish, and you will see, in this game, he will be working in tight, in the trenches, setting the physical tone. Joining with Nick Civetta, Manoa makes up a second row that is really not nice.

Paul Mullen

A debutant at tighthead prop, Mullen will join hooker Joe Taufete'e, who Gold knows well and respects a great deal, and prop Eric Fry, back from a long absence but enormously experienced, in the front row. Mullen, who has emerged as a legit Eagles prospect thanks to his work in Major League Rugby, will be under a ton of pressure in the opening few scrums. He has to hold up.

"Eric Fry is a fantastic pro and I think he’s a great contributor," Gold said. "I had a concern around our scrum in the ARC. I didn’t think we brought what we needed to bring in the set piece, especially the scrum. We have addressed that, and I think Paul Mullen has been an absolute shining light."