USA Eagles Roster Set For Ireland Matchup
USA Eagles Roster Set For Ireland Matchup
Head coach Gary Gold has made four changes to the starting XV with three new faces on the bench as the USA Men’s XVs National Team.
Head coach Gary Gold has made four changes to the starting XV with three new faces on the bench as the USA Men’s XVs National Team faces Ireland for the first time since 2018 on Saturday.
Taking place at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Bryce Campbell will serve as Captain following an impressive performance against England last week at Twickenham. The USA struggled in the first half, coming back for a thrilling second-half performance that saw them outscore their British counterparts 26-17 for a final score of 43-29.
Roster changes are as follows:
Joe Taufete’e starts at hooker (previously on the bench vs England)
Hanco Germishuys starts at flanker (previously on the bench vs England)
Marcel Brache is out due to HIA, Mike Te’o jumps in at fullback
Christian Dyer starts at wing after scoring a try in his national team debut last week (previously on the bench vs England)
Kapeli Pifeleti (hooker), Andrew Guerra (flanker) and Will Magie (fullback) added to the bench
Head Coach Gary Gold said:
“I’m proud of the guys for the fight they showed against England last week but obviously we have a new and difficult task ahead with Ireland. While we did some very good things last week, it’s important that we improve on those and eradicate the silly errors that allowed us to give away soft tries. We need to keep building on our basics and enjoy the opportunity to learn from teams who play in this environment regularly.
“Luke and Christian did themselves proud last week, as did the rest of the boys. It was a great occasion for them and they showed the carefree exuberance of youth. We hope to see them build on that energy this weekend with a focus on improving.”
The USA Men and Ireland last met in 2018 when the Irish were ranked No. 2 in the world. While the Eagles fell 14-55, it was their first test match loss all year.
Ireland are currently fourth in the world, having defeated Japan in a close 39-31 last week at home. The USA are ranked at No. 16.
USA Men’s XVs National Team Roster
PLAYER NAME | POSITION | CLUB | CAPS |
1. David Ainu'u | Prop | Toulouse (FRA) | 10 |
2. Joe Taufete'e | Hooker | Lyon (FRA) | 28 |
3. Paul Mullen | Prop | Utah Warriors | 19 |
4. Gregory Peterson | Lock | Newcastle Falcons (ENG) | 31 |
5. Nick Civetta | Lock | Rugby United New York | 27 |
6. Hanco Germishuys | Flanker | Rugby United New York | 22 |
7. Riekert Hattingh | Flanker | Seattle Seawolves | 1 |
8. Cam Dolan | No. 8 | NOLA Gold | 52 |
9. Ruben de Haas | Scrumhalf | Austin Gilgronis | 18 |
10. Luke Carty | Flyhalf | LA Giltinis | 1 |
11. Mika Kruse | Wing | Utah Warriors | 1 |
12. Bryce Campbell (C) | Center | Austin Gilgronis | 33 |
13. Calvin Whiting | Center | Utah Warriors | 2 |
14. Christian Dyer | Wing | USA Sevens | 1 |
15. Mike Te’o | Fullback | Utah Warriors | 29 |
16. Kapeli Pifeleti | Reserve | Saracens (ENG) | 3 |
17. Matt Harmon | Reserve | NOLA Gold | 1 |
18. Dino Waldren | Reserve | NOLA Gold | 20 |
19. Nate Brakeley | Reserve | Rugby United New York | 24 |
20. Psalm Wooching | Reserve | San Diego Legion | 5 |
21. Andrew Guerra | Reserve | NOLA Gold | uncapped |
22. Michael Baska | Reserve | Utah Warriors | 1 |
23. Will Magie | Reserve | Austin Gilgronis | 26 |
USA Men’s XVs National Team Staff
Head Coach | Gary Gold
Asst Coach | Rob Hoadley
Coach Consultant | Neal Hatley
Coach Consultant | Chris Wyles
Head of Strength & Conditioning | Huw Bevan
Performance Analyst | Jimmy Harrison
Team Doctor | Marc Kowalsky
Head Physiotherapist | Kristen Douhan
Athletic Trainer | Ron Klingensmith
Team Manager | Oscar Alvarez
Asst Manager | Will Bevan