The clash between the US Eagles and Canadians in Colorado was the last home game for the American team before the Rugby World Cup. During this game, the US Eagles managed to crush the Canadian with a runaway victory of 47 – 19.
The Americans Delivered a Strong Performance
The Americans had the overhand in this game from the start with Dylan Fawsitt who scored the first points on the board. The hooker from Rugby United New York managed to get the ball over the line behind a rolling maul. The crowds loved this performance at a sold-out Infinity Park. This was soon afterwards followed-up by a second try by captain Blaine Scully, previously from Cardiff. He managed to get by Will Hooley to score in the 24th minute of the game. Supported by successful place-kicking from the boot of AJ MacGinty, Sale fly-half, the Americans was well ahead in the leading position with a 20-0 halftime score.
Canada Hit Back
In the second round Canada entered the game with a new perspective and Canadian captain Tyler Ardron managed a successful interception try. Unfortunately, they still delivered too little too late, and the Eagles stood firm. Tries were scored by Ben Landry, Ealing Trailfinders lock as well as by Gannon Moore from the Utah Warriors. This was followed up by two more attempts, one by Kapeli Pifeleti, playing as replacement hooker and Ruben de Haas, The Cheetahs scrum-half. Canada did, however, manage to score two half tries and a penalty try, to ease the pain of the loss.
The Eagles Planned to Playa Physical Game
Ben Landry stated that the Eagles wanted to present themselves as a much more physical team during the tournament and they managed to be successful with that. Unfortunately, they did suffer an injury. Nick Civetta, the lock from Doncaster sustained a leg injury in the second half and couldn’t complete the match. USA Rugby announced in the meantime that Civetta would have to miss out on the remainder of the Pacific Nations Cup and they will still announce later on whether he will be back in action for the World Cup. Another minor setback for the team was Pifeleti earning a yellow card. This was for dangerous play, and it meant that he missed the last ten minutes of the game.
Both teams are now due to play their final rounds and are heading off to Fiji for that. Other organizations also included in the tournament is Samoa, Tonga, Japan and Fiji. The US teams are up against the Samoans and will then finish off against Japan. The Eagles and Canada will, however, clash again before the start of the World Cup. A warm-up test is scheduled on Canadian territory in Vancouver before travelling to Japan. In Japan, the Canadians have a tough time ahead in Pool B where they will play against New Zealand, Italy, Namibia and South Africa.