You can look at a result in two different ways.
You can choose to dwell on a scoreline, as ugly as it is, or you can dig a little deeper and consider the performances and the context, to truly understand the story of a game.
For the USA Men’s XVs National Team, reconciling with a 104-14 loss is an impossible pill to swallow. Even if it was against the All Blacks who are, arguably, the most notorious and historically successful national rugby team in the world.
Nearly 40,000 fans filled the seats at FedExField to watch the No. 2 All Blacks play No. 17 USA who, for the first time, picked a roster made entirely of athletes playing professionally in the United States. This, in and of itself, was wishful thinking when both teams last met in 2014.
Head Coach Gary Gold was understandably devastated in his post-match press conference.
But speaking as humbly and honestly as possible, he acknowledged the many positives. In full acknowledgement of the scoreline and what it represents, this match was a measuring stick that delivered important perspectives.
“I just think the guys worked so hard, I’m absolutely devastated for them. I think some guys, believe it or not, played really well out there. Bryce [Campbell] played well, [Tavite] Lopeti played well, Moni was outstanding when he came off the bench but that’s going to get lost in the scoreline of 100 points.
“Of course I’m going to look for the good in the game. This young group of players will reflect one day on this and we must ensure this is a learning experience.
“I just didn’t think our guys gave up and that’s all I could ask. I’ve been on teams where the scoreline wasn’t as dramatic as that and guys just put their heads down. Our guys carried on trying to hold onto the ball and play as much rugby as they possibly could.”
The Eagles scored two tries agains the All Blacks - the first two in history against New Zealand. The first came from a beautiful run by Nate Augspurger to dot down center of the posts, then another from Ryan Matyas after a seamless string of passes.
As daunting as it is to look at the scoreline in a match such as this, becoming all the more deflated in the heat of battle, the United States played with noticeable energy in the second half. Players continued fighting, trying new things and taking as many opportunities as they could to produce an attack. It wasn't perfect and it didn't cut the deficit, but it showed intent. And intent is something you can build on.
Captain Bryce Campbell equally accounted for the good moments in the game:
“We look at moments in the game, [we looked at] what did we do to create those opportunities and how can we replicate those more often in the game. What was really exciting was when we were really direct, carried hard, we either forced them to give up a penalty or we got go forward. We fought like heck out there and we earned a couple tries.”
It has been an incredibly challenging year for the Men’s Eagles, filled with highs and lows. Along the way, nine players earned their first cap, two players served as new Captains (MacGinty; Campbell) and the program faced three of the world’s top-five rugby nations with England and Ireland in July and last night against New Zealand. Added to that was a momentous victory in the Canada series and another harsh result that saw Uruguay book their ticket to the World Cup instead of the USA.
The Eagles will not meet again until the summer when their path to World Cup qualification continues. A home and away series with Chile will determine who claims the Americas 2 position in a pool with England, Japan, Argentina and Samoa.
As the USA Men’s XVs National Team looks ahead to an intense 2022, the program will analyze its results against its performances to identify a pathway of growth towards France 2023.
USA Eagles Roster
1. Matt Harmon
2. Dylan Fawsitt
3. Paul Mullen
4. Nate Brakeley
5. Nick Civetta
6. Benjamin Bonasso
7. Hanco Germishuys
8. Cam Dolan
9. Nate Augspurger
10. Luke Carty
11. Ryan Matyas
12. Bryce Campbell (C)
13. Tavite Lopeti
14. Ryan James (debut)
15. Will Hooley
16. Chad Gough (debut)
17. Faka'osi PIfeleti (debut)
18. Dino Waldren
19. Siaosi Mahoni
20. Moni Tonga'uiha
21. Andrew Guerra
22. Michael Baska
23. Mike Dabulas
USA Eagles Staff
Head Coach | Gary Gold
Asst Coach, Defense | Rob Hoadley
Asst Coach, Backs | Steve Brett
Asst Coach, Forwards | Shawn Pittman
Coach, Strength & Conditioning | Huw Bevan
Performance Analyst | Jimmy Harrison
Team Doctor | Mark Sakr
Head Physiotherapist | Kristen Douhan
Athletic Trainer | Ron Klingensmith
Sports Massage Therapist | Daliah Hurwitz
Team Manager | Oscar Alvarez
