Ready to kick off a new era, the USA Men’s Eagles have named their first match day roster of 2023, with nine players in line to make their senior international debut against Romania, this Saturday from Stadionul Arcul de Triumf in Bucharest.
Returning to test match rugby for the first time since November, Head Coach Scott Lawrence has selected a balance of rookie and veteran talent to take on the 18th ranked Romania, who sit just one position below the United States. Fitting into the long-term blueprint of planting new prospects into the Eagles system, Saturday will be the first opportunity for the nine debutants to take in the most valuable experience available, real time test match rugby. USA vs Romania kicks off at 1pm ET, LIVE on The Rugby Network.
Scott Lawrence said heading into the first fixture of the new year, “The men have all contributed to a healthy learning environment here and are growing each day. This weekend is a chance for us to have an accelerated growth experience as a team, in playing the way we will play under pressure. I expect we’ll see some new faces step up and we’ll see who’s who in the zoo, so to speak, in the intensity of an international game.”
The United States last played Romania here in Bucharest during the fall of 2018, where the Eagles won in dominant fashion over the host team, 31-5. Of the 23 rostered five years ago, six will return to the pitch this weekend in Cam Dolan, Dylan Fawsitt, Greg Peterson, Ruben de Haas, Paul Mullen and Hooker Joe Taufete’e. Romania welcomes the USA as they begin their warm up series for the Rugby World Cup.
Romania have been splitting results of late, facing off with fellow European sides this year, but are expected to bring a fair amount of power to the forward pack, facing off with a few 30+ cap veterans on the USA side. Greg Peterson will slide in as Captain for the three-match summer series, earning his 40th cap on Saturday when stepping out at Lock.
Peterson said on the early days of camp and summer tour, “A lot of good things to work on. Scott’s come in with a new game plan, new coaching staff and a huge number of players new to the program, it’s been absolutely brilliant. We’re pushing the boundaries on what we want to do physically here, hitting a lot of our markers and building off that each week. It’s been really good, we’ve seen improvement each week and there’s really been a thirst to learn and get better, it’s been really promising.
When asked about being a veteran and leading the new crop of players into test match rugby, Peterson added, “Rugby is rugby, but when it comes to stepping out on the next level it’s about keeping that cool and calm head in a pressure situation, being able to flip on to the next job, so it’s the mental game that we’re helping to build up with a lot of players. We’ve seen a lot of boys who have definitely put their hand up on this tour and take that next step. It’s going to be an exciting game this weekend.”
| Name | Club | Caps |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jack Iscaro | Old Glory DC | 2 |
| 2. Dylan Fawsitt | New York Ironworkers | 22 |
| 3. Paul Mullen | Utah Warriors | 30 |
| 4. Cam Dolan | NOLA Gold | 63 |
| 5. Greg Peterson (C) | Unattached | 39 |
| 6. Sam Golla | Dallas Jackals | Debut |
| 7. Paddy Ryan | Coventry (ENG) | Debut |
| 8. Luke White | Chicago Hounds | Debut |
| 9. Nick McCarthy | Leinster | Debut |
| 10. Luke Carty | Chicago Hounds | 11 |
| 11. Nate Augspurger (VC) | San Diego Legion | 36 |
| 12. Tommaso Boni | Zebra (ITA) | Debut |
| 13. Mika Kruse | Utah Warriors | 5 |
| 14. Christian Dyer | Houston SaberCats | 11 |
| 15. Mitch Wilson | New England Free Jacks | 3 |
| 16. Joe Taufete'e | Unattached | 36 |
| 17. Jake Turnbull | Seattle Seawolves | Debut |
| 18. Takaji Young Yen | Utah Warriors | Debut |
| 19. Nate Brakeley | New York Ironworkers | 30 |
| 20. Thomas Tu'avao | Utah Warriors | Debut |
| 21. Ruben de Haas | Free State Cheetahs (RSA) | 28 |
| 22. Chris Mattina | Chicago Hounds | Debut |
| 23. Tavite Lopeti | Seattle Seawolves | 7 |
Head Coach | Scott Lawrence
Assistant Coach - Attack | Alama Ieremia
Assistant Coach - Forwards and Defense | Nick Easter
Head of Athlete Performance | Alex Ross
Head Analyst | Jimmy Harrison
Head Physiotherapist | Kristen Douhan
Assistant ATC | Ron Klingensmith
Sports Massage Therapist | Daliah Hurwitz
Abigail Hamilton | Team Doctor
Team Manager | Oscar Alvarez
Aug 5 | USA vs Romania | Bucharest, ROM
Aug 12 | USA vs Portugal | Algarve, POR
Aug 19 | USA vs Georgia | Tbilisi, GEO
Sep 17 | USA vs Stade Toulousain | Salt Lake City, UT
