The USA Men's Eagles secured a hard-fought 27-19 victory over Spain in a gritty encounter, marking the Eagles' third consecutive victory on their November test tour. This win marks a historic achievement, their first three-game win streak in recent years.
With Noah Brown making his debut and the USA finishing the November tour undefeated, the victory against Spain is a testament to their growth as a team. Head Coach Scott Lawrence has guided the squad to significant improvement, with the Eagles showing great determination and attacking threat. The win against Spain is a crucial step in their development as they continue to build toward future tests in a World Cup qualification year.
On the game against Spain, Lawrence said, “The things we need to remember that are important in test rugby is discipline and clean exits. We were clean in the first half and in control; but when we weren’t, we were under pressure late in the game.”
Recapping the season, Lawrence said, “The team grew tremendously throughout the year. We started with a really young group in terms of caps, and you can see the incremental growth in both their game knowledge and accuracy, but also resiliency toward the end of the year.
It’s important now that we work with the players on putting themselves in a good position to perform for their professional clubs. So in the short term that’s what the focus will be, we want the players to go back and be afforded the minutes they need as international players in their professional teams. During the upcoming season, we will continue to work with those teams on co-development plans of their players.”
The match started with early discipline issues for the USA, with captain Greg Peterson receiving a yellow card for head to head contact. This put the Eagles on the back foot, and Spain capitalized on the power play. They maintained full control, pressing the USA defense and eventually scoring a try. Spain added a penalty kick shortly after to extend their lead, as the Eagles struggled to find their rhythm early on.
Despite the early setbacks, the Eagles worked hard to build pressure and regain control. They earned a five-meter line out, putting out a well-executed rolling maul that allowed Nate Augspurger to score on the wing with defenders drawn away. The USA continued to show their attacking intent, and Tavite Lopeti brought much-needed physicality, breaking through tacklers to score and give the USA the lead for the first time in the match.
The Eagles’ dominance at the set-piece continued, with a collapsed Spain scrum giving them another line-out, but a penalty against them allowed Spain a chance to clear and reset. The teams exchanged possession, with the USA pushing hard in the final minutes of the first half, but a penalty halted their progress, and the whistle blew with the score at 14-10 in favor of the Eagles.
The second half saw Spain quickly regain the upper hand. At the kick-off, they regained possession and scored shortly after, but the TMO review showed a knock-on, leading to a goal-line drop-out for the USA. This proved to be a turning point, as the Eagles responded quickly, with a well-timed cross-kick finding Mark O'Keeffe on the edge to score his first career try, giving the USA a more comfortable cushion.
Spain didn’t give up easily, though, and a penalty allowed them to narrow the gap with a penalty kick and added three points. The USA then found themselves under pressure again when Cory Daniel was sent to the sin bin for a dangerous tackle. With one man down, the Eagles were tested, but their resilience showed as they continued to inch closer to Spain’s try line. However, a loose ball and an ensuing line-out to Spain gave them a chance to regroup.
In a dramatic moment, the Eagles surged over the try line, and after a TMO review, Tavite Lopeti was awarded the try, extending their lead. Spain responded with relentless pressure, and after another penalty from the USA, they capitalized to score, narrowing the deficit once again.
As the match entered its final stages, the USA showed composure, holding firm in defense while trying to wear down the clock with phases of possession. Spain pushed hard but were caught offside in the final moments, allowing the Eagles to kick the ball out and secure the win, 26-23.
This victory is not just a win on the scoreboard, but a statement of progress for the USA Men's Eagles, who will look to carry this momentum forward into their next phase of international rugby.
Scott Lawrence | Head Coach
Alama Ieremia | Backs and Attack Coach
Nick Easter | Forwards and Defense Coach
Blake Bradford | Scrum Coach
Alex Ross | Head of Athlete Performance
Jimmy Harrison | Head Analyst
Rodolfo Broggi | Athlete Performance
Soham Quici | Athlete Performance
Michael Sheridan | Head Athletic Trainer
Jennifer Roney | Assistant Athletic Trainer
Willie Berlanga | Sports Massage Therapist
Matt Schmitz | Team Doctor
Oscar Alvarez | Team Manager
Nov 9 | Portugal vs USA | 17-21 (W)
TRIES | P. Ryan, N. Augspurger, K. Pifeleti
CONV | A. MacGinty (3)
Nov 16 | Tonga vs USA | 36-17 (W)
TRIES | D. Besag, J. Damm, J. Iscaro, R. de Haas, A. MacGinty
CONV | A. MacGinty (4)
PK | A. MacGinty
Nov 23 | Spain vs USA | 26-23 (W)
TRIES | N. Augspurger, T. Lopeti (2), M. O'Keeffe
CONV | A. MacGinty (3)
