The USA Women's Eagles drew 17-17 with hosts Japan Sunday, in a tough match under the hot Japan sun and humidity.
The teams played evenly with a lot of possession exchange as they fought to execute their game plans. Missed opportunities and passing errors with a slippery ball were the themes of this game for both teams, and each side will work to button up their connection and revisit their set pieces.
McKenzie Hawkins stood out against Japan as kicking became crucial with the slippery ball. Emerson Allen, Sariah Ibarra, and Sophie Pyrz made their USA Eagles debut on Sunday as they ran out on the pitch as replacements. Each had a standout moment at their first touch of the ball, and will continue to develop their skills for another shot at next week's game. USA v Japan kicks off Saturday, Aug. 17, at 5am ET, live on RugbyPass TV.
"Thank you for hosting us, we’ve been here four days and loved our time here. It’s been very warm but today the weather was much better and the spectacle was a great challenge. We knew the match would be tough, we knew Sakura 15 wold play for 80 minutes and that’s exactly what happened.
Japan are a very physical side in terms of speed to ball, very good at the breakdown, and great work rate so it makes it really challenging to keep the ball in play and to find space. That’s how it turned out today, they put pressure at breakdown.
Next week we’re going to work on our attacking breakdown, attacking quicker, using the ball more, finding edges in space and taking more advantage of our line out and maul."
"Thank you to all the fans and Japanese team for such a warm welcome. This environment is incredible. It was definitely a tough match, we let ourselves down and we had a gameplay and unfortunately didn’t execute it into all areas. We definitely have some big takeaways into next week.
We're lucky we get another shot next week which is super exciting. We definitely want to clean up our breakdown. The Japanese team came up physical and we weren’t ready. So we have a few days to prepare now so we’re gonna go back to work."
The Eagles started out strong on attack, with connected phases as they worked down field. But Japan showed a physical defense right from the start, putting pressure on for USA to knock on. But a penalty gave it back to the USA for the first scrum of the game.
With a slippery ball thanks to the humid conditions, a lot of the match was spent in a kick for territory. The USA won the first kicking battle when a Japan clearing kick went to touch, giving the Eagles a line out opportunity. But passing errors through the phases let Japan take advantage as they used their physicality at the breakdown to take back the ball.
The turns for possession was a major point of this match, as Japan tried to kick long and win the race for the ball. But their first attempt landed with a goal line drop out for the USA to kick. The Eagles' kick went awry, and Japan took a line out and maul, putting the first points of the game on the board.
Despite the slowed down play and passing errors, the Eagles had really positive moments, as when Mata Hingano drove forward to gain momentum and ground, putting the USA further into Japan territory, where the teams would play most of the first half.
A high tackle penalty gave the Eagles another line out, this time at the five meter line. Kathryn Treder picked the ball from the maul to take it over the try line. But a TMO review called an accidental obstruction in the maul, giving the ball back to a Japan scrum.
But another kicking error by Japan put the ball to touch, and the USA took their opportunity to strike back. The Eagles worked through phases off a line out, and Olivia Ortiz dove under the posts, setting McKenzie Hawkins up well for her first conversion kick of the night, tying up the score.
It was a quick response by Japan, who used the roar of the home crowd to light some momentum and counter ruck USA's attack to get the ball back, send it wide, and score quickly. But the Eagles responded back just before halftime, as a line out and maul piece gave Summer Harris-Jones the space to score on the edge. Hawkins' magic boot kicked another solid conversion, putting the USA in the lead, 14-12, heading to halftime.
The second half was the same story of a fight for possession through humid conditions, this time seeing a lot of the USA's own end zone. Japan was quick to dominate, putting up another five points within the first few minutes of the second half restart. The score re-energized the home team, and they kept up pressure on defense, urging knock ons and poaching the ball well after tackles. The USA couldn't quite match their physicality to get around their defensive wall.
As fresh feet in the replacements headed out on field, the Eagles saw three new debuts, Emerson Allen, Sariah Ibarra, and Sophie Pyrz. The new energy reinvigorated the Eagles, who showed moments of light with a massive 15 meter driving maul and classic quick speed by Ibarra. Several moments saw close plays that had the USA within scoring opportunity, but a passing error or penalty would ultimately send it back to Japan. Sophie Pyrz showed her might, blocking several kicks by Japan to keep them from making another score.
With two minutes left, the USA worked into Japan territory, where a penalty call gave Hawkins the opportunity for a penalty kick, tying up the game once again. From there, both teams battled out for the last play, but a loose ball went to touch, ending the game 17-17.
Both teams have a lot of takeaways heading into next week. With six days to recover and reset, the Eagles will look to bring more physicality and clean up their set piece plays to take away a win next weekend. USA v Japan kicks off Saturday, Aug. 17, at 5am ET, live on RugbyPass TV.
| Name | Club | Caps |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Alivia Leatherman | Life West | 4 |
| 2. Kathryn Treder (VC) | Loughborough Lightning | 21 |
| 3. Charli Jacoby | Exeter Chiefs | 29 |
| 4. Erica Jarrell | Sale Sharks | 10 |
| 5. Hallie Taufoou | Loughborough Lightning | 18 |
| 6. Rachel Ehrecke | Colorado Gray Wolves | 14 |
| 7. Tahlia Brody | Leicester Tigers | 11 |
| 8. Freda Tafuna | Lindenwood University | 9 |
| 9. Olivia Ortiz | Exeter Chiefs | 21 |
| 10. McKenzie Hawkins (VC) | Colorado Gray Wolves | 16 |
| 11. Summer Harris-Jones | USA Sevens | 4 |
| 12. Gabby Cantorna | Exeter Chiefs | 29 |
| 13. Atumata Hingano | USA Sevens | 3 |
| 14. Bulou Mataitoga | Loughborough Lightning | 18 |
| 15. Tess Feury (C) | Leicester Tigers | 27 |
| 16. Paige Stathopoulos | Beantown RFC | 9 |
| 17. Catie Benson | Sale Sharks | 44 |
| 18. Maya Learned | Colorado Gray Wolves | 12 |
| 19. Emerson Allen | Life West / Rhinos | 1 |
| 20. Keia Mae Sagapolu | Leicester Tigers | 10 |
| 21. Sophie Pyrz | Life West / Rhinos | 1 |
| 22. Emily Henrich | Leicester Tigers | 17 |
| 23. Sariah Ibarra | USA Sevens | 1 |
Head Coach | Sione Fukofuka
Assistant Coach | Mel Bosman
Assistant Coach | Sarah Chobot
Team Doctor | Derek Hatfield
Head Athletic Trainer | Emily Lauer
ATC | Sam Malette
Lead Physical Performance Coach | Sylvia Braaten
Analyst | Caitlin Singletary
Team Manager | Lindsay Wilson
USA vs Japan | 17-17 (D)
Watch on RugbyPass TV
USA vs Japan | Saturday, August 17 | 5am ET
ECOPA Stadium | Shizuoka, JPN
Watch live on RugbyPass TV
