'Discipline, physicality and bravery' - USA head coach Scott Lawrence previews Japan clash

Sport’s great East-versus-West rivalry is set to renew at the 24,000-seat Kumagaya Rugby Stadium when the Brave Blossoms host the USA Eagles on Saturday at 7pm local time (11am BST)

Entering the fixture as the two undefeated teams in Pool B of the Asahi Pacific Nations Cup, the match will bring a clash of styles and philosophies.

On the one hand, Eddie Jones is in the infancy of resurrecting Japanese Rugby to the heights of the late 2010s by employing an uptempo, all-court, offensive-attacking game plan. Harkening back to the structures that brought him success during his first sojourn with the Brave Blossoms, Jones knows how important this weekend’s clash is as a key marker for their development.

Countering this approach is a methodical and physical Eagles side who, too, are in the early days of a new coaching regime headed up by a man who knows the American rugby landscape like the back of his hand in Scott Lawrence. Combining good old-fashioned American muscle with an ambition to strike when their opponents leave half a chance, Lawrence’s Eagles are developing a style of play that reflects the identity of the team.

Ahead of what will be a mighty challenge, Lawrence and Eagles’ captain Greg Peterson reflected on the foundations they laid both in their July tests and last weekend against continental neighbours Canada.

“I think the Canada game, we set out to build the continuity in our game,” Lawerence stated before digging into the specifics, “We were able to do that in the early parts of the game, which put a little more pressure on the Canadians than we’ve been able to apply to opponents in the last couple of test matches. So that was the name of the game for us: continuity and discipline.”

Reflecting on this drive to get on the right side of the match officials, the coach pointed to the stats as proof of the exceptional work his charges put in against their archrivals.

“We saw a 50% drop in our penalty count from the last July series match heading into the Canada match. So we’ll go for another another 50% in this game.” Lawrence said with a smile.

Despite holding a firm advantage over Canada over the past decade, Lawrence was clear in his admiration for the new-look Les Rouge outfit, which proved they were never out of the fight during the opening two rounds of the PNC.

“Canada is a strong second-half team; we saw they were 21-17 over the Japanese (in the second half) the week earlier.

“So we knew they would push in the second half and get on the ball more, and they were true to form there.

“They tried to climb their way back into the game late, and I think the lessons we learnt from that are that in the 25 minutes when you have a three-score lead, how do you then build on that?”

Echoing his coach’s sentiments, powerhouse lock Peterson, who was the coal face of the confrontation, said, “I was pretty happy with the boys because obviously, we trained hard for two weeks on a lot of things and, like Scott said, that continuity and focusing on ourselves and being able to implement that in a game situation was key.”

Casting a glance further back to his side’s July tests against Romania and Scotland, the Eagles skipper felt his team took a great deal of learnings from those fixtures against the two 2023 Rugby World Cup participants.

“In the games throughout July, it was negative on negatives, losing momentum, etc.

“So for us to be able to right wrongs pretty quickly was good, but there were still a couple of moments and times that we learnt from, and that’s something we’ll be taking into the game against Japan.

“Overall, I was happy with the lads, but there’s still a lot to improve with this group and a lot to learn, and that’s what’s even more exciting.”

Displaying this improvement in managing the ebb and flow of a match, the Eagles were composed throughout what was, at times, a prickly affair against the Canadians. Assuming full control from the off, the US was deliberate in where they played their rugby, routinely matriculating the ball downfield to ensure that 66% of the time that they held the ball was inside the Canadian half.

In any scenario, this territorial awareness was exceptional. Yet, as Lawrence explained when asked about his team’s ability to convert this positioning to points, it was not simply a black-and-white situation of ‘Team A has the ball; therefore, they will go through the phases to score’ but more of a nuanced understanding of when to strike.

“It depends on the opportunities they present in terms of what you want to do.” The coach said before delving deeper, “You’re always looking to strike and to score when you can off first phase, and that’s why you see most tries come in the first two phases, so it’s about setting that opportunity up and then executing it.”

Further illustrating the comprehensive nature of the Eagles’ victory, Lawrence’s men led for 91% of the match and averaged 3.1 points per 22m entry. Managing their lead effectively, the Eagles slammed shut any real opportunity that the Canucks had of mounting a comeback.

“When we got inside of the 22 and held possession, we got a really good reward as we came away with points, which was important.

“You can’t minimise the pressure it puts on the opposition if you put the ball into touch five to ten meters from their line and then force them to play out from underneath their own posts.”

Spearheading this efficient and effective game plan, Chicago Hounds flyhalf Luke Carty put in an assured performance that bred confidence in his team while exposing gaps in the Canadian defence.

“The big thing is how we execute in the front line to create those opportunities in the backfield.

“Part of the game is manipulating that backfield, and Luke brings variety with his kicking game, which, as a team, we’re coming together more and more so that we can capitalise on that variety because it’s as much about the kick as it is about the chase and the actions afterwards.”

Taking this plan and simply replicating it against a dangerous Japanese back three has the potential to produce a horror show as dark as Stephen King’s The Shining.  Considering the risk of presenting opportunities to a side that thrives on time and space, Lawrence knows his team will need to be brave in their convictions when the time comes.

“We’ll do some different things against Japan in terms of how we’ll move their backfield around and try to capitalise on that.

“The important thing is that all 15 players are on the same page when Luke makes the decision so that we back it and do the right things afterwards.”

Flipping the script for a moment, the question of how one counters Japan’s lightening quick speed of play was posed to Lawrence, who had a considered and pragmatic response.

“Fundamentally, it comes down to the speed of set, so how quickly are we set and how well the tackler executes his role. There are times when it’s numbers on feet, and there are times when you go after the ruck. That’s the decision-making that we give to the players.

“There are two things that you can control; we can control our effort in being set and ready to see the attack coming, which, when the ball is fast, that’s tough to do as you’re not fully set.

“The second thing is making sure there’s good leg drive, post contact on your tackles, which creates time in the tackle, allowing you to speed up your set.

“Those two things we can control, and then it comes down to a carry-by-carry basis because not all players in the Japanese team, just like not all players in our team, carry the same way.”

Garnering headlines from Tokyo to Vancouver over the past fortnight, Japan’s uber-dynamic lock pairing of Warner Deans and Sanaila Waqa epitomises what Japanese Rugby strives to be. Providing the height and bulk that has been absent from previous Japanese sides, the pair of 6’8″ and 120kg plus freakish athletes are two of the most exhilarating attacking forwards at the international level. Operating like hall-of-fame-level NFL tight ends, the Japanese gameplan is such that the pair appear at points in the attacking set where they are a clear mismatch for the defender.

Considering the threat that his direct opponents pose, Peterson was frank when asked if the USA pack would look to drag them into deep water in the tight exchanges to drain some of their fizzing attacking prowess.

“Both of them have been playing some great rugby; in the Canada game, they were both excellent out on the edges.

“But in terms of dragging them into the set piece, we can potentially do that, but we don’t have massive plans because we are very much focused on us and how we want to play the game.

“In terms of trying to nullify them defensively, again, it’s just like what Scott said, just speed to set time and tackle, and if we’re able to nail those things, there won’t be holes around the breakdowns, there won’t be those open gaps out on the edges, etc.

“That’s the big thing we’ve been focusing on throughout this week; we’ve worked really hard at it. Nick Easter (assistant coach) has drilled us really hard on it throughout this week.

“There will always be times where their athletic abilities do come through, so then it comes back to our scramble game and how we get back and dig in for each other.”

Concluding the conversation with an attempt to goad an answer on how both men saw the fixture playing out, Lawrence gave three certainties to what his side would produce.

“I’ll give you three: Our discipline, physicality, and bravery to take our opportunities,” Lawrence said with a smile, summarising the hallmarks that have made his team so endearing to the US Rugby public.

While echoing his coach’s sentiments and pinpointing the key learning from the opening two rounds of this year’s PNC, Peterson said, “Agreeing with what Scott said, I think it will be the first twenty minutes and the last twenty minutes of the game that will be the decider.

“With how we played and with how Japan played against Canada, you can see the team’s strengths and weaknesses, and I think those two big points will be which team starts hot and which team finishes hot.”