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First pick in 2024 MLR Draft among three potential USA Eagles debutants

United States players line up for the national anthem prior to the World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup Semi-Final between Fiji and United States at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium on September 14, 2024 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Toru Hanai - World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)

Three rising stars from Major League Rugby are in line to potentially make their international debuts in an intriguing Test this weekend. Shilo Klein, Tomas Casares and Erich Storti have been named in the USA Eagles’ matchday 23 to face Portugal in Coimbra, just north of Lisbon.

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San Diego Legion’s Klein has been named in the First XV at hooker, while Casares from the Miami Sharks and Anthem Rugby California’s Storti may come off the pine. Keep an eye out for Storti who was the first overall pick in this year’s MLR Draft.

 

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Bristol Bears flyhalf AJ MacGinty also returns to the Eagles’ setup for the first time since the 42-7 loss to Scotland at Audi Field in July. The veteran playmaker missed Test matches in the Pacific Nations Cup against Canada, Japan, Fiji, and finally Samoa.

For the third time in as many years, the USA will face Portugal but they’re yet to taste sweet victory in those fixtures. The last two editions have finished in a tie and a loss for the Eagles, but 10 of the 23 from the last meeting are set to suit up again as they chase revenge.

Head-to-Head

Last 3 Meetings

Wins
1
Draws
1
Wins
1
Average Points scored
26
19
First try wins
67%
Home team wins
33%

“Our goal this tour remains the same from the Pacific Nations Cup, to compete and get better each week,” Head Coach and General Manager, Scott Lawrence, said in a statement.

“This Saturday is our first opportunity to do that. What we’ll take into consideration is who we’re playing and what they’re going to bring, but as always focus on our own performance objectives.

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“Portugal is coming off an extensive Rugby World Cup campaign, so we’ll face a cohesive team that will be a good test of our focus as a young team, looking to stay switched on for all 80 minutes.”

Joining debutant Klein in the front row is 10-Test loosehead Jack Iscaro and Anthem Rugby Carolina’s Alex Maughan. Jason Damm will pack down with the highly experienced Greg Peterson, who will captain the Eagles in his 49th international appearance.

There’s a bit of a San Diego Legion mix to the backrow with MLR teammate Viliami Helu joining Paddy Ryan in the loose forwards trio. Cory Daniel from Old Glory DC is the other starting forward, with the seven-cap enforcer getting the nod to start at openside flanker.

Ruben DeHaas will link up with MacGinty in a halves combination that boasts 70 international appearance between them. They’ll have Seattle Seawolves’ Tavite Lopeti outside them in the No. 12 jersey, while collegiate superstar Dominic Besag has been named at outside centre.

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Nate Augspurger will line up on the left wing, while the MLR’s first-ever first-overall draft pick Conner Mooneyham starts on the right. Former New England Free Jack Mitch Wilson rounds out the starting side as the team’s fullback.

Other than potential debutants Casares and Storti on the bench, the influence of Luke Carty could also be significant.

This match is scheduled to get underway at 11:00 am ET on Saturday, November 9. Fans can watch the action live on FloRugby.

Related

USA Men’s Eagles to play Portugal

  1. Jack Iscaro – Old Glory DC
  2. Shilo Klein – San Diego Legion*
  3. Alex Maughan – Anthem Rugby Carolina
  4. Jason Damm – RFCLA
  5. Greg Peterson (c) – San Diego Legion
  6. Viliami Helu – San Digo Legion
  7. Cory Daniel – Old Glory DC
  8. Paddy Ryan – San Diego Legion
  9. Ruben DeHaas – Cheetahs
  10. AJ MacGinty – Bristol Bears
  11. Nate Augspurger – Chicago Hounds
  12. Tavite Lopeti – Seattle Seawolves
  13. Dominic Besag – Saint Mary’s College
  14. Conner Mooneyham – Anthem Rugby Carolina
  15. Mitch Wilson – Anthem Rugby Carolina

Replacements

  1. Kapeli Pifeleti – Saracens
  2. Jake Turnbull – Anthem Rugby Carolina
  3. Pono Davis- Houston Sabercats
  4. Tomas Casares – Miami Sharks**
  5. Tesimoni Tonga’uiha – NOLA Gold
  6. Ethan McVeigh – Old Glory DC
  7. Erich Storti – Anthem Rugby Carolina**
  8. Luke Carty – Unattached

*Denotes debut

**Denotes potential debut

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Comments

1 Comment
J
JW 13 days ago

Back to back MLR champions The Free Jacks don’t have one player in the match day 23. Am I missing something ?

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J
JW 54 minutes ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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