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Eagles soar over Europe as Oaks felled in Bucharest
The United States of America wrapped up their Autumn Internationals campaign undefeated, claiming a 26-23 win against Spain in a game played at Estadio Nacional Complutense in Madrid, while a late kick was the deciding factor in the Romania vs Uruguay clash.
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Eagles hold a late Spanish surge
After defeating both Portugal and Tonga, Scott Lawerence’s Eagles headed for Spain, hoping to finish on a high against a Spanish side that claimed an impressive win against Uruguay just two weeks ago.
The Leones had a strong start to the game earning a ten-point lead in the first twenty minutes, with loose forward Alex Saleta scoring the opening try.
Gonzalo Vinuesa added the conversion and would later successfully slot a penalty kick.
The visitors fought their way back into the game and would pull ahead before half-time. First, it was veteran wing Nathaniel Augspurger who found space on the flank, placing down the ball for his 11th Test Match try; Tevita Lopeti brushed aside a couple of tacklers to score the US’s second five-pointer-
At half-time, the Eagles were leading by two points, but Spain could count themselves unlucky for having missed a handful of chances to take back control of the scoreboard.
The United States of America came out blasting in the restart with former Saracens Ruben de Haas orchestrating his team’s territory dominance. The scrum-half crafted the Eagles’ third try, crosskicking the ball to wing’s Mark O’Keefe’s hands, placing it down unopposed.
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Before the 51st-minute mark, Cory Daniel was temporarily sent off, allowing Gonzalo Vinuesa to convert three points for Spain. However, even being down 14 men, the visitors found their way into the try-area again, with Lopeti getting a brace after a six-phase sequence. AJ MacGinty bagged the extras.
Being thirteen points down, Spain went out looking for a late comeback, but they would fall short, as Raphaël Nieto and Gauthier Minguillon’s tries weren’t enough.
The Eagles concluded a successful tour to Europe, enjoying one of their best seasons since the 2010s.
Victory secured 🔒
USA Men’s Eagles go 3 for 3 in November Tour.
TRIES | N. Augspurger, T. Lopeti (2), M. O’Keeffe
CONV | A. MacGinty (3) pic.twitter.com/HSwV5SS8AIADVERTISEMENT— USA Rugby (@USARugby) November 23, 2024
Uruguay wins in a nail-biter in Bucharest
Rodolfo Ambrosio’s Teros were able to claim a 23-21 win against Romania, as Santi Álvarez converted the decisive penalty kick with only just two minutes remaining, ending their tour on a good note.
The Uruguayans didn’t have to wait long to score their first points, as Álvarez himself opened the game with a well-placed penalty conversion, three minutes in.
Five minutes later the Teros widened their lead, quickly taking advantage of a Romanian kick that landed into Juan González’s hands. The fullback sprinted to the halfway line and after a couple of passes, the ball found its way to Gastón Mieres’ hands, who dotted down in his farewell game.
Gabriel Rupanu kicked for Romania’s first three points, but Álvarez re-upped the score in the same fashion. Feeling the pressure from the home crowd the Stejarii barged their way into the try area thanks to a thumping maul drive led by Ovidiu Cojocaru. Rupanu put the kick over and would later add another penalty.
In the last half, both sides scored one try and a penalty each, but Álvarez’s 2-point conversion would ultimately make the difference.
Romania conceded their first loss in the last three games, but it was a positive shift from last year’s World Cup, with head coach David Gérard able to find back some of the Stejarii’s dominant aura. As for the Teros, they head back home with some positive news, having been able to debut a handful of former U20s.
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