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| USA Rugby Report on Eagle Loss |
| National Teams - USA Men |
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Japan is ranked 13th on the IRB world rankings, and coached by former All Black, John Kirwan. “It was a good physical game in very wet conditions, and will stand us in good stead for New Zealand. It was a game we might have won at the end, but it would probably have been a bit of a steal, seeing as Japan dominated possession in the second half. We would have liked to have had more possession in the second period, but at the same time it was an excellent defensive workout,” said Eagles Head Coach, Eddie O’Sullivan. It was Japan who struck first in the match through some deft backline play, sending fullback Taihei Ueda over in the corner. The Eagles replied straight away with winger Kevin Swiryn collecting the kickoff, and racing 40-meters to touch down. Flyhalf Nese Malifa kicked the conversion, as the Eagles led 7-5. Japan’s Ryan Nicholas then added a penalty to give the home side a slender 8-7 advantage. The conditions proved to be very difficult throughout the match, with rain affecting both handling and kicking. Center Paul Emerick provided the spark the Eagles needed before half time with two massive tackles, one of which took out two Japanese players, and gave Swiryn another runaway try. Malifa added the conversion with the Eagles leading 14-8 at the break. Injuries to standouts Hayden Smith and Nic Johnson forced O’Sullivan to use his reserve bench early in the second half. Shortly thereafter, Takashi Kikutani, scored for Japan. The loose-forward surged over after a period of attacking pressure. Replacement Shaun Webb hit the conversion, putting Japan in front by a single point. Emerick made a massive break for the USA, but just put a foot into touch, with the center almost scoring for his country. After back-and-forth energy sapping play, winger Takehisa Usuzuki finished off a great team try for Japan. The Eagles put plenty of phases together, and in the last few minutes camped inside Japan’s 22. Desperate defense eventually turned the ball over as the buzzer sounded with Japan holding on to win 20-14. Flanker Ryan Chapman and winger James Paterson both earned their first caps for the USA, while veteran prop Mike MacDonald equaled the most appearances for an Eagle today. MacDonald and Luke Gross both have 62 caps for the United States. USA’s Dana Teagarden was one of the assistant referees for the match. Teagarden became the first woman ever to referee a senior men’s international match, taking charge of the Netherlands and Hong Kong on December 18, 2010 in Amsterdam. The Eagles will travel back to America tomorrow, with the RWC squad assembling in Santa Barbara next weekend, before departing to New Zealand. “Having seen quite a few players over the last three weeks, we are now in a good position to finalize our squad for the RWC.” said O’Sullivan. |
Tokyo, Japan – In the final build-up match to the Rugby World Cup, Japan narrowly defeated the Eagles 20-14 at the Prince Chichbu Memorial Rugby Ground on a wet Sunday evening. (Photo Credit: JRFU)
