PREVIEW – USA Rugby v Rugby Canada will be a big test for both teams heading into Saturday afternoon. These two rival teams will also be up for it again as this is the first game in 2024 that both teams will be facing each other.
USA Rugby v Rugby Canada: North American Rivals Meet in California
USA Rugby (2-0-3)
USA Rugby is not in terrible shape, but they are also not in great form. In their last five games, they have only two wins, including a shocking upset by Romania against the U.S. on July 5, 2024, at SeatGeek Stadium.
The last two wins for the U.S. came on November 11, 2023, against Brazil and November 18, 2023 against Spain. In both those games, the U.S. won comfortably. The main issue though could be a lack of games played prior to the losses against Romania and Scotland last month. This is what USA Rugby head coach, Scott Lawrence said in the Goff Rugby Report:
“Some of the issues are probably easier to see when you lose a couple of games,” Lawrence told GRR. “The team was almost brand new. We had a new 9-10 combination, and when that happened often you get what we saw, which was a team that really struggled to get continuity. We as a coaching staff knew that was a risk.”
In that same Goff Rugby Report article, Lawrence had this to say about the recent loss to Scotland:
“We need to have everyone seeing the same picture at the same time,” said Lawrence. “And it sounds strange to say when you lose 42-7, but we were better with that against Scotland; the difference was significant. But against Scotland our problem was penalties, and when you have 20 penalties called against you it makes it difficult to establish continuity. When we did have possession, we did well.”
The U.S. will look to continue some of that positive play against Canada, in what feels like a must-win game for both teams.
READ MORE: USA Rugby Match Day Roster
Rugby Canada (2-0-3)
READ MORE: Japan Rugby’s Speed, Pressure Was Too Much for Rugby Canada
Rugby Canada, unlike USA Rugby, has already played a game in the 2024 World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup. This was against Japan last Sunday at BC Place. There were some negatives and positives to take from the game.
For the negatives, they looked completely outplayed in the first half, as they had trouble dealing with the speed, strength, and size of Japan. Also, there will need to be a focus on improving their defence after giving up 55 points against Japan.
Saying that, there were positives to take from the game. The most important one was that they won the second half against Japan. In fact, Canada’s offence and their ability to score tries in different ways, shows what this team is capable of.
In that game, Lucas Rumball showed why he is the captain of the team, getting some big defensive stops and even scoring a try of his own. The star of the show from a Canadian perspective though was the McMullin brothers (Talon McMullin and Takoda McMullin), who both scored tries against Japan last Sunday.
Players to Watch for Both Teams
READ MORE: Kingsley Jones: The Rugby Canada 15s Men’s Head Coach
For Canada, Rumball is the player to watch. His ability not to just score tries, but his defensive effort has been one, if not the best on the Rugby Canada team.
As for the U.S., the player to watch out for is both Kapeli Pifeleti and Ruben de Haas. Both players have played at a higher level than Major League Rugby. They are also both players that can step up with the national team and are also two players Canada needs to be aware of.
READ MORE: Rugby Canada Match Day Roster
Head-to-Head
Both national teams have faced each other 65 times. Canada has won 39, and the U.S. has won 24, with the other two games being a draw. While Canada has historically had the better of USA, the Americans have been the better team recently against the Canadians.
In fact, since June 21, 2014, the Americans have a 12-1-1 record against the Canadians. The last time both teams have faced each other was back in September 2021, when both Canada and the U.S. won their home matches against each other in the 2023 Rugby World Cup qualifiers. The U.S. would be the one to advance in the World Cup qualifiers, however, in the end, both teams ended up missing the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
How To Watch the Game and What Is At Stake
Fans can watch the game live on TSN+ in Canada at 9:00pm ET (6:00pm PT) at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. It will also be an encore showing at 12:00am ET (9:00am PT) nationally on TSN3. This is while the Americans can watch the game live on Flo Rugby and Peacock.
Head Coach of Rugby Canada, Kingsley Jones, said this (from the Rugby Canada Press Release):
“Saturday’s match against the United States is not just another opportunity for us to measure ourselves against a good team, but an important contest that will dictate our position heading into the play-offs in Japan.” Jones said. “This type of high stakes match will be good preparation for next year, when we will face the United States in the Pacific Nations Cup in a match that will help determine direct Rugby World Cup qualification.”
This will be an important game for both teams, and a loss for either team will be considered a disappointment. There is also not much to separate the teams in the World Rugby rankings as Canada is ranked 21st and the U.S. is ranked 19th in the world.
Photo Credit: Rugby Canada X Account on August 25, 2024.
