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Against all odds, USA book spot in RWC qualifying bout with Uruguay
By Tom Vinicombe
Heading into their two-match series with Canada to determine who would have the more manageable road to World Cup qualification, USA were heavy favourites.
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While Canada had held the wool over their opposition for the formative years of their rivalry, winning 39 of their 51 matches up until 2013, the Eagles have made great progress in the last decade and taken the ‘big brother’ tag off their northern rivals to go unbeaten from 2014 until 2019.
The launch of the MLR has seen a huge increase in the number of professional players throughout America and while the rugby scene in the United States has flourished, Canada has floundered.
As such, Canada’s 34-21 victory in Newfoundland came as a huge shock – and left the USA with some big ground to make up if they wanted to face a more straightforward path to the 2023 World Cup.
They made that ground up with ease in today’s clash in Colorado, however, racing out to a 25-9 lead at halftime, and ultimately triumphing 38-16.
The Eagles scored three tries in the first half through South African-born flanker Hanco Germishuys but the highlight of the first 40 minutes was undoubtedly a 45-metre drop goal from halfback Ruben de Haas to take the score out to 28-9.
De Haas was also on hand to score USA’s first try of the second half before prop Joe Taufete’e smashed his way over from the back of a driving maul.
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Canada scored the final points of the game through a penalty try, but it wasn’t enough to dampen the USA’s mood – or prevent them from taking the overall series win.
The 22-point victory means the Eagles finish the series ahead 59-50 on aggregate and will progress to playing Uruguay next month in another two-game series. The overall winner of that series will take the Americas 1 spot for Rugby World Cup 2023, dropping them in Pool A alongside New Zealand, France and Italy.
Although the United States have traditionally held the wood over Uruguay in their fixtures over the years, Uruguay won the last match between the two sides, 32-25.
Canada, meanwhile, will have to best Chile over two matches, with the winner going on to play the loser of the series between the USA and Uruguay to decide the Americas 2 qualifier.
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The loser of Canada v Chile will drop out of the qualifying race altogether while the loser of the Americas 2 play-off could still progress through in the final qualifying tournament.
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I think George Ford will be England’s flyhalf at the start of the 6 Nations but surely a match against Italy is an opportunity for Borthwick to let the shackles free and thus give Marcus Smith the keys to the England team or the backline at least. As for Sam Burgess, blaming rugby union or rugby yawnion as many league types in Australia call the 15 a side version of rugby is an easy way of garnering sympathy for a union stint that didn’t work out. Sure playing #6 for Bath and #12 for England wasn’t ideal for him but Burgess would have been better off moving to Bath when his South Sydney commitments were finished at the end of the 2013 season. That way, he’d have a large chunk of the 2013-14 season to get to grips with rugby and the entire 2014-15 season before the 2015 World Cup.
Go to commentsI think the article fails to understand the different dynamics between the countries. South African players leave the country because they can earn more in any of the major European leagues, and SARU doesn’t have the money or control to stop them. The situation is different in England. When English Qualified Players stop playing in England, they tend to go to France. Some older ones go to the US or Japan for a final payday in a less demanding competition, but the ones who are looking to maximise their earning power go to France, because it’s the only market in the game that pays more. The Top 14 is one of the most physically attritional leagues around, with a heavy emphasis on forward power and a very long league season. Players are hired to play, and contracts don’t usually include clauses allowing players to join up for International camps outside the International windows, or to have the RFU have a say over their training. The one famous exception was Jonny Wilkinson, but few other players have his buying power. I do think the RFU should be more flexible about players displaced by the club failures last year, and even for Joe Marchant, who moved because Eddie wasn’t selecting him only for Eddie to be replaced… But it needs to be a temporary measure while things settle down. I would place more of a focus on the RFU’s planned hybrid contracts, which will allow them longer term control over a core group of players. I also think they should look how to help develop emerging players who could fill problem positions or holes in the succession plan. Investment in the academies, and perhaps (cheaper) hybrid contracts for high potential players in positions where the succession plan is weaker would help.
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