Australia A complete USA tour with shutout win in New Jersey

Australia A concluded their tour of the USA Men with a 52-0 shutout win at Sports Illustrated Stadium.

The visitors scored eight tries in New Jersey, as Harry McLaughlin-Phillips – who made his Test debut from the bench for the Wallabies in the second Bledisloe Cup fixture in October – had a standout performance, which included one try and six conversions.

It is a result that backed up the 61-21 win they picked up six days earlier in Nashville, Tennessee. The majority of this USA squad will now travel to Europe to conclude their Nations Cup campaign against Georgia, Romania and Hong Kong China.

By half-time the scoreline read 33-0 in favour of Australia A in New Jersey. It took team captain Matt Faessler all of four minutes to cross the whitewash for the first try and allow McLaughlin-Phillips his first shot at the uprights.

Soon enough Corey Toole and Kalani Thomas had breached the USA defence too. After Mac Grealy’s converted score the home side did wrestle back some momentum, only for any hope of a positive half-time team talk with head coach Scott Lawrence to be dashed when hulking lock Nick Frost lumbered over in the 39th minute. McLaughlin-Phillips duly slotted the conversion.

A word must also be said for Zac Lomax. The rugby league convert, who spent part of the 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season with the Western Force, played in his first representative game for Australia and looked more than comfortable at outside centre. It was his pass that sent Thomas across the try line and even stopped a certain try as the USA tried in vain to get on the scoreboard.

It was also Lomax whose chip-and-chase drew the yellow card of Mason Pedersen early in the second half as Australia tried to extend their lead further. During the prop’s time on the sideline, McLaughlin-Phillips scored and converted his own try and Joe Brial dotted down also.

Shortly after Brial’s score, the USA enjoyed a brief spell of attacking pressure, although they were unable to turn it into points.

In the 65th minute Luke Reimer was sent to the sin bin and after his return, Linton Ieli scored with the clock in the red to bring up the half-century and McLaughlin-Phillips brought an end to the game with his sixth conversion.