‘Enormous influence’: Former World Rugby POTY nominee set for USA return

Former World Rugby Player of the Year nominee Joe Taufete’e hasn’t played for the USA Eagles in three years, but the front-rower is just a couple days away from returning to the Test arena after being named to come off the bench against Japan.

Taufete’e was nominated for the top individual accolade in men’s 15s rugby after the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, where the hooker made four appearances. Springboks flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit went on to receive the award after becoming a first-time World Cup winner.

33-year-old Taufete’e hasn’t worn the red, white and blue of the Eagles since August 2023, but will feature off the bench in the USA’s Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup opener against the Brave Blossoms on Saturday evening.

Shilo Klein started all three July Nations Cup Tests at hooker, and again wore the No. 2 jersey for the USA XV against an Argentina XV, and the former Canterbury and Crusaders representative has held onto that role for the PNC semi-final.

“I think Joe’s been an enormous influence since he’s been here. [His] experience is just can’t get so you’ve got to live in the trenches a little bit so Joe’s experience is welcome into the environment,” Lawrence told reporters when asked about Taufete’e.

“He knows how to play in these big moments and so you trust him to do that.”

Taufete’e will come off the bench alongside replacement front-rowers Fakaosifolau Pifeleti and Alex Maughan, who will look to make their mark off the pine. In the starting side, Payton Telea-Ilalio has been named at loosehead, packing down alongside Klein and Tonga Kofe.

It’ll be the first time Telea-Ilalio has started at loosehead for the national team, but the prop did get some experience in that role for the USA XV last month. Telea-Ilalio made three appearances off the bench for the USA last November, including a 34-minute shift away to Scotland.

“We want to have five capable looseheads going into next year. If you think about the overall build to the World Cup, this period now is about developing the depth and having a group of players that can all play to the identity of the team,” Lawrence said.

“That’s where his opportunity came from. We want to see him, we also wanted to see [Faka’osi Pifeleti], another loosehead who’s here and Ma’ake Muti. We’re going to continue to find those players that we think can perform.

“It doesn’t come from just training. You’ve got to put them in games and high-pressure games and to see how they go, and provide them with learning experiences for themselves and for us to learn about them as players.”

The Pacific Nations Cup looms as another important marker for the USA, Canada, Fiji and hosts Japan, with two matches to be held over consecutive weekends. It starts in Osaka this weekend, before the third-place playoff and final a week later in Tokyo.

With Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia less than 13 months away, it presents another chance for these sides to test themselves against high-level opposition. The USA have been drawn in Pool E along with Japan, France and Samoa.

“We’re a year away from being where we want to be. We’ve got some work to do but we’re three months ahead of where we were three months ago.

“There is a plan to go towards the World Cup. I think we’re ahead in some areas, I think we’re behind in some areas. Overall, relatively on track.”

USA Eagles to take on Japan

1. Payton Telea-Ilalio
2. Shilo Klein
3. Tonga Kofe
4. Jason Damm (c)
5. Nathan Den Hoedt
6. Marno Redelinghuys
7. Paddy Ryan
8. Makeen Alikhan
9. Ruben de Haas
10. Chris Hilsenbeck
11. Noah Brown
12. Dominic Besag
13. Tavite Lopeti
14. Mark O’Keeffe
15. Mitch Wilson

Replacements

16. Joe Taufete’e
17. Fakaosifolau Pifeleti
18. Alex Maughan
19. Sam Golla
20. Benjamin Bonasso
21. Michael Baska
22. Luke Carty
23. Julian Roberts