The World Cup-winning Wallaby helping USA Eagles build towards 2027

1999 Rugby World Cup winner Nathan Grey is helping the USA Eagles build towards the sport’s showpiece event next year in Australia, having been announced in June as one of five assistant coaches ahead of the World Rugby Nations Cup.

Grey has brought extensive playing and coaching experience into the USA set-up, now working under Scott Lawrence as the defence coach. The 35-Test Wallaby has backed up a successful playing career by building an impressive coaching CV across more than two decades.

It’s a coaching journey that began in the 2000s with Japanese side Kyuden Voltex, and has since included spells with the Melbourne Rebels, the NSW Waratahs and Wallabies. Grey spent Under-20s campaigns with the Aussie side, before returning to Japan.

Grey spent the 2024/25 Japan Rugby League One season with Suntory Sungoliath, then helped coach the AUNZ Invitational XV against the British & Irish Lions, worked as the Director of Rugby at Manly, and helped Samoa qualify for Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027.

But then Grey decided interview for a vacant position with the USA, and that application was successful. Grey is determined to help get the best possible version out of each player, describing coaching as “a real intoxicating drug.”

“The real focus for me as a coach, it never changes. You’re always trying to extract the best possible version of the players out of themselves and then creating the cohesion amongst the team,” Grey told RugbyPass.

“I’ve been lucky enough to have been in some really successful environments, both as a player and a coach. I feel as though I can bring a little bit to the players and encourage them to be better themselves because that’s all you want to do.

“My mindset is extracting the best out of the players, no matter who I’m coaching, and then seeing them really enjoy their rugby and grow and get better and develop. It’s a real intoxicating drug and I’m sure lots of other coaches feel the same.”

Grey is back in Japan with the Eagles, who are just days away from their Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup semi-final against the Brave Blossoms. Eddie Jones’ Japan side are coming off a statement 45-point win over Canada last weekend.

But the USA have enjoyed a successful season of their own so far, which included an unbeaten 3-0 run in the July Nations Cup Tests. The Eagles beat three sides bound for Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027, starting with a 30-29 thriller against Portugal.

Chris Hilsenbeck was the hero for the Eagles in that Test, with the fly-half slotting a clutch match-winner in the dying stages. The USA went on to defeat Zimbabwe and Spain, before an Eagles-heavy USA XV prevailed over an Argentina XV by one point in Miami.

“[Wins] are always very good to show your development and your growth… just seeing the confidence of the guys in terms of how they want to play and their execution of that has been fantastic. Guys are really dedicated and coachable,” Grey said.

“They’re keen to take on information and then they can deliver that information really well. And then as they get more confident, as coaches you hand more back to the players, and they’re growing in that as well.

“We’ve got a long way to go but in terms of progression and moving forward, it’s been really enjoyable.”

Grey sees solid defence as a way for players to not only build confidence, but to also turn the ball over for counter-attacking opportunities. The defence coach is focused on getting everyone on the same page, with an intent on defending at a fast tempo and with control aggression.

That approach led to “a proud father moment” in the USA XV’s win over the Argentina side, with the home side hanging on for a nail-biting result. The USA gave away some penalties late, but it was their defence which ultimately proved the difference.

Argentina set up for a set-piece attacking opportunity in the final play of the match, with the USA defending desperately on their own try line. Tavite Lopeti put a good shot on before stripping the ball out of an Argentina player’s grasp, before Julian Roberts hoofed the ball into touch.

“Super proud, not only for all the coaches and everyone else but mainly the players, for them to build that confidence to be able to do that is really positive.

“The defensive performance versus the Argentina 15 was a real boost of confidence in the guys to go, if we keep doing the simple things really well, we’re going to be effective. That has an impact on the game.

“It’s across all facets off the game, not [just] defensively. It’s not just our multi-phase defence, it’s our scrums, our lineout defence. We’re able to force a lot of turnovers in our lineout. Being able to do that at set-piece is huge in terms of shutting down those opportunities.”

The USA have been training in some rainy conditions this week, as they look ahead to what is their biggest test of the year so far. Japan fell to Les Kiss’ Australia side 35-32 in Osaka last month, and returned home with that big triumph over the Canadian side a week ago.

Fiji and Canada meet in the other PNC semi-final, which sets up the next slate of games in Tokyo next weekend. All three potential opponents pose their own unique threats, with Japan looking to play their practically trademark style of fast rugby.

“It’ll be our biggest test. We’ve been talking about it that it’s our biggest test so far,”

“But what’s really important is that we just concentrate on ourselves. If we can be 10 per cent better than the last time we played, that’s a progression. If we can continue to get better in our set-piece, better in our attack, better in our defence, better in our set-piece defence… that’s the focus for us.

“The results will look after itself. If we focus on getting better, then us as a coaching group and as a while team, we’re moving in the right direction which has always been our goal. We want to keep stepping up, stepping up, stepping up.

“There’s going to be some troughs and whatnot, but as long as we’re getting better each time we play and display who we are, then that’s progress and that’s what we’re after.”

The PNC looms as another important marker for the Eagles, who have punched their ticket to the World Cup in Australia. It’s the final time since 2019 in Japan that the USA would’ve played at a men’s World Cup, having missed out in 2023.

Grey is along for the ride, and the coach genuinely seemed upbeat and excited about the chance to work with the Eagles before the tournament. There’s also just five years between now and the 2031 Rugby World Cup, which will be held in the USA for the first time.

“It was an opportunity to really contribute and give back. I’ve been lucky enough to have been coaching for a while and the challenge of the U.S is huge.

“They really want to do well and being able to contribute to that and go, ‘Nathan Gray, I was attached to that, I contributed to that.’ I think the upside for USA Rugby is massive and it’s going to be a process of which head coach Scotty Lawrence has got a really good vision of where he wants the team to be.

“The World Cup being in America in ’31 is just enormous so that’s a massive carrot where we want to do exceptionally well in that tournament and build the team and USA Rugby from here right through… it’s something that really excites me, to be able to contribute to.”