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Pacific Nations Cup

USA player ratings vs Samoa | Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup

By Jack Tunney

21 Sep 2024

HIGASHIOSAKA, JAPAN - SEPTEMBER 21: Toby Fricker of United States drops the ball while tackled by Lalomilo Lalomilo of Samoa during the World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup 3rd Place Play-Off between United States and Samoa at Hanazono Rugby Stadium on September 21, 2024 in Higashiosaka, Osaka, Japan. (Photo by Paul Miller/Getty Images)

Samoa came away with victory over the USA in the Pacific Nations Cup today, as the Pacific Island nation took third place in the competition.

Here’s how we rated the USA players:

1 Jake Turnbull – 5

Guilty of being part of what was a struggling American scrum, coming away with just a 44% success rate on their own head.

2 Kapeli Pifeleti – 6.5

Besides the scrums, Pifeleti won’t have anything else to majorly complain about. He threw in well at the lineout, hitting an 80% success rate, he carried well and tackled well. Decent performance.

3 Alex Maughan – 4.5

Like his prop partner, Maughan was partly at fault for a poor USA scrum performance, inflicting just the one win against the head. Besides the scrum performance, the prop was barely noticeable on the field as others attempted to pick up the slack.

Match Summary

Penalty Goals

Tries

Conversions

Drop Goals

119

Carries

Line Breaks

Turnovers Lost

Turnovers Won

4 Jason Damm – 6

Like many of his fellow forwards, Damm was kept busy in defence but would have wished to have had his hands on the ball a little more.

5 Greg Peterson – 6

A purely defensive display from the 6 ft 8 in giant lock. He only made one carry during the match but proved vital in ensuring the powerful Samoans were tamed in attack.

6 Paddy Ryan – 8

A busy affair for the talented back rower, combining with fellow flanker Cory Daniel to tackle everything that moved.

7 Cory Daniel – 7

Like his backrow partner, Daniel was all over the field ensuring the sizable Samoans didn’t break the USA line. He was found out a couple of times in the contact area, however, losing the ball at vital times.

8 Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz – 9

A shining light in the USA attack, Fa’anana-Schultz dressed in his instantly recognisable red scrum cap, was the focal point of much of the American attack, using his immense bulk to power through the Samoan defence.

9 Juan Philip Smith – 5.5

He was guilty of a couple of suspect passes early on, but his confidence built as the game went on. Appeared fluid at the base of the ruck, allowing for quick and precise play in the USA attack. Not the best game Smith’s ever had, but nothing major to complain of.

Attack

171

Passes

119

Ball Carries

414m

Post Contact Metres

220m

Line Breaks

10 Luke Carty – 6.5

Intelligent kicks behind the Samoan defence had the Pacific Island nation chasing their tails for much of the game. As the match started to get away from the USA, however, his kicks became more forced, with the Samoan defence reading them well.

11 Mitch Wilson – 6

A quiet match for Wilson, with limited access to the ball, but proved himself vital to the team’s defensive efforts.

12 Tommaso Boni – 6

Nothing extraordinary from the inside centre, but did his job well. Attacked the gain line efficiently and made the tackles when needed.

13 Dominic Besag – 5.5

Great defence early into the first half to stop Samoa from breaking away. This proved to be Besag’s only real involvement in the match, however.

14 Conner Mooneyham – 8

Joined his teammate Fricker in dominating the aerial battle. The winger was well and truly put to work with multiple carries throughout the game, beating a remarkable five defenders in the process. Will be extremely pleased with his performance.

15 Toby Fricker – 6

Scored the opening try after collecting the ball in the air. Despite his obvious talents in the running game, he was guilty of some simple knock-ons and made a simple technical error during the second half, dotting the ball down for a goaline dropout under no pressure.

Substitutes – 5

With Samoa getting back into the game, it was the replacement’s job to turn the tide. But with the changes came disjointed plays and simple errors.