USA ‘ready for whatever’ in first Men’s Rugby World Cup since 2019

Coach Scott Lawrence insists the USA are “ready for whatever” as they continue to prepare for their first Men’s Rugby World Cup since 2019. The Eagles have been drawn in Pool E alongside Pacific Nations Cup rivals Samoa and Japan, as well as Six Nations giants France.

The USA have only ever failed to qualify twice for the showpiece event in men’s rugby, missing out on the 1995 tournament in South Africa, and when it was France’s turn to host in 2023. In their eight tournament appearances, the Eagles have won three matches.

After starting their 2019 campaign with a heavy loss to England in Kobe, the USA were beaten 33-9 by France in Fukuoka. Those two sides will renew their World Cup rivalry in two years’ time, both allocated a place in Pool E for the 2027 tournament in Australia.

The USA qualified for the World Cup by defeating Samoa 29-13 in the fifth-place play-off at in the 2025 Pacific Nations Cup.  Samoa were left to battle for the last World Cup place at the Final Qualification Tournament, securing their spot with a 13-all draw with Belgium in Dubai.

Eddie Jones’ Brave Blossoms recorded a clinical 47-21 win over the USA during this year’s PNC, during their run to another final. With 22 months between now and the World Cup opener, the USA are looking to build before the tournament.

“I don’t have any feelings about it. It’s a World Cup, all games are tough, so we’re ready for whatever, and we’ll prepare just the same,” coach Lawrence told reporters.

“We are a little bit familiar with Japan and we’ll see with Samoa what players become available as we get closer to the World Cup.

“It starts now so we can put ourselves in a position physically to be able to compete. We will work with our athlete performance staff, leading in and during the tournament. The nice part of a two-year run-in is you get to look at the facilities and the bases and put together the best plan.

“The things we can control is we have our players who are in Europe are playing well, and those who are based domestically have a really good off-season with an eye towards building in September 2027.”

The USA won one of their three matches at the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987 but it wasn’t enough to see them through to the knockout rounds. They went 0-3 at the 1991 tournament, before failing to qualify for the event’s next instalment.

In 2003, the USA claimed a 13-point win over Japan, after Fiji had defeated the Eagles by just a single point. It took them another eight years to win a World Cup match, losing to Ireland by 12 in New Plymouth before a 13-6 win against Russia.

As the Eagles look to snap their winning streak at Men’s Rugby World Cups, there’s a new format which could see them made the knockout stage with a win. Woth a round of 16 sending some of the best-placed third-ranked teams through, there’s an opportunity there to reach new heights.

“We want to get to the knockout round, that’s the clear goal. Anything can happen from there. Our goal is to be beyond that in two World Cups’ time,” Lawrence said.

“From not getting wins from previous World Cups, it’s important that we go there and build some momentum.”

This World Cup in Australia is an important marker for the USA, who will host the following men’s tournament in 2031. World Rugby have also confirmed the USA will host the 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup.

“You assume that a style of rugby will get the public on board, but in the USA they like winners and they don’t necessarily care how,” he added.

“The rest of the world gets really concerned about style, and there’s a lot of debate around that. They just want to see their team perform well in these World Cups. The build to 2031 is a broader plan; 2027 is one piece of that plan but it’s not the only stepping stone.”