USA XV player ratings vs Australia A | International Rugby 2026

Australia A have run away with a big 61-12 win over a USA XV in Nashville, Tennessee, in the first of two meetings between the sides. The visitors raced out to a 19-0 lead early, before a red card to David Feliuai saw the USA XV play with a one-man advantage for 20 minutes.

Michael Baska and Mark O’Keeffe both got on the scoresheet for the USA XV, but the home side didn’t add to their score during the second half. An Australia A side that included nine capped Wallabies played with confidence and flair en route to a convincing result.

Here’s how the USA XV rated.

1. Payton Telea-Ilalio – 6/10
Telea-Ilalio was a standout defensively during the first hour, topping the charts with a game-high 10 stops. USA XV had to withstand wave after wave of attacking pressure, as Australia A dominated possession, but Telea-Ilalio was in the thick of everything. The USA XV had a solid scrum but came off second best with their maul defence. Still, given the scoreline, Telea-Ilalio made a positive impact.

2. Shilo Klein – 6
Klein has been impressive all year for the USA Eagles, and that trend continued in this non-Test. The hooker was fairly accurate when throwing into the lineout, even with capped Wallabies Nick Frost and Miles Amatosero applying pressure. Klein gave away a free kick for a double-pump at the lineout, which was the only real blip on his set-piece performance.

3. Tonga Kofe – 5
The USA XV held their own at the set-piece, although there weren’t many scrums in the first half. Australia A had the upper hand with their attacking maul, but there were still some good signs from the home side’s pack during the opening 40. Kofe got over the gain line with a couple of powerful carries and looked to get involved in defence too.

4. Nathan Den Hoedt – 5
Former Randwick captain and Brisbane City lock Jason Damm suited up against some of the best players from Australia, playing the entire first half but coming off during the second term. Den Hoedt was an option for Shilo Klein at the lineout, but was otherwise kept quiet on both sides of the ball. But the No. 4 lock applied plenty of pressure around the breakdown – some important involvements at a couple of rucks before Mark O’Keeffe’s try.

5. Jason Damm (C) – 7
Damm’s standout performances for the USA Eagles have been a constant this season, and that trend continued in Nashville. The USA XV captain genuinely seemed to be involved in everything, which was particularly important in defence. Damm was one of the game’s top tacklers during the first half, and the versatile forward got his hands on the ball multiple times too.

Australia A coach Stephen Larkham named an all-Wallabies tight five, and that showed with the success they had at the set-piece. But Damm tried to make a difference at defensive lineouts, and proved to be a reliable target for Shilo Klein as well.

6. Benjamin Bonasso – 5
Bonasso had some good moments but was arguably the quietest of the three staring USA XV backrowers, with the other two among the game-leaders in defence during the opening 40. The blindside flanker never stopped running and deserves some credit for that, and contributed to a steady USA XV set-piece. But much like the team as a collective, Bonasso now look ahead to the second match between the sides next week.

7. Paddy Ryan – 6
Ryan has been a consistent performer for the USA Eagles at Test level this year, and the openside flanker showed shades of that against a star-studded Australia A side. The loose forward was one of the game-leaders for tackles during the first half, and continued to work hard during another one-sided second term. Ryan’s efforts around the breakdown and with the ball in hand shouldn’t go unnoticed either, even though Australia A ran away with a big win.

8. Makeen Alikhan – 6
Alikhan stood out as one of the game’s top tacklers during the first half, with Australia A giving the USA XV plenty to do on that side of the ball. The No. 8 got his hands on the ball multiple times too, and contributed to a promising USA XV set-piece.

9. Oscar Lennon – 5
Lennon was selected in the starting side ahead of Ruben De Haas, and the Wales-raised scrum-half enjoyed some confident moments. The No. 9 ‘called his own number’ – as the commentators said – by initially running the ball himself off a scrum, before sending a pass on. But with Australia A dominating territory and possession, Lennon didn’t have many opportunities to do more than just shovel passes to first receivers. Lennon’s kicking game offered some contestable high balls for USA XV players to chase, but these kicks sailed just a bit far too far.

10. Chris Hilsenbeck – 6.5
It was one-way traffic during the opening quarter, which didn’t give Hilsenbeck or the USA XV to make something happen for the home side in attack. Hilsenbeck tried to create something from nothing from inside his own in-goal, sending a cross-field kick across to Mark O’Keeffe, but that was diffused by Tim Ryan. But there were some positive signs early, and eventually, the USA XV fond their groove, with Hilsenbeck setting up Michael Baska for the USA’s first try.

Hilsenbeck was beaten in the air before Joe Brial’s try, but the fly-half can take plenty of positives out of this match.  The goal-kicker proved accurate off the kicking tee and appeared confident in attack, despite the USA not playing with much front-foot ball.

11. Mark O’Keeffe – 6
O’Keeffe couldn’t quite reel in David Feliuai early in the first half, as the Australia A No. 12 broke down the right sideline before setting up Nick Frost to score. But O’Keeffe had scrambled well to attempt the stop in the first place. The No. 11 got on the scoresheet himself just before half-time, benefiting from a pinpoint Tavite Lopeti pass into space. It was a quiet second-half for O’Keeffe, who can still take plenty of things out of this match, ahead of the second meeting between the sides next weekend in New Jersey.

12. Dominic Besag – 7
U.S. Rugby Hall of Famer Zack Test spoke on commentary during the match about the home side’s improved defence. Dominic Besag was the back leading those efforts, with the headgear-wearing inside centre one of the USA XV’s best on the defensive side of the ball. Australia A had just taken a 19-0 lead when Besag sprinted after the restart, putting on a big shot and allowing Noah Brown to get over the ball at the breakdown. Besag set the tone during the opening half-hour with eight tackles, and the midfielder also carried well against a dominant opponent.

13. Tavite Lopeti – 5
Lopeti seemed to be unusually quiet during the opening half-hour or so, as Australia A really took control of the contest. But the experienced outside centre was more influential going into half-time, which included a try assist for Mark O’Keeffe. The No. 13 sent a perfectly weighted pass to the winger, who dove over in the corner just before the break. Lopeti proved to be the glue for the backline in defence, while matching up well with ACT Brumbies’ Kadin Pritchard.

14. Noah Brown – 5
It was a tough start to the match for Brown, who tried hard to get involved but wasn’t rewarded for those efforts. Brown didn’t make many metres with his first carry, as Australian players rushed up with their golden defensive wall.  The winger got the ball along the right edge soon after, but a miss-hit kick went into the touch on the full.

Things hadn’t gone to plan for the USA XV as a collective during the first quarter, but Brown won a pilfer penalty off a kick-off in the 22^nd minute, which led to Michael Baska’s try. Brown remained active during the second half, leading to some glimpses of promise in attack.

15. Michael Baska – 5
Australia A exploited space with their running and kicking games right from minute one, which put Baska under pressure early. Baska’s first involvement was a knock-on in the eighth minute, while trying to reel in a David Feliuai grubber kick. Australia dominated the opening quarter, but Baska gave the USA XV plenty to cheer about, running in untouched for the team’s first try in the 23^rd minute. Baska had a couple of good moments during the second half, but that try stands out as the clear highlight from his performance.

Replacements – 5

Ruben De Haas gave the USA XV a clear lift after coming off the bench during the second half. The USA Eagles veteran offered genuine X-factor with quick passing, quick thinking, and an effective kicking game that put Australia A under pressure. Marno Redelinghuys was the best of the replacement forwards, as the Seattle Seawolves enforcer looked to make a difference in both attack and defence.