Sun, Jul 19, 2026, 2:45 AMJB
by Jenni Burke
The USA Men’s Eagles clinched a 29-22 victory over Spain in Cary, North Carolina to close out the first wave of Nations Cup matches undefeated.
The Eagles went 3 for 3 in their opening campaign setting the foundation that will launch them into the upcoming World Cup 2027 cycle.
USA opened with a breakaway from Dom Besag to kick off the momentum, shifting wide to Mitch Wilson who pirouetted over the line to set down and post the first points on the board. Spain responded, leveling 7 all, but with a scrum off the 5 meter line, the USA picked to put Paddy Ryan into space and launch over for the Eagles second try.
A Spanish lineout in the 22 set up the Lions to run in their second on the outside, but kicking wide, the USA held on to a 14-12 advantage. Clinical hands to Julian Roberts on the edge allowed the USA’s third and brought the Eagles ahead 19-12 at half time.
Despite USA restarting with strong go forward momentum, Spain intercepted a USA pass that leveled the sides again. A penalty against the USA for not releasing gave Spain a chance at the posts, and put Spain into the lead by 3.
But composure and a brilliant breakaway and fight through contact, put Perry Mayo in place to score under the posts and bring the USA up 26-22 with less than 15 minutes to go. With one more chance at goal, Luke Carty brought the Eagles up to 29 with just under 10 minutes to hold on. With imminent thunderstorms looming, and a close game in hand, the USA stayed composed to hold possession and clinch the win.
Making his USA debut, Charlie Able came off the bench in the 45th minute to clinch his first win in the USA jersey.
Head coach, Scott Lawrence commented;
“We had probably three opportunities in our game to put it away, and those are big moments in test matches. We’re happy to get the win, of course we’re not going to give it back. But we definitely want to capitalize on those moments when we could get a two-score lead in the future and put more pressure on our opposition.”
Looking ahead to the long term Rugby World Cup 2027 target, he added;
“We’ll go through our process of debriefing the game as a team. We’ve done it in the locker room, and we’ve got a few key tactical points, but this is not an endpoint. It’s a starting point. And we’ve got a lot of work to do- and we’ve got a tough Argentina team coming in four weeks’ time.”
Next up, the USA Eagles disperse for two weeks before reentering a new camp in Florida as they prepare for an international friendly against Argentina XV in Fort Lauderdale on August 15th.
Tickets for USA v Argentina XV on August 15th are available at Inter Miami CF Stadium in Fort Lauderdale are available at https://eagles.rugby/tickets.
Fans can get closer to the action with USA Eagles Experiences at https://usaeagles-experiences.com or catch every minute of the action live on Paramount+.
USA Men’s Eagles Roster v Spain
| Position | Name | Caps |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Iscaro | 21 |
| 2 | Kapeli Pifeleti | 23 |
| 3 | Tonga Kofe | 9 |
| 4 | Nathan Den Hoedt | 3 |
| 5 | Brandon Harvey | 4 |
| 6 | Cory Daniel | 20 |
| 7 | Paddy Ryan | 20 |
| 8 | Jason Damm (C) | 18 |
| 9 | Ruben De Haas | 47 |
| 10 | Chris Hilsenbeck | 9 |
| 11 | Perry Mayo | 3 |
| 12 | Dominic Besag | 21 |
| 13 | Julian Roberts | 3 |
| 14 | Mark O’Keeffe | 5 |
| 15 | Mitch Wilson | 21 |
| 16 | Shilo Klein | 9 |
| 17 | Ezekiel Lindenmuth | 10 |
| 18 | Charlie Abel* | 1 |
| 19 | Nafitalai Ma’afu | 5 |
| 20 | Ben Bonasso | 11 |
| 21 | Ethan McVeigh | 11 |
| 22 | Luke Carty | 30 |
| 23 | Tavite Lopeti | 29 |
*Debut
2026 USA Men’s Eagles Nations Cup Results
July 4th | USA vs Portugal (W) 30-29
DICK’S Sporting Goods Park, Denver, CO
July 11th | USA vs Zimbabwe (W) 31-15
American Legion Memorial Stadium, Charlotte, NC
July 18th | USA vs Spain (W) 29-22
First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, NC
2026 USA Men’s Eagles Coaches & Staff
Scott Lawrence | Head Coach & General Manager
Agustin Cavalieri | Assistant Coach – Forwards
Blake Bradford | Assistant Coach – Scrum
David Williams | Assistant Coach – Transition and Attack
Nathan Grey | Assistant Coach – Defense
Steve Brett | Assistant Coach – Attack and Kicking
Andy Friend | Technical Advisor
Jimmy Harrison | Head of Analysis
Jim Molony | Head of Performance
Rodolfo Broggi | Strength and Conditioning Coach
Lauren DeLuca | Team Registered Dietician
Michael Buonopane | Head Athletic Trainer
Michael Sheridan | Athletic Trainer
Willie Berlanga | Massage Therapist
Alana Gattinger | Head of High Performance Operations
