The third and final Men's Eagles test match of July lands in Washington DC this Saturday, with the USA hosting England for the first time in over a decade.
Head Coach Scott Lawrence and staff have selected the match day 23 with a line up of new starters in the forward pack for the third match of the tour. USA vs England kicks off at 5pm ET on CBS Sports Network and Paramount+, following match one of the exciting doubleheader which features the USA Women's Eagles against Fiji. While nearly sold out, a select few tickets have recently been released and now available>>
After traveling up the east coast, the Men's Eagles have stationed at the US Naval Academy for the training week, with a highly competitive few days of preparation where players were eager to play in the final game before looking ahead to August's Pacific Nations Cup and opportunity for Rugby World Cup qualification. A pair of debuts will also feature at Audi Field on Saturday, as Ezekiel Lindenmuth and Rufus McLean earn their first selections, and starting bids.
The Eagles lost to Spain last week and were somewhat gutted on that night, but quickly rebounded to push that rather unlucky night aside and refocus. Their sights are set on World Cup qualification, and this match with an England who are touring without their British & Irish Lions will be a stern test.
Lawrence has made changes in part to rest some players, in part to find out how some others (Hilsenbeck) perform under intense pressure, and in part just as tactical changes.
This match came with a little back-and-forth between the teams. England insisted (as they have in the past) on wearing their home white jerseys for the match; it's usually the home team that has kit priority, which is why you'll see South Africa wear white on the road against Ireland's green, and you'll see France wear white, not blue, in New Zealand.
England did indeed wear their new road blue against Argentina in their last two tests, and the push to wear white in the USA capital perhaps smacks of arrogance ... an arrogance the USA might wish to knock right out of them.
