Harlequins edged the USA 24-19 Sunday at PPL Park in Chester, Pa. in a pre World Cup exhibition match.

The Eagles and Harlequins both ran out an expanded game-day squad, featuring a longer bench and slightly relaxed substitution rules. The USA took an early 3-0 lead after they opened the game pressuring the London pro club and earned a penalty, duly converted by AJ MacGinty.

MacGinty then set up the next score with a high kick that he chased nicely and tackled the Harlequins receiver, forcing another penalty. MacGinty slammed over the long-range kick for the 6-0 lead.

It became 11-0 in the 19th minute when Cameron Dolan and Seamus Kelly combined to knock the ball loose in the tackle. MacGinty nabbed the ball and set up Thretton Palamo for the try.

Harlequins may have given up penalty kicks, but they went for tries when the USA was penalized. One such lineout allowed scrumhalf Karl Dickinson to fake a pass and scamper in. Nick Evans put the conversion over to make it 11-7 USA.

The Eagles looked to reply, but penalties at key moments hurt their scoring opportunities. And after one of those penalties ‘Quins kicked for the lineout, and the Londoners mauled it over - Luke Wallce getting the try. 

Evans kicked the extras for the 14-11 Harlequins lead.

Dolan came close to scoring before halftime, but the TMO rules he had lost the ball forward before touching it down.

Overall, the USA seemed to have the run of play in the first half, but not the lead.

They came close in the second half, too, with MacGinty ghosting through and trying to set up John Quill, who couldn’t hold onto the ball. More chances fell away, and while Folau Niua kicked a penalty to tie the game, the tries were hard to come by.

Harlequibs punished USA penalties, and Wallace scored on another lineout and maul for a 21-14 lead. Ben Botica added a penalty for a 24-14 lead as time frittered away.

With the game about to end, Zack Test went over to make it 24-19, but that’s how it ended.

“Scoring that try really isn’t anything for me; it was a great effort by the boys,” Test told USA Rugby. “We took the ball all the way from our 22 to score in the corner. It’s just a great effort that shows we’re going to put the full 80 minutes in. It sucks that we lost, but we’re always moving forward and it’s all about that first game against Samoa in the World Cup.”