Before a packed Toyota Park in Chicago Friday night, the Maori All Blacks defeated the USA Men’s National Team 54-7.

The result was a good lesson to both teams in getting the basics right. The Maori scrum was better than that of the Eagles. The USA lineout was certainly better than the Maori’s. But the Maori All Blacks won the game because they won the territorial battle, and they won the territorial battle because they kicked better.

All things being equal, the Eagles knew they would have to take some meager opportunities to play champagne rugby, and they did, especially in the early going. But a missed scoring chance in the first quarter of the game hurt them dearly.

After a series of kicks back and forth, the Eagles stole a lineout and went on the attack. Martin Iosefo broke one tackle and was almost to the line. He was stopped, but quick ball out wide got the ball to Todd Clever. The captain had Bryce Campbell outside him, but opted to sell a dummy and bull forward. He was tackled, the ball was turned over, and soon thereafter, the Maori scored.

They scored despite some aggressive tackling and good defensive organization from the Eagles. But with the Maori able to string phases together - in part because they were allowed to come in from the side to secure rucks - it was only a matter of time. Tim Bateman lofted a pass to wing James Lowe, and he was in at the corner. Flyhalf Ihaia West put the kick over perfectly for the 7-0 lead.

Photos David Barpal.

A net negative on a kicking contest set up the next try, as the result of all the kicking was a Maori lineout inside the USA 22. The Maori ran a nice fake-maul-inside-peel move that put No. 8 Akira Ioane over. West hit the conversion in off the post, and it was 14-0.

The Maori did a good job of running one or two simple plays, and then putting in a wrinkle. The fake maul was one example. Another was the flat pass of a lineout. Normally the Maori would set up a crash ball and keep pounding the middle. This time, West took the flat pass and popped a kick over the onrushing USA backs. Three Maori were there to gather, and Lowe pulled out of a tackle to score under the posts. 21-0. 

The USA had a period of possession at the end of the first half, but could quite break free. Eventually, little mistakes saw them turn the ball over and the Maori took off. The Eagles worked hard to stop them, but James Hilterbrand was penalized for a ruck infraction which seemed a bit six of one, half a dozen of the other. But the result was a penalty and Hilterbrand was yellow-carded. The Maori set up a straight maul this time, and went over with captain and hooker Ash Dixon doing the honors.

The Eagles went into halftime 28-0 down, then, and wonder what happened to that attacking game they enjoyed in the first ten minutes. They just weren’t able to work out of their end. Their defense was brave - and Danny Barrett and Titi Lamositele combined to hold the ball up in-goal for one disallowed try.

But when a kick from the Maori’s West rolled dead and gave the USA a scrum in the Maori half, the Americans of course were penalized and gave the momentum right back.

The second half started with the Eagles working several phases after a forced turnover in the backline. But after Martin Iosefo’s initial foray, they just went backward. Passing the ball to Titi Lamositele all alone at midfield is not smart and the prop had little option but to take his medicine. But after Matai Leuta and Clever get the USA back close to positive yardage, they lost the ball.

From there it was the simple matter of a penalty, a kick, a lineout, and a maul, from which Ioane broke off and scores his second. West kicked another difficult conversion to give his team full value at 35-0.

From the restart, it looked like Nate Brakeley was through with a breakaway try. But the ball he gathered off the deck had been knocked forward by a teammate. The crowd loved it, and Brakeley gave a sheepish grin, but it wasn’t a try.

The Eagles still looked in better shape. They got a scrum free kick, ran quickly, got a penalty, and went for the lineout and maul. The crowd howled in support, and the Eagles howled that they’d scored. Referee Matthew Carley of England was unsighted, however, and needed some video help. The Eagles seemed sure of it, and after along review, it was given. Todd Clever was the man with the ball, and the Eagles got one back.

But the Maori answered. After a very good box kick from Nate Augspurger, the kicking battle began again, and a superb counter from Ioane set up a swift passing movement that set free prop Kane Hames to rumble in from 25 meters out. 42-7.

USA had a break with nice hands from Niua and Leuta breaking free, and then a penalty. But it was just too much work to get through the Maori line. The Eagles kept giving up penalties, and kept putting themselves on the back foot as a result.

One penalty led to a lineout five meters out, a stalled maul, and sub scrumhalf Brad Weber zipped around at the 63rd minute. Finally the Maori missed a conversion, and maybe it was because West was subbed out. Marty McKenzie missed to keep it at 47-7.

The Eagles were right on the Maori doorstep after that, getting a penalty, working the maul, and then quick-tapping another penalty. Clever was hauled down at the corner. Joseph Taufete’e was clotheslined only to see referee Carley shrug. Taufete’e was then within a hair of the line, only to be tackled. Bryce Campbell broke one tackle, but needed to break a second. All for aought, though, as the Maori held. 

 Late in the game the subs came on and Madison Hughes made an immediate impact, twice fielding the ball at fullback in a situation where he would be expected to kick, and twice slicing through several Maori tacklers instead. 

Late in the game the Eagles got a penalty and Folau Niua - who had a superb second half - tried to go quickly. The ball was knocked away and Niua tried to convince the referee that was worth a yellow card. Carley said no, but his assistant ref disagreed, and the yellow card had to be given. 

But in the end it came for naught because the ball bounced off Alex Maughan’s head, and the Maori went on the front foot again.Eagles were penalized in the ruck once again.

Somehow the USA avoided giving up another try, thanks in large part to the cover defense, including Hughes. 

And then the final insult, as everyone set up for a lineout, and no one was really looking when the Maori just three a quick ball to prop Joe Royal. That put the Maori over 50 at 54-7, the conversion going over as the hooter sounded.

For the Eagles, it was an inexperienced group that tried very hard to play some rugby. But they could not kick better than Ihaia West, and that put them at a deficit. Niua was terrific in the second half, and some other players had moments, but there were too many missed tackles, too many penalties, and not enough rucks past the gain line.

Maori All Blacks 54

Tries: Ioane 2, Lowe 2, Dixon, Hames, Weber, Royal

Convs: West 6, McKenzie 

USA 7

Tries: Clever

Convs: Holder

USA 
1. Titi Lamositele
2. James Hilterbrand
3. Chris Baumann
4. Nate Brakeley
5. Nick Civetta
6. Todd Clever (C)
7. Tony Lamborn
8. Danny Barrett
9. Nate Augspurger
10. Will Holder
11. Matai Leuta
12. Folau Niua
13. Bryce Campbell
14. Martin Iosefo
15. Mike Te'o

Reserves
16. Pat Blair on for Lamositele
17. Joe Taufete'e  on for Hilterbrand
18. Alex Maughan on for Baumann
19. Matthew Jensen on for Brakeley
20. Al McFarland  on for Lamborn
21. Stephen Tomasin on for Augspurger
22. Shalom Suniula  on for Holder
23. Madison Hughes on for Te’o

Maori All Blacks
1. Kane Hames
2. Ash Dixon (C)
3. Ben May
4. Jacob Skeen
5. Tom Franklin
6. Elliot Dixon
7. Kara Pryor
8. Akira Ioane
9. Tawera Kerr-Barlow
10. Ihaia West
11. James Lowe
12. Tim Bateman
13. Matt Proctor
14. Rieko Ioane
15. Damian McKenzie

Reserves
16. Joe Royal
17. Chris Eves
18. Marcel Renata
19. Leighton Price
20. Shane Christie
21. Brad Weber
22. Marty McKenzie
23. Sean Wainui