Back from the USA Selects trip to South America, USA MNT Head Coach Mike Tolkin can rightly be pleased with a lot of what happened.

The results were a 13-3 defeat of Uruguay, a 54-6 loss to the Argentina Jaguars, and a 28-23 loss against those same Jaguars.

The dichotomy of fortunes against the Jaguars is clearly due to the selections - the first team was far less experienced than the second. But then even the 54-6 game was successful in that it gave meaningful and useful international experience to players who needed it. 

The first game was an exercise in un-pretty, grind-it-out rugby, and it was a test the USA players passes with flying colors, winning despite being shorthanded for almost half the game. The final game was a test, too, and the USA plays did quite well, and were in position to win it.

They scored two tries. The first came when the Selects forwards stole the ball in midfield. Shalom Suniula shipped the ball to hooker Zach Fenoglio, who made some yardage up the middle. From that rugby Suniula sent it to AJ MacGinty, who found wing Zach Pangelinan, who passed quickly to center Seamus Kelly. After a a strong burst up the sideline, Kelly popped it back to John Quill, who, as a good openside flanker should do, was trailing in support. Try.

The second came after Argentina won a lineout and worked the ball through their backs. Fenoglio was following the play nicely, and when the ball was passed back toward the forwards, he was there to steal it. Kelly and then Lemoto Filikitonga made some gains and then Kelly once more broke through before offloading to MacGinty, who raced in for a very nice try. Once again Seamus Kelly was in the middle of the action, as was Fenoglio. 

Those tries were just reward for some good work, said Tolkin.

“Possession was better, continuity of play and shape of attack looked night and day [compared to the previous game],” he told Goff Rugby Report. “Our defensive line speed and decisions at the defensive tackle area were better, allowing us to turn them over more and keep our defensive shape.”

All of that is key in test match rugby. Tolkin said he was also pleased with the scrums, which held their own, and in fact the USA team took two strikes against the head. But they need to defend lineouts better, and need to be more secure in receiving kickoffs.

But all of this is stuff they need to learn. What they got out of it was some crucial tough game time for some players - Suniula, Kelly, Tim Stanfill, John Cullen, John Quill all benefited from that. The leadership role afforded Kelly seemed to sit well with him, and he had a strong tour. And, of course, it does appear that AJ MacGinty, with no caps to his name, could have established himself as the go-to flyhalf for the Eagles. He kicked well, worked the offense nicely, and showed poise. 

Overall, it was a good tour.

“I am very proud of the boys,” said Tolkin. “They played their guts out and made tremendous ground over the tour.”

And with test matches coming up in July, they need make up some ground.