World Cup Qualifier series can be especially fraught, and this one certainly can as the USA gets set to take on Canada Saturday.

USA vs Canada KO 1:30 PM ET and will be shown live in the US on FloRugby and in Canada on Premier Sports.

Back in 2006 in St. John's (the last time the USA played Canada in Newfoundland), Canada rolled over the Eagles 56-7 in a Rugby World Cup qualifier. (The USA went on to beat Uruguay in a two-game series to qualify.)

In 2010 the Eagles had a comfortable lead over Uruguay in Game 1 in Montevideo only to switch off in the last several minutes to see Uruguay come back to make it close. In the second match the USA picked it up and won 27-6, taking the series. In 2014, Los Teros held the USA to a tie in Montevideo and were leading 61 minutes into the second game (!) before a Mike Petri quick-tap and 36-meter run put the USA ahead to stay. 

And then in 2017 the USA suffered their only non-loss to Canada since 2013, tying the Maple Leafs 28-28 in Hamilton, Ont., before exploding for 52 to win the second leg and the qualifier series.

So you see, that the away game in these series can be a stormy sea, especially when you think of the Newfoundland as a graveyard for ships of all sorts. That, perhaps, is why USA Head Coach Gary Gold said he isn't thinking about the two-game series, and is solely concerned with Game 1.

We asked @Garygoldrugby about the fact that the USA has tied Game 1 of the last two @rugbyworldcup qualifier series, and what he's doing to address that. Here's his response. pic.twitter.com/gKJOU9UJ77

— Alex Goff (@goffrugbyreport) September 2, 2021

"Even though it is a doubleheader we're really only focused on this weekend," Gold said.

Planes Trains and Bureaucrats

Gold is worried about the travel and the preparation as much as anything else, and well he should be. With about half the team available for early training in Glendale, Colo. (where they get to use the facilities for free as part of a relationship between the City and USA Rugby), the Eagles had a chance to get started early, but not with everyone. The overseas-based players, of course, had a tougher time getting there because of when they could be released by their clubs, and how they could travel across borders in this always-confusing COVID time. As a result, four overseas pros (Kapeli Pifeleti, David Ainu'u, Joe Taufete'e, and AJ MacGinty) are on the bench instead of potentially starting.

MacGinty's story is especially interesting as he was unable to gain immediate entry into Canada and had to train on his own in New Jersey until Thursday. Asked what had slowed things for his flyhalf—visa, COVID, red tape—Gold said everything had.

"I think everybody who has been able to make it difficult has made it difficult," Gold said with a laugh. "It has been a bit of a nightmare for AJ. But the good thing is that he's been in the States for a few days so he's had the opportunity to acclimatize."

So Will Magie will start at flyhalf with Luke Carty at fullback. Carty had started against England and Ireland at flyhalf and had good moments, but with Will Hooley out injured, Magie is more of a flyhalf than a fullback (although he's played both for the USA), and Carty is perhaps a bit quicker than Magie, so Magie has the #10 on his back and Carty has #15.

That's part of a backline that sees captain Bryce Campbell and the experienced Marcel Brache combine with two wings, Mike Kruse and Christian Dyer, who earned their first caps just this summer.

For Campbell, the new-look backline is an exciting one and he said the athleticism of Kruse and Dyer, as well as potential debutant Tavite Lopeti, who is on the bench, is impressive. 

Recent collegiate products are making their way into the @USARugby side. We asked @bobbydice12 about three of them, including @Gael_Rugby product Tavite Lopeti. pic.twitter.com/8pUcJeoQ16

— Alex Goff (@goffrugbyreport) September 2, 2021

Up Front and Fronting Up

Even with the overseas front-rowers on the bench, Gold has experience there with Chance Wenglewski, Dylan Fawsitt, and Paul Mullen. The RUNY second row pairing of Nate Brakeley and Nick Civetta is dependable and smart. In the back row, Cam Dolan remains a fixture (and we once again mention that his only getting an "honorable mention" in the Major League Rugby honors is just plain silly), and has been the best Eagle forward for the last several years. But Gold has been shifting things around with his flankers. He started Jamason Fa'anana-Schults at blindside and Riekert Hattingh at openside against England, and then started Hanco Germishuys at #6 against Ireland.

USA Names Squad to Face Canada in RWC Qualifier

Canada Names Roster to Face USA

This time around, Hattingh is finishing off his suspension by World Rugby, but it also appears that Gold picked a slightly more speedy pairing in Fa'anana-Schiltz and Germishuys, adding that he basically is viewing these players as interchangeable (not a blindside flanker and an openside, and more two loose forwards with equal responsibilities). 

"I could try and give you some scientifically boring nonsense or I could tell you that we're just picking the best rugby players at the moment," Gold said about those choices. "I think Hanco's played very well for RUNY towards the end of the season, and Jama's been excellent, and we all know how good Cam is and the other skill set that Cam brings along."

@Garygoldrugby picked a slightly different back row from the USA's last game. Fancy technical reasons or just the in-form players right now? pic.twitter.com/jwsNhCSQ0l

— Alex Goff (@goffrugbyreport) September 2, 2021

But this is a slightly more mobile 4-through-8, and a more experienced 9-through-13 (not counting left wing), and it will need to be, because defense and a patient physicality will be much needed.

The bench, however, could be crucial. Whether the USA is behind, tied, or winning with 20 minutes to go, impact subs can make sure the USA has momentum going into the second game. With three excellent front-rowers, two young but powerful other forwards, and some impressive backs led by MacGinty but including Lopeti and the versatile and intelligent Nate Augspurger, it might be those guys 16-23 who make the difference.