What is officially dubbed a USA XV has been named to face Argentina XV Saturday evening at Inter Miami CF Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Tickets available here: https://eagles.rugby/tickets
There are some shifts in player combinations and a return from injury for one starter. This is a game that is not inside World Rugby's Reg. 9 window, and what that means is a) professional teams are under no obligation to make their players available for it, and b) this does not count as an official international match.
That second part is important. Combine it with the fact that each nation announces its own official 2nd side, and if you play for an official 2nd side (such as "Argentina XV" or the "USA Falcons) against another such team, you can capture a player for future selections. Essentially, if a player suits up in an official 2nds-vs-2nds match, that player then can't play for anyone else (save for the standard stand-down and transfer rules).
But this isn't official in that sense, so David Coetzer, who has not yet achieved residency qualification for the USA, can play in this match. Coetzer will achieve residency qualification in 2027.
Meanwhile, there's a shift in the front row with three players who have been looking for starts get those starts—2020 Rudy Scholz Award-winner Payton Telea Ilalio, Shilo Klein (who patrolled the bench in each of the last three test matches), and veteran Charlie Abel, who got his first cap this summer.
While the second row of Jason Damm (back as captain) and Nathan Den Hoedt are familiar, we have a new back row combination again with Makeen Alikhan back at No. 8, Paddy Ryan at openside, and Marno Redelinghuys returned from injury and ready to resume his time with the USA program.
"I think combinations are super important," said Damm. "You know, a lot of times we talk about 9-10, or the center pairing, but it's really important we get those lock combinations with the front rows and and obviously front rows working together."
As for Redelinghuys, Damm is enthusiastic to have him back.
"Yeah, man, he's a dog," said Damm. "He's a guy that I I love playing with. Enjoyed playing with him in Atlanta for a long time. You know, when he went away, he was a guy that you know you try to avoid each other when you're out there because it's going to be a big clash always. He's a beast. He works really hard and he brings good energy. You know, he's he's come back off of a little bit of an injury that he was holding on to from the end of the MLR season coming really fit. I think he ran maybe a PB Bronco, and he's moving really well."
Overall, against a young Argentina XV that still carries with it the tradition being excellent up front, the USA team needs to be great. The back row is a big, physical back row, with Ryan as man who can play No. 8 and Redelinghuys being a flanker/lock.
"We always set out to to be the best pack in Tier 2 rugby," said Damm. "We want to be a Tier 1 pack, and that takes going against the second-best pack in Tier 2 rugby every week."
What he means is, there's an overall desire within the USA program to play great as a pack, no matter what the lineup is. So then if any combination is good, then they will make the other eight even better.
"The goal is to really have 16 guys here who are pushing each other to the limit, so that you know we're always getting the best competition possible," he said.
