Only a few weeks removed from a five-week tour in Japan for the Pacific Nations Cup and two club friendlies, the USA Men’s Eagles were back on the pitch at GEODIS Park in Nashville for the start of their fall home tour and second leg of the 2026 Nations Cup. Facing Australia XV, the second side to the Wallabies, the USA found themselves on the backfoot against a clinical offense and lost the uphill battle, 61-12. Despite Australia tallying a number of penalties and first half red card, they were able to assemble a fast-paced offense that held the USA from mounting a counterattack throughout the match. Oscar Lennon stepped onto the pitch for his first taste of USA Rugby action in the starting scrumhalf role. Adding experience to the long-term build towards next year’s Rugby World Cup.

This tour is a strategic development opportunity for Head Coach Scott Lawrence and the extended player pool, not only as a run-up to next month’s Nations Cup test matches, but the two-game set lets the USA square up with Rugby World Cup caliber competition ahead of next year’s tournament. Equally, the rematch with Australia XV next week offers the opportunity for the Men’s Eagles to evaluate work-ons from the first match and immediately implement those against the same opposition six days later.

Lawrence said post match, “We knew Australia were going to try and hold on to the ball and pressure us, and that’s a good thing, that helps to build our robustness going forward. There were some long periods of defense where we held out and stopped momentum, on the other side we’ve got to back that up with more continuity on our attack. It’s something we have been consistently working on, and something we have to do day in and day out in our environment. The defense takes the brunt of the score board, but it’s really about getting better continuity on our attack.

Speaking to the set piece and lineout, Lawrence added, “We got better at our set piece execution coming off the bench, our scrum was fine but lineout remains a challenge. We have some work to do and we’ll pick out the bright spots, but it’s not a matter of ability it’s about consistency, that’s where we are right now in our growth.”

The USA faced a challenging first half against a fast-paced Australia XV side that quickly jumped out to a 19-0 lead behind early offloads and a 50-meter breakaway off a downfield kick. Despite early handling errors that stalled their offense, the USA defense tightened around the 20-minute mark, taking away time and space to slow the Australia attack. A high tackle on Tavite Lopeti in the 13th minute, followed later by an upgraded 20-minute red card to Australia's David Feliuai, gave the USA a helpful man advantage. The Eagles immediately capitalized when Michael Baska reeled in a long ball off a 5-meter lineout for their first score. Although Australia managed two more tries while playing a man down, the USA had the final word of the half, converting a midfield penalty into another 5-meter lineout that culminated in a cross-pitch try by Mark O'Keeffe to make it 26-12 at the break.

In the second half, Australia XV continued to dictate the pace, controlling possession and disrupting the lineout battle to stifle the USA's offensive opportunities. The Australian side added five unanswered tries as the Eagles were unable to cross into the try zone in the second half. Despite the deficit, the USA refused to slow their pace in the closing stages. The team maintained their intensity through the final five minutes, staying true to the ultimate goal of utilizing the full match for development and putting together 80 consistent minutes of competitive rugby. Ultimately, the relentless Australian attack secured a 61-12 victory.

The opportunity now is a rematch with Australia XV next Friday, October 30 at Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey, kickoff starting at 8pm ET live on Paramount+.

USA  vs. AUS XV | 61-12 (L)

Tries: M. Baska, M. O'Keeffe

Conversions: C. Hilsenbeck (1)

Nashville, TN - Geodis Park

USA XV vs. AUS XV | Friday, Oct 30th

Harrison, NJ - Sports Illustrated Stadium | 8:00 PM ET 

Double Header with USA Women v England | 5:15 PM ET

• Scott Lawrence | Head Coach & General Manager
• Steve Brett | Assistant Coach - Backs and Kicking
• Nathan Grey | Assistant Coach - Defense 
• David Williams | Assistant Coach - Attack
• Dan Perrin | Assistant Coach - Forwards and Contact
• Jimmy Harrison | Head of Analysis 
• Jim Molony | Head of Performance 
• Rodolfo Broggi | Strength and Conditioning Coach 
• Davie Gray | Mindset Coach
• Lauren DeLuca | Team Registered Dietician 
• Michael Buonopane | Head Athletic Trainer 
• Michael Sheridan | Athletic Trainer 
• Marc Kowalsky | Doctor
• Alana Gattinger | Head of High Performance Operations 
• Nick Colling | Team Manager
• Jenni Burke | Media Director