Ardron Bags Four Tries, Crushes USA Hopes
Ardron Bags Four Tries, Crushes USA Hopes
The USA men's rugby team, and in fact support for international rugby in the USA took a big hit Friday night in Calgary.
With the Eagles' 34-20 loss to Canada the USA is now in a precarious position with regard to World Cup qualification. With Tonga beating Samoa, it's now likely (unless something weird happens), that the USA will play Samoa for 5th in the Pacific Nations Cup. That game will be for a place in Australia 2027. The loser will go to the final qualification tournament, which is where the USA ended up last time, losing out on a place due to points difference.
Add to that the fact that the PNC is now scheduled to finish up in the USA, and the USA will not be playing in the semifinals (unless something really weird happens). The plan was to have the USA playing in either the final or the 3rd-4th match in Salt Lake City September 20. That will almost certainly not happen now.
As For The Game
Tyler Ardon has been the best or close to the best North American rugby player for some time now. He has not been playing for Canada, playing for Castres in France has has not been available for selection for one reason or another for a few years. His return for Canada was one of the most dominant performances a single player can have in a rugby game.
The assumption was that Ardron would be a factor, but couldn't overcome Canada's other issues. But he did just that. The USA were backed up early and it was Ardron who rallied the forwards (along with Lucas Rumball, who is also an excellent player) and it was Ardron who scored the opening try.
The USA responded well with some open-field play and off a penalty they were able to drive a little before JP Smith found Dom Besag charging in on a good line. Try USA and a 7-7 tie.
The Eagles controlled things after that. They defended well in a game that was really entertaining and hard-hitting. Both teams created turnover chances. It was a long kick and chase from Rufus McLean that put the USA in an attacking position and then a perfect wide kick from AJ to McLean saw the wing catch on the fly and score. MacGinty converted and it was 14-7.
But Canada responded, and this time when they got a penalty in the middle of the field inside the USA 22, Ardron was lurking on the wing. Fullback Peter Nelson took the ball, and as everyone expected him to opt for posts, he tapped and lofted a kick for Ardron. Try Canada as they caught almost everyone napping.
Ardron made it three with another pic-and-go, helped along by USA indiscipline, while MacGinty added a penalty for a 17-17 tie at halftime.
The game looked poised for a thrilling end but only Canadian fans were thrilled. Nelson and MacGinty traded kicks before Ardron made it four with a little cutback run helped along by the USA's frustrating clustering around the ruck. Now it was 27-20.
Canada capped it off when a fumbled kick allowed Nelson to toe the ball ahead and kick once more to score. He converted and Nelson had 14 points and Ardron 20. That final try was not one the Eagles will want to watch as most of the players were very slow to react and their chase on that kick was lackadaisical at best.
Overall, the Eagles showed an ability to move the ball well when they had it and were dangerous. However, they didn't handle kicks well (a problem exposed back in their first game of the season), and once again gave up a stupid loose-ball try that was eminently avoidable.
Their penalties hurt, too, not least of which Jason Damm getting penalized for an over-zealous clearout when the Eagles were attacking right in front of the Canada posts. He then exacerbated the situation by mouthing off. That killed a key scoring chance.
Most obvious, however, was the USA's inability to win their lineout Ardron stole several throws and the Eagles could not count on that set piece, which is a death knell in international rugby. The calls, the sequences, the throws, the fight of the jumpers, and the timing were all off. The USA was reduced to throwing short. For a team that is usually excellent in the lineout, this was brutal. With Canada confident they could disrupt the USA lineout, they could kick for touch or escape a problematic penalty.
An implosion in Alberta is not a new thing for the Eagles. They don't do well in Alberta. But now there are real questions. In a crucial test match their execution was too flawed to put them in a position to win.
USA 20
Tries: Besag, McLean
Convs: MacGinty 2
Pens: MacGinty 2
Canada 34
Tries: Ardron 4, Nelson
Convs: Nelson 3
Pens: Nelson
