What I like about Sunday’s game against Harlequins wasn’t that the USA lost, but that they played a team that … shall we say … pushes the boundaries.

Harlequins is a professional team, and as such has perfected the professional foul. Sealing off in the rucks? Check. Kicking the ball away when you’ve conceded a penalty? Check. Changing your bind on the scrum and pulling it down? Check. Loitering offside? Yep.

These are just a few examples. Harlequins knew they couldn’t win a wide open game, and so scraped, clawed, pummeled, and broke the law to victory. This was an excellent lesson for many of the USA players in how life will be like at the Rugby World Cup.

Also working against the Eagles was the fact that they were changing the players throughout the game. Several players showed well despite the shifting combinations, but unity suffered at times. When unity suffers, scoring opportunities suffer, and that’s why Cam Dolan’s try was a knock-on (with a feeling of unity, maybe he doesn’t force it), and why no one was in support of Mike Petri on his break.

We have more GIFs and comments here:

The Ref

Thretton Palamo

Opening Up the Offense

The Physicality

Some of my comments are similar to those from the last USA game, and that's a good thing. I could also have praised the team's maul defense (for the most part), and defense in general. But we're also seeing some consistency in approach. The next test, against Australia, will show us just how strong it all is.