International Rugby News
With Pool Play done in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, here are some notes about the tournament as a whole, and the USA.
The USA leaves the 2015 Rugby World Cup without any victories, and in the team’s final game, just a glimpse of what they can do.
Japan defeated the Eagles 28-18 Sunday at Kingsholm in Gloucester to drop the USA to 0-4 in pool play, and put Japan at 3-1, albeit not a good enough 3-1 to make the quarterfinals.
The final Rugby World Cup game kicks off Sunday with coverage starting at 2:30pm ET, 11:30pm PT, and players and coaches discussed what they want to accomplish.
Nigel Melville has indicated to World Rugby that USA Rugby will shoot to host the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
Melville cited the growth of the game at the youth and collegiate level as indication that there will be a fan base in 12 years. In addition, the United States in nicely positioned in terms of depth of sports venues and hotel capacity to host a major tournament.
So the USA Rugby World Cup comes down to Japan, as it so often does.
Japan wants to go 3-1 and get at least a shot at a quarterfinal place. The Eagles just want to win a game.
“It’s pretty important,” said USA captain and fullback Chris Wyles. “We came into this World Cup with pretty high expectations of ourselves so this is a defining game for us."