Men's Eagles named for final battle of Autumn Internationals 2018 with No. 2 Ireland
DUBLIN, IRE. – Head Coach Gary Gold has named his match-day 23 to face No. 2 Ireland in the Men’s Eagles’ final matchup of the Autumn Internationals 2018 this Saturday at 1:30 PM ET, LIVE on ESPN+.
The full squad features three changes to the starting lineup with two adjustments made on the bench. Chief among them is the anticipated return of scrum half Shaun Davies who jumps back in the mix after completing HIA protocol. As Davies returns, Ruben de Haas will take his place with the reserves.
Changes to the starting XV continue with Hanco Germishuys in at flanker, Marcel Brache shifting to wing and Will Hooley in at fullback. Germishuys replaces Tony Lamborn who flew home earlier this week to recover from injury, while Hooley returns after being pulled from last week’s battle with Romania as a precaution.
With adjustments to the starting lineup made, Eagle Samu Manoa will feature as a reserve alongside newcomer Chance Wenglewski. Wenglewski joined the Eagles for their November opener against the Maori All Blacks in Chicago and has the opportunity to earn his first cap from the bench.
The No. 13 Men’s Eagles will take the pitch at Aviva Stadium for the first time since 2004 having last faced Ireland in 2017 at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey. In 2017, the United States men fell to a 19-55 Irish victory.
“We know this weekend will present our greatest challenge yet with the Ireland side still buzzing from their historic victory over the All Blacks,” said Head Coach Gary Gold. “Ireland will be relentless as ever this weekend and our guys have spent the last week ensuring that they approach Saturday’s game with the level of intensity that will put us in the best position to meet the fight.”
As an unprecedented year of test match rugby comes to a close, the Men’s National Team will focus on using Saturday’s contest to build on the momentum established through 2018. Ireland is equally looking to close out their year in a position of strength after winning the NatWest 6 Nations 2018 and notching their biggest victory on home soil last week against the All Blacks.
Despite the implications for both sides, one thing is undoubtedly certain: come this Saturday, Aviva Stadium will be raucous with energy from USA and Irish fans alike.
U.S. Men’s National Team Starting Roster
| Player | Position | Club | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Titi Lamositele | Prop | Saracens (ENG) | 25 |
| 2. Joe Taufete’e | Hooker | Worcester Warriors (ENG) | 18 |
| 3. Paul Mullen | Prop | unattached | 5 |
| 4. Greg Peterson | Lock | Glasgow Warriors (SCO) | 19 |
| 5. Nick Civetta | Lock | Doncaster Knights (ENG) | 17 |
| 6. John Quill | Flanker | Glendale Raptors | 29 |
| 7. Hanco Germishuys | Flanker | unattached | 10 |
| 8. Cam Dolan | No. 8 | NOLA Gold | 39 |
| 9. Shaun Davies | Scrumhalf | Glendale Raptors | 18 |
| 10. Will Magie | Flyhalf | Glendale Raptors | 18 |
| 11. Marcel Brache | Wing | Perth/Western Force (AUS) | 11 |
| 12. Paul Lasike | Center | Harlequins (ENG) | 8 |
| 13. Bryce Campbell | Center | London Irish (ENG) | 20 |
| 14. Blaine Scully (C) | Wing | Cardiff Blues (WAL) | 42 |
| 15. Will Hooley | Fullback | Bedford Blues (ENG) | 6 |
U.S. Men’s National Team Reserves
| Player | Position | Club | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16. Dylan Fawsitt | Reserve | Old Blue New York / Rugby United New York | 6 |
| 17. Chance Wenglewski | Reserve | Lindenwood University | 0 |
| 18. Dino Waldren | Reserve | London Scottish (ENG) | 14 |
| 19. Samu Manoa | Reserve | Cardiff Blues (WAL) | 22 |
| 20. David Tameilau | Reserve | Glasgow Warriors (SCO) | 11 |
| 21. Ruben de Haas | Reserve | Free State Cheetahs (RSA) | 6 |
| 22. Gannon Moore | Reserve | North Harbour Rugby (NZL) | 2 |
| 23. Ryan Matyas | Reserve | San Diego Legion | 12 |
U.S. Men’s National Team Staff
Head Coach | Gary Gold
Assistant Coach | Shawn Pittman
Assistant Coach | Greg McWilliams
Strength & Conditioning Coach | Huw Bevan
Performance Analyst | Jimmy Harrison
Head Athletic Trainer | Kevin Ng
Assistant Athletic Trainer | Kristen Douhan
Team Doctor | Richard Kim (Romania & Ireland)
Massage Therapist | Daliah Hurwitz (Samoa, Romania & Ireland)
Team Manager | Chris Hanson
Assistant Team Manager | Kevin McCorry
U.S. Men’s National Team Schedule
vs Maori All Blacks | 22-59 (L)
vs Samoa | 30-29 (W)
vs Romania | 31-5 (W)
vs Ireland
Sat, Nov. 24 | 1:30 PM ET
Aviva Stadium, Dublin, IRE
LIVE on ESPN+
*Times subject to change.
