Eagles go back-to-back with victory over Zimbabwe

The USA needed a composed second half to regain control and stall the eager Zimbabwe attack, but showed good command in the last 30minutes to walk away with the win. The USA proved to be the better team on the pitch tonight, despite penalty challenges that allowed opportunities for Zimbabwe to carry a short lead at halftime and keep the early portion of the match close. The Eagles however did well to return to game basics, relying on their kicking game for territory and controlling discipline for a late close out win. Penalty goals from the USA flyhalf again helped secure the win as Luke Carty followed Chris Hilsenbeck’s round one performance with three crucial kicks through the post of his own.

Head Coach Scott Lawrence said post match, “I think we put ourselves in an unnecessary hole early, but the team regrouped and came out to play the way we want to play in the second half, with good impact off the bench.

“We've got to get our intensity right in the first half. We came out to a quick 12-0 lead, but need to keep our foot on the gas and have a more complete performance.”

When asked about the 2-0 start to the Nations Cup, Lawrence closed, “Wins are nice, but performance is what we’re really after right now, we’re building to something bigger.”

Next for the United States will be a rematch with Spain just north of Charlotte in Cary, North Carolina. Fans can watch the USA’s final match of the Nations Cup in Cary, NC as they take on Spain to close out the series. Tickets for both matches are available at eagles.rugby/tickets. Fans can get closer to the action with USA Eagles Experiences. or catch every minute of the action live on Paramount+.

The USA came out of the gates flying in Charlotte, within the first six minutes striking first through a beautiful pass from Ruben de Haas that sent Conner Mooneyham over the line. Just moments later, Dominic Besag found Perry Mayo, who parted defense for a try of his own. However, the early 12-0 lead quickly recoiled as the Sables found their footing. Zimbabwe capitalized on Eagle's disciplinary lapses, answering with physical tries from Edward Sigauke and Aiden Burnett. A 29th-minute yellow card to Makeen Alikhan put the USA on the back foot, allowing Bruce Houston to slot a penalty and send the home team into the locker room trailing 15-12.

The USA delivered a necessary response in the second half, completely shutting Zimbabwe out on the scoreboard for the final forty minutes. The turning point came in the 55th minute when Nathan Den Hoedt split away from the maul to reclaim the lead. Shortly after Luke Carty came in from the bench, turning sustained pressure into points by calmly knocking over back-to-back penalties to build a two-possession cushion.

The final ten minutes were a testament to the depth and finishing power of this squad. After relentless attacking phases and some buildup play by Ethan McVeigh, Cory Daniel spotted a gap out wide and reeled in a long pass for a fourth try of the night in the 76th minute. Carty added one final penalty at the death to seal 31-15 victory and add points to the table differential. While first-half indiscipline and a few miscues gave the USA plenty to review, keeping a hungry Zimbabwe side scoreless in the second half and composing fundamentals showed the immense character brewing in this group.