The United States men’s rugby team played relatively close to Chattanooga last Saturday at Kennesaw State University against a team from Georgia – the Eurasian country, not the state where the match was held.
The USA Eagles lost 21-17 to the Lelos, however, and enter a vital two-match series with Canada to qualify for the 2019 Rugby World Cup that will be held in Japan. Those contests are this Saturday in Ontario and July 1 in San Diego.
Despite the loss, Eagles coach John Mitchell was encouraged by their second-half performance last Saturday. They outscored the Lelos 14-3 in the second half of the 80-minute match.
“We showed a lot of determination and grit,” Mitchell said, “and really stressed Georgia in the second half.”
Even though the Eagles have a five-match winning streak against their Canadian counterparts, Mitchell expects the home-and-home series to be both physical and emotional. The winner of the Rugby World Cup Qualifier series will be determined on aggregate between the matches.
“The guys, to their credit, have been training really hard, and we’re just all about trying to improve daily and focus on the key things that give us the best possible chance of winning,” Mitchell said. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do.”