A one hundred year rivalry is set to continue; the USA take-on Romania in Chicago on Friday. The teams first crossed paths a century ago at the 1924 Paris Olympic Games. The latest chapter sees the Pershing Cup on the line at Seat Geek Stadium in Chicago, Illinois.
The match is the first game for the Eagles this year. The prior USA fixture was a 42-12 win over Spain last November. La Vila Cup was a competition organized by Spain for four teams who did not qualify for Rugby World Cup 2023. Romania did qualify and faced Ireland, Scotland, South Africa, and Tonga.
The match in Chicago is the Eagles’ first home fixture since the disappointment of watching the World Cup on TV rather than competing in it. The Eagles will be looking for a third straight win over Romania but will, curiously, be facing the Oaks stateside for the first time.
The previous USA Eagles vs Romania Oaks battle was last August. It was a Rugby World Cup warm-up match for the Eastern Europeans. Despite not qualifying for the World Cup, the USA enjoyed a commutable victory, winning 31-17 in Bucharest.
| NOTES |
- Scott Lawrence has named Renger van Eerten and JP Smith make their debuts for the Eagles.
- 13 starting Eagles play in Major League Rugby. AJ MacGinty and Renger van Eerten do not.
- Romania’s replacement hooker Robert Irimescu is a homegrown USA player from New York.
- Head Coach David Gérard has one debutant in second-rower Yanis Hornet.
- In what is highly uncommon in test rugby Marius Simionescu captains from the wing.
- The starting backs all pay in Romania. Ștefan Buruiană plays for Top 14 side Castres. There other forwards play in lower divisions in France.
- The match is 100 years on from the inaugural clash when the USA won Gold at the 1924 Paris Olympic Games.
- The match is a first; none of the nine prior test matches between the USA and Romania took place in the USA.
- The Eagles won the 2023 match between the teams. This was so despite Romania playing at the World Cup.
| PREDICTION |
Despite missing the World Cup, the USA Eagles are favorites to win. The USA’s line-up and recent results indicate a similar scoreline, from the 2023 fixture, is plausible. Home advantage and weather will also play their part. Ideal conditions of a partly cloudy afternoon with mild winds and temperatures are expected. ARN projects a USA victory by +15 points.
| LINEUPS |
USA EAGLES
1 Jake Tunbull, 2 Dylan Fawsitt, 3 Paul Mullen, 4 Renger van Eerten, 5 Greg Peterson, 6 Sam Golla, 7 Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz, 8 Thomas Tu’avao, 9 JP Smith, 10 AJ MacGinty, 11 Nate Augspurger, 12 Tommaso Boni, 13 Tavite Lopeti, 14 Christian Dyer, 15 Mitch Wilson
Replacements: 16 Mike Sosene-Feagai, 17 Nate Sylvia, 18 Kaleb Geiger, 19 Viliami Helu, 20 Benjamín Basso, 21 Paddy Ryan, 22 Luke Carty, 23 Bryce Campbell
ROMANIA
1 Iulian Hartig, 2 Ștefan Buruiană, 3 Vasile Balan, 4 Yanis Horvat, 5 Andrei Mahu, 6 Vlad Neculau, 7 Dragoș Ser, 8 Nicolaas Immelman, 9 Alin Conache, 10 Hinckley Vaovasa, 11 Tevita Manumua, 12 Jason Tomane, 13 Mihai Graure, 14 Marius Simionescu (capt.), 15 Paul Popoaia
Replacements: 16 Robert Irimescu, 17 Alexandru Savin, 18 Cosmin Manole, 19 Marius Iftimiciuc, 20 Kamil Sobota, 21 Gabriel Rupanu, 22 Fonovai Tangimana, 23 Daniel Plai
| MATCH DETAILS |
Date: Friday, July 05
Venue: SeatGeek Stadium (Chicago, IL)
Kickoff: 14:00 local
Weather Forecast: Partly Cloudy. Wind 13 km/h NE. 24 Celsius.
Streaming: live on FloRugby
| MATCH OFFICIALS |
Referee: Angus Mabey (New Zealand)
Assistants: Robin Kaluzniak (Canada); Marcus Playle (New Zealand)
TMO: Cam Russell (Canada)
| HISTORY |
HEAD-TO-HEAD (9): USA 7, Romania 2, STREAK USA +2
Aug, 05 2023 – Romania 17-31 USA (Bucharest, RO)
Nov 17, 2018 – Romania 05-31 USA (Bucharest, RO)
Nov 13, 2016 – Romania 23-10 USA (Bucharest, RO)
Nov 08, 2014 – Romania 17-27 USA (Bucharest, RO)
Nov 26, 2012 – Romania 03-34 USA (Bucharest, RO)
May 29, 2005 – USA 28-22 Romania (Tokyo, JP)
Oct 09, 1999 – Romania 27-25 USA (Dublin, IE)
Sep 17, 1988 – USA 17-07 Romania (Moscow, USSR)
May 11, 1924 – USA 37-0 Romania (Paris, FR)
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