The USA men's national team opened its fall international tour by beating Germany in their first-ever meeting last weekend, and now the Eagles are turning their attention to a Georgia team that has emerged as possibly the best Tier II national team in the world.

The USA will close its overseas trip and play its final test of the year against Georgia at 9 AM ET on Saturday in Tbilisi.

The Eagles clinched their 46-17 win over Germany behind a strong second half. Meanwhile, Georgia put a massive scare into Wales but lost 13-6. The Georgians are currently ranked No. 12 in the world after going 7-3 so far in 2017, including wins over the No. 17-ranked USA, No. 21 Canada (twice), and No. 24 Germany. But along with competitive losses to No. 9 Argentina and No. 7 Wales, Georgia lost 8-7 to 14th-ranked Romania in Bucharest, and that game might have provided some clues as to how to contain the Lelos.

Georgia's scrum, maul, and pick-and-go game are enormously difficult to contend with, and the Eagles found that out in a 21-17 loss to the Lelos in Atlanta in June. In general, the meetings between the two nations have been closely contested over the years. In 2010, Georgia beat the Eagles 19-17 on the final play of the game — thanks to the Georgians' scrum powering the USA off the ball.

In 2013, the Eagles beat the Lelos 25-23 on a penalty goal on the final play of the game.

"We are really looking forward to the rematch with the Georgians," USA interim head coach Dave Hewett said. "Knowing how passionate they are about rugby will add to a game that should be exciting to watch."

The USA brings in some experienced and physical players to the back row, with flanker John Quill getting a start and Samu Manoa, who played in both of those close games in Tbilisi, slotting in at No. 8. 

Manoa is a dynamic open-field player, but his strength in tight and at the base of the scrum may well be what the USA needs to win.

Quill played in the Eagles' 25-23 victory in Tbilisi four years ago, and in that game the USA players found out that it can count on some vocal crowd support. In fact, after the game, the Eagles went into the crowd to thank their supporters, which included USA military personnel stationed nearby and members of the local U.S. Embassy.

That won't mean securing a win in Tbilisi will be easy for the Eagles, but the environment may not be completely hostile. 

"We know the Georgians are a tough physical team," Hewett said. "We need to make sure our mindset is strong, play our style, and bring our flair to give us an opportunity to be successful."

Blaine Scully captains the USA once more and will start at fullback instead of wing, where he played against Germany. The switch of Mike Te'o to wing and Scully to fullback is the only change in the backline from last week. On the bench, Hewett has shifted from three backs to just two — Nate Augspurger and Will Magie — with JP Eloff left off in favor of an extra forward.

Mose Fuala'au leaves the squad (as was planned all along), and Narbonne flanker/lock David Tameilau has suffered an injury.  

In the forwards, the front five is the same, and Ben Landry retains his position at blindside flanker. Quill and Manoa replace Tony Lamborn (more of an open-field, attacking flanker rather than Quill's fractious version) and Andrew Durutalo. Those two go to the bench.

Nate Brakeley stays on the bench, but Cam Dolan is left off.

All of this is designed to counter Georgia's imposing pack and possibly get just enough ball control so that the USA's superior backs can find some space and score a few tries. It all comes down to that: If the Eagles can't hold onto the ball and give up too many scrums, especially close to their line, they are in trouble. 

USA Men's Lineup:

1. Olive Kilifi; 2. Joe Taufete'e; 3. Dino Waldren; 4. Greg Peterson; 5. Nick Civetta, 6; Ben Landry; 7. John Quill; 8. Samu Manoa; 9. Shaun Davies; 10. AJ MacGinty; 11. Ryan Matyas; 12. Bryce Campbell; 13. Marcel Brache; 14. Mike Te’o; 15. Blaine Scully (C)

Reserves: 16. Peter Malcolm; 17. Huluholo Moungaloa; 18. Patrick Ryan; 19. Nate Brakeley; 20. Andrew Durutalo; 21. Tony Lamborn; 22. Nate Augspurger; 23. Will Magie 

USA Coaching Staff

Dave Hewett: Interim Head Coach/Set Piece
Greg McWilliams: Assistant Coach - Backs & Attack
David Williams: Assistant Coach - Defense
Shawn Pittman: Assistant Coach - Set Piece
Jon Hood: Strength and Conditioning
Chris Hanson: Team Manager
Jimmy Harrison: Analyst
Kevin Ng: Head ATC
Matt Lopez: Assistant ATC
Dr. Mark Sakr: Team Doctor
Dave Hodges: Men's Eagles General Manager