The USA defeated Argentina XV 17-10 in Carson, CA, on Saturday night to start the Americas Rugby Championship, and the Gary Gold era, with a victory.

The Eagles struggled mightily through the first half and trailed 10-3 with Cam Dolan in the sin bin at halftime, but the second half was a performance full of heroic moments, and a little bit of luck, both good and bad.

The USA was the stronger team in the scrum for much of the game, a state of affairs rare against any South American team. But the front row of Titi Lamositele, Joe Taufete'e, and Dino Waldren was stalwart throughout the match. 

Early Setback

The Eagles were struck a blow 12 minutes in when starting center Marcel Brache came off injured. That meant Dylan Audsley would come on early for his first-ever USA appearance, and the former Saint Mary's start made up a Rudy Scholz Award partnership in the midfield with 2017 winner Bryce Campbell. Despite being thrust into the spotlight early, Audsley filled his role well.

Will Magie got the Eagles on the board first, with a penalty goal at 16 minutes. But Argentina XV looked dangerous in open play all evening and appeared close to scoring on several occasions. A penalty evened the score, but a potential try was halted when Campbell intercepted a pass.

But late in the first half, with Dolan yellow-carded for a high tackle, the Argentina XV scored off the back of the scrum to take a halftime lead of 10-3.

Pressure Pays Off

In the second half, better pressure from the Eagles produced an early penalty goal from Magie. But it was several other key plays that kept it close. First off, Blaine Scully and Hanco Germyshuys combined to make a try-saving tackle. Another potential Argentina try went begging thanks to a dropped ball. And then, with Argentina looking to score right under the posts, a try was called back for an earlier high tackle.

Canadian referee Chris Assmuss continued to struggle with certain aspects of play, and one of them was missing some infractions. This one, at least, was caught on the replay.

The turnaround play, however, maybe been a kick. Sent back into his own 22 to chase a kicked ball, fullback Mike Te'o somehow booted the ball right down the touchline. The kick traveled a good 55 meters and landed perfectly in the field of play before bouncing into touch. The Eagles stole the lineout from there and put Argentina under enormous pressure in the minutes following. The surging USA defenders forced mistake after mistake and were treated to the shocking spectacle of a USA team opting for a scrum on a penalty.

From that scrum, Dolan was over the line but held up. However, moments later, Tony Lamborn was put free on the wing and the flanker had put his side ahead 11-10.

Closing It Out

A big surging run from lock Nick Civetta, with Lamositele and Waldren right behind, set up another penalty, which sub Will Hooley put over to make it 14-10. Hooley had just come on the field, and while that kick was impressive, his two wiper kicks out on the full didn't really help matters.

Dolan saved an almost certain try by intercepting a pass as he came back to cover, and then Hooley made it 17-10 with a superb kick from about 45 meters away.

In the final moments, the Eagles had a scrum in their own 22, but a new front row was popped up that awarded a penalty to Argentina. After a scrum, penalty advantage, and many, many phases, we were back for another scrum. Finally, with no time left, Argentina's Rodrigo Bruni picked up and went to the right, with Germishuys all over him. He made the line, and Assmuss signaled try.

But wait. Germishuys was immediately adamant that he had stropped the play. A check on the replay showed in fact that the USA flanker had knocked the ball loose before Bruni had touched it down. Knock-on, game over: USA 17, Argentina XV 10.

It was a contentious and physical match, not helped by the officiating of Assmuss, who didn't control the breakdown well and allowed Argentina players to get up off the ground without releasing the ball. The final scrum was precipitated by a penalty against Campbell for hitting an opponent in the air, when clearly both players went for the ball and collided incidentally. 

But the refereeing didn't change the course of the game. Assmuss was smart enough to check the replay on a couple of crucial occasions, and twice what had been signaled an Argentina try was called back.

For the USA, the right five was immense, with Civetta all over the place. In the backs, Magie had a solid game and Scully made some crucial plays. But the man of the hour was Te'o, who showed he can kick and was brilliant on offense.

It was a huge game for the Eagles, and one that puts them in the driver's seat in the ARC. 

ARC Notes: Uruguay beat Canada last week in their ARC game and beat the Canadians again this week in a non-ARC clash that secured Uruguay's spot in the 2019 Rugby World Cup (and forced Canada to the repechage). Brazil beat Chile 16-14, winning its first game on the road in the ARC and guaranteeing a move up to No. 25 in the world.

The USA win, while monumental, was not a full cap test. Though Hooley and Audsley made their USA debuts, it was not for a cap.

USA 17

Tries: Lamborn
Pens: Magie 2, Hooley 2

ARGENTINA 10

Tries: Montagner
Convs: Gonzalez
Pens: Gonzalez

USA Lineup
1. Titi Lamositele (Huluholo Moungaloa at '70), 2. Joe Taufete'e (James Hilsterbrand at '55), 3. Dino Waldren (Angus Maclellan at '70), 4. Nick Civetta, 5. Nate Brakeley (Ben Landry at '60), 6. Hanco Germishuys, 7. Tony Lamborn (Andrew Durutalo at '72), 8. Cam Dolan, 9. Nate Augspurger (Shaun Davies at '55), 10. Will Magie (Will Hooley at '60), 11. Ryan Matyas, 12. Bryce Campbell, 13. Marcel Brache (Dyland Audsley at '12), 14. Blaine Scully, 15 Mike Te'o