USA Does The Minimum To Beat Brazil

USA beats Brazil in a tough game in the ARC.

Feb 24, 2019 by Alex Goff

The USA defeated Brazil 33-28 Saturday in an Americas Rugby Championship game that was way, way closer than it needed to be.

Against a much-improved Brazil team that was superb in the scrum and also tenacious on defense, the Eagles led comfortably, only to let frustration and ill-discipline let Brazil back into the game.

"I don't think I have ever been this disappointed in a victory," said USA head coach Gary Gold. "We have to clean up the discipline. Sixteen penalties is not good enough."

The USA started the game on the front foot but were stymied early by from the Brazilian defense. Eventually they got a kickable penalty that Will Magie (on his birthday) slotted. Magie was good on another kick for a 6-0 lead.

But it was a 6-0 lead with a caveat. The Eagles had taken several lineouts close to the Brazilian line and failed to get over. After mauling for tries all through 2018, they started to peel off early and get stopped. That almost came back to haunt them.

An accidental offside led to Brazil flyhalf Josh Reeves to get three points back and make it 6-3, but right after that the Eagles broke through. Some good work from the forwards led to center Paul Lasike to crash through for the first USA try. It wasn't long before the same type of approach opened up space wide, and wing Mike Te'o—back on the field after a year away injured—made a half-break and then lofted a pass to flanker Hanco Germishuys who was in at the corner.

That made it 20-6, and a few minutes later it was 25-6 when Lasike popped a lovely pass to Te'o for the wing to score in the corner. Everything looked golden for the USA, but things weren't going to be that easy.

Penalties started to creep into the Eagle game, and then a series of scrums near the Eagle tryline led to scrumhalf Lucas Duque to snipe in for a try on his 50th cap. It was a deserved score for Brazill, and one that could have been a penalty try as John Quill kept unbinding from the scrum. Quill avoided being carded, but the half ended with the score 25-13.

Suddenly, the fact that the USA had been held up in-goal twice started to matter. More would matter after that.

The frustration at the penalties started to bubble up into the USA performance. Brazil used the kicking of Josh Reeves to push the Eagles back, and even when captain Felipe Sancery was taken off for an apparent dislocated shoulder, Brazil didn't back down. Reeves slotted a goal to inch his side closer.

Then, at 48 minutes a little piece of magic. Bryce Campbell cut through and fed a snappy pass to Te'o. The wing was off, and then popped the ball back inside to Quill, who galloped in for a try.

Not that long after, Germishuys was over for what seemed to be his second. However, upon further review, he was held in the tackle and got up illegally—a double movement—and the try was called back.

That seemed to energize Brazil, and eventually Moises Duque—also earning his 50th cap— was over in the corner. That made it 30-21. Will Magie slotted a crucial penalty to make it 33-21, but the final ten minutes, highlighted by a yellow card to Ben Landry for punching, was all Brazil. Constant pressure, and continued inability of the USA to get out of its own way, led to lock Matteo Delll'acqua picking up and diving onto the line.

Now it was 33-28 with six minutes left.

Somehow the Eagles held on. They had a lineout that could have set up a scoring chance, only to overthrow and lose the ball. Brazil got a penalty and went for the lineout, only to have their maul stopped by a key USA defensive stand.

And then, the final minute. After failing to get any traction in the rucks in the second half, the USA got a penalty when Will Hooley was quick to the ball and forced a holding-on penalty. The Eagles took the lineout, won the ball, and Cam Dolan ran into touch to end the game.

"It's an emotional game but we have to channel that emotion," said USA captain Blaine Scully. "We have to take care of the ball and not give up so many penalties. We had good moments but ..."

Meanwhile, Brazil flanker Arthur Bergo, who took over the captaincy duties when Sancery had to leave, was of two minds about the game.

"I am proud of how we played and how we came back, and it's a sign we are getting better, but we came here to win," he said.

For the Eagles, the center pairing of Campbell and Lasike was solid, Te'o was electric, and Germishuys had his moments. But collectively this was a USA performance in bits and pieces. Gold said the USA was in control of the game, and ceded that control, and that was evident.

"We played Russian Roulette," Gold said of the penalties and the mistakes. "Fortunately, there wasn't a bullet in the chamber."

The Eagles take a bonus-point win and 2nd in the ARC to a massive clash never week against Uruguay. They will need to be far, far more disciplined than they were against Brazil to win that game.