USA men’s 15s head coach Gary Gold has made five changes to the starting lineup as the Eagles get set to face Uruguay at Starfire Sports in Seattle on Saturday, March 2, in the fourth round of the 2019 Americas Rugby Championship. 

Kickoff is set for 10 p.m. ET, LIVE on FloRugby

Joe Taufete’e comes back in to start at hooker after a week off to recover from an injury. Glasgow Warrior Tevita Tameilau will replace John Quill in the starting lineup at blindside flanker.

Gold is resting Shaun Davies, and Ruben de Haas will start in the #9 jersey. After a strong return to USA duty, Mike Te'o sits and Will Hooley comes in at fullback, with Marcel Brache sliding to Te'o's wing spot. 

Nick Boyer, Dylan Audsley and Gannon Moore also join the bench.

The changes are likely based on tactics. Uruguay is a powerful team in tight with a strong kicking game, but not expected to test the Eagles out wide. So Gold has chosen a kicking fullback (Hooley) to help counter the Uruguay boots.

Quill had a strange game against Brazil, making some key tackles and scoring a try, but also committing a series of penalties that put the USA in a corner (see Gold's comment below). Tameilau (below) is being given a chance to show what he can do. De Haas has shown plenty of skill and poise belying his years, and he has earned a starting spot.

Meanwhile the choice of Taufete'e at hooker is a no-brainer as he is emerging as one of the best at his position in the world. Should Taufete'e score a try against Uruguay, he will pass Keith Wood as the most prolific front row try-scorer in international rugby history.

“We had a number of penalties which put us in a really compromising position against Brazil last week. Especially in the second half when the match almost got away from us,” said Gold. “Our performance in these next two games is absolutely crucial, not only from a competitive point of view, but also from a preparation point of view, as consistency in execution is a key focus in a World Cup year. We’re in the home stretch now and look forward to closing out the ARC with our vibrant home fans in Seattle.”

The Eagles and Uruguay have faced each other 17 times with the United States on top of a 14-1-2 overall record. Uruguay is currently third in the ARC standings, but, like the USA, is 2-1. Last week's 35-10 loss to Argentina XV was closer than the USA's result against the same opponent.

Following Uruguay, the Eagles will close out the tournament against rival Canada with a matchup also taking place at Starfire Sports in Seattle. Tickets for both games can be purchased at usarugby.org/tickets with a live stream available on FloRugby exclusively in the United States.

Men's Eagles Starting Roster | vs Uruguay 

Men's Eagles Reserves | vs Uruguay 

USA Men's Eagles Staff

Head Coach | Gary Gold

Assistant Coach, Backs & Attack | Greg McWilliams

Assistant Coach, Forwards | Shawn Pittman

Defense Coach | Jaque Fourie 

Strength & Conditioning Coach | Huw Bevan

Performance Analyst | Jimmy Harrison

Team Doctor | Mark Sakr (Chile, Argentina Uruguay, Canada)

Head Athletic Trainer | Kevin Ng

Assistant Athletic Trainer | Kristen Douhan

Team Manager | Chris Hanson