MacGinty Leads Familiar Faces In USA Line-Up
AJ MacGinty, Connacht’s GUINNESS PRO12 title-winning out-half from 2015/16, is one of three Irish-raised players in the USA team to face Ireland at New Jersey’s Red Bull Arena on Saturday (kick-off 5pm local time/10pm Irish time).
Cork pair John Quill and Paddy Ryan are also included by USA head coach John Mitchell, with Quill winning cap number 21 at blindside flanker and recent call-up Ryan, the Chicago-born brother of former Munster props Timmy and Dave Ryan, set to make his debut as a replacement.
A relatively inexperienced Eagles side is captained by scrum half Nate Augspurger with 115 caps among the starting XV, as they prepare to play Ireland on American soil for the first time since a 15-12 defeat in Houston four years ago.
Augspurger and ex-Connacht out-half AJ MacGinty lead a back-line that features Sevens star Martin Iosefo and seven-try international Mike Te’o out wide, while Western Force’s Marcel Brache will win his second cap at centre for the reigning Americas Rugby Championship title holders.
Tighthead Chris Baumann, who played three times at the 2015 Rugby World Cup, forms the front row with All-Americans Peter Malcolm and Ben Tarr who are both 23. Behind them is the mobile second row duo of Nate Brakeley and Nic Civetta who impressed together during the spring’s Americas Rugby Championship.
Former Dolphin clubman Quill is the most experienced member of the team with 20 caps. He will be looking to make an impact in the back row alongside the New Zealand-born Tony Lamborn, who has scored five tries in seven Tests, and David Tameilau.
New Zealander Mitchell, whose squad are also preparing to play Georgia and two World Cup qualifiers against Canada in the next few weeks, said: “We’ve come up with a team mix that is prepared for our own game and for an Ireland team that plays a game that’s very quick and well-rehearsed.
“It’s fantastic that the guys are getting an opportunity to play in front of a big audience – they deserve to be on that stage with the work they’ve put in and the results they’re capable of. It’s essential for us as USA Eagles to play against one of the top sides in the world.
“Ireland have recently beat New Zealand and England, so being a top-ranked side does not come easily or without reason. Clearly they’re doing something extraordinary under Joe Schmidt. All we can do is focus on what we can control and bring the necessary intensity with it.”
Limited tickets are still available for the game at Red Bull Arena. The match will be broadcast live Stateside on the NBC Sports Network, with access on the NBC Sports Live Extra streaming app. Live TV coverage will be available on eir Sport 2 in Ireland and Premier Sports in the UK.
USA Team & Replacements (v Ireland, 2017 Summer Test, Red Bull Arena, Harrison, New Jersey, Saturday, June 10, kick-off 5pm local time/10pm Irish time):
Player/Club/Caps –
15. Ben Cima (Rocky Gorge RFC) 4
14. Mike Te’o (Unattached) 11
13. Ryan Matyas (Old Blue of New York) 3
12. Marcel Brache (Western Force) 1
11. Martin Iosefo (University of Montana/USA Eagles Sevens) 2
10. AJ MacGinty (Sale Sharks) 11
9. Nate Augspurger (Old Blue of New York) (capt) 8
1. Ben Tarr (Glendale Raptors) 7
2. Peter Malcolm (Austin Huns) 4
3. Chris Baumann (Austin Blacks) 17
4. Nate Brakeley (New York Athletic Club) 9
5. Nick Civetta (Newcastle Falcons) 5
6. John Quill (Glendale Raptors) 20
7. Tony Lamborn (Hawke’s Bay) 7
8. David Tameilau (RC Narbonne) 6
Replacements:
16. James Hilterbrand (Manly) 9
17. Joe Taufete’e (Worcester Warriors) 9
18. Paddy Ryan (Newcastle Falcons) *
19. Matthew Jensen (Brigham Young University) 2
20. Andrew Durutalo (Ealing Trailfinders) 15
21. Shaun Davies (Glendale Raptors) 5
22. Will Magie (Glendale Raptors) 4
23. Bryce Campbell (Glendale Raptors) 5
* Denotes uncapped player at this level