The jury is still out on a remodelled US team, under a new coach, Duncan Hall, since Ireland last met the Eagles in the World Cup, though the evidence so far has been encouraging after a second successive Epson Cup triumph over Canada on Saturday, here in Manchester, New Hampshire.
The US trailed 25-10 with 25 minutes remaining before several substitutions by Hall helped to kick-start a revival which culminated in an exciting 34-25 win. Following their win against Japan in Osaka a week previous, the Eagles top an embryonic Pacific Rim table.
Hall, the 15-times capped former Australian and Queensland lock who was Bob Dwyer's assistant at Leicester, saw his two replacements, New Zealander hooker Robbie Flynn and James Clayton, score tries to make it 25-24 as the Eagles produced a compelling 17 minutes of rugby. This culminated in a 73rd-minute try by Juan Grobler, one of the few survivors from Ireland's 53-8 win in the World Cup. The Eagles then withstood a fierce Canadian pummelling on their line before Grant Wells landed an injury-time drop goal. This brought the new outhalf's tally in two games to 30 points.
However, the Canadians were missing Rod Snow and a few more of their established tight-five forwards who are likely to return for Canada's imposing fixture away to South Africa in East London this Saturday, a week before they host Ireland in Toronto.
Even so, the Eagles look as if they will present a decent enough test against an Irish team likely to rest many of their front-line players. For example, it will be surprising if the likes of Justin Fitzpatrick and Frankie Sheahan - after so much service on the bench this season - aren't picked ahead of Peter Clohessy and Keith Wood, who scored a world record four tries in the World Cup fixture.
There has been a sizeable changearound in Eagles personnel as a new four-year World Cup cycle begins. Long-standing coach Jack Clarke has become general manager and director of all national teams in the USA Federation, while former Harlequins hooker Tom Billups has become fitness coach. Furthermore, their inspirational captain and world-class number eight Dan Lyle is having a groin operation this week.
Aside from Flynn and Wells (another New Zealander married to an American), other Eagles to depart in the last fortnight have been Tom Kallaher, a local lock from Boston, flanker Kurt Schubert and 22-year-old inside centre Philip Eloff, born in South Africa but sent to study in Chicago four years ago.
"US rugby is like the rest of the world 10 years ago," according to former vice-president of the USA Federation, Tristan Lewis, who is organising Saturday's game. Essentially, it remains a secret society striving forlornly for some column inches alongside other minority sports. Their win over Canada received about 300 words on the inside back page of the New Hampshire Sunday News sports section, though no mention of it was to be found in the 18-page USA Today sports section. There was no coverage of the Division One club championship finals over the weekend which was won by the Gentlemen of Aspen over Hayward Griffins (from Oakland, California). Next Saturday's game will be shown on Sky Sports through Fox Sports World, though not on US television.
But aside from lack of support, media interest and money, arguably the game's biggest problem is a lack of stadiums. Hence, this game takes place in a ground owned by a non-profit making corporation, Singer Family Park, normally used for soccer and with temporary seating is likely to be close to its 5,000 capacity. It doesn't help that all American Football grounds are too narrow for rugby's requirements. The Irish Wolfhounds club in Boston had sounded out the local Gaelic football club about staging the game there, (there's an Irish festival in Boston this weekend) but were rejected. Last Sunday, the touring Blackrock College team were due to play a Mid-Western RFU XV in Chicago, but on arrival at the ground were told they weren't allowed use the pitch as it was deemed too soft. Until such time as the USA Federation raises the finances to acquire and develop a ground of its own - and realistically it would need grounds here in the north-east, in the south (say Atlanta), southern California and the north-west (Oregon or Seattle) - this will remain a big logistical problem.
One off-field breakthrough could transform everything. "If rugby was an Olympic sport, the game would leap forward by 10 years the day they signed the contract," explains Lewis. "Because if you mention the Olympics to anybody down here, you just own the joint."
The Irish squad was given a rare morning off to overcome the affects of their arduous, near day-long trip from Buenos Aires via New York before training in the afternoon at their new base in Manchester. Marcus Horan and Geordan Murphy linked up with the squad on Sunday night, while Dominic Crotty is due today after his wedding.
As yet, none of the walking wounded have departed. John Hayes' groin tear has responded to treatment much better than was originally thought and though he remains the biggest concern, he may yet stay on. Anthony Foley's heavily bruised knee/dead leg has also improved, although he is unlikely to play anyway in a much-changed line-up this weekend.
David Humphreys has a nagging shoulder strain while Shane Horgan's badly gashed forehead, picked up shortly before half-time against Argentina (and required about 10 stitches), is actually healing quite well. The squad will attend the US-Republic of Ireland soccer match tonight.
