The pool stage of the Pacific Nations Cup comes to a close on Saturday, and by the end of the day two teams will have secured qualification for Rugby World Cup 2027. It’s a tall order for the USA to be one of them. They’ll need to upset Japan with a bonus point victory, while at the same time denying the Brave Blossoms from scoring a bonus point. A loss isn’t the end of the world, however, with three more routes to Australia available to the Eagles before the end of the year.
Current World Ranking: 18 (66.68 points)
2025-08-22 – Canada 34, USA 20 (Calgary)
2025-07-19 – USA 5, England 40 (Washington DC)
2025-07-12 – USA 20, Spain 31 (Charlotte)
2025-07-05 – USA 36, Belgium 17 (Charlotte)
2024-11-23 – Spain 23, USA 26 (Madrid)
Current World Ranking: 13 (72.29 points)
2025-08-30 – Japan 57, Canada 15 (Sendai)
2025-07-12 – Japan 22, Wales 31 (Kobe)
2025-07-05 – Japan 24, Wales 19 (Kitakyushu)
2024-11-24 – England 59, Japan 14 (London)
2024-11-16 – Japan 36, Uruguay 20 (Chambéry)
 |
IN | OUT |
| 1 | Ezekiel Lindenmuth | Jack Iscaro |
| 3 | Kaleb Geiger | Tonga Kofe |
| 6 | Paddy Ryan | Benjamín Bonasso |
| 7 | Christian Poidevin | Cory Daniel |
| 9 | Ruben de Haas | JP Smith |
| 10 | Christopher Hilsenbeck | AJ MacGinty |
| 11 | Toby Fricker | Lauina Futi |
|
IN | OUT |
| 1 | Kenta Kobayashi | Sena Kimura |
| 9 | Kenta Fukuda | Shinobu Fujiwara |
| 11 | Tomoki Osada | Malo Tuitama |
- a bonus point win for the Eagles could be enough to see them through to the PNC Semi Finals, but they’ll also have to win by more than 7 points and prevent Japan from scoring four tries… otherwise their head-to-head loss to Canada in Calgary will relegate the USA to the 5th place playoff
- should the Eagles fail to get the win they need, they can still quality for Australia 2027 by winning the 5th-place game (likely against Samoa)… or through a two-match playoff against a South American rival (likely Chile)… or by winning the last-gasp Repechage tournament in November
- Japan have dominated the head-to-head battle over the past 20 years… but the USA’s last win in the series was also the last time the Brave Blossoms played on American soil, coincidentally in Sacramento a decade ago
- Eddie Jones has made minimal changes to the side that cruised past Canada in Sendai, rotating three of his run-on side… Kenya Kobayashi and Kenta Fukuda each get their first test start
- Scott Lawrence on the other hand has made sweeping changes to the team that fell short in Calgary, with captain Ben Bonasso left out entirely… Jason Damm leads the side for the first time
- in the absence of new Leicester signing Tonga Kofe, Lawrence has switched Kaleb Geiger back from hooker to tighthead prop… Geiger played prop for New England during the Major League Rugby campaign but has been at hooker for the USA since July
- both teams have selected a conventional 5/3 bench, with Luke Carty called in from the cold after suiting up for Chicago Griffins in the Midwest Premiership last week
Scott Lawrence (Head Coach)
“We took a few days away connecting with loved ones, to recharge our batteries and get back to work on the challenge ahead of us. The return has reminded us of the roots of home. Our national mammal is the Buffalo; the Buffalo charges into storms that roll across our great nation. Energy and perseverance to charge are a choice, we want to show both to our home fans.”
Eddie Jones (Head Coach)
“The players have settled in well. The heat is very evident, but it will be the same for both teams. We’re looking forward to taking on the physical contest against the USA. In my experience, they always fancy themselves against Japan, thinking they can physically bully us. But that won’t be the case on Saturday.”
Typically sunny California weather is on the forecast which won’t bother the Brave Blossoms who are used to playing in hot and humid conditions. It took Japan almost an hour to get going against Canada, but they had plenty of firepower to call upon in the final quarter. The Eagles lineout was dismantled in Calgary and it’s hard to see a different outcome with no aerial specialists to challenge the imposing Warner Dearns. Iscaro and Kofe’s absence also leaves the scrum vulnerable. Japan are clear favorites in Sacramento.
USA
1 Ezekiel Lindenmuth, 2 Kapeli Pifeleti, 3 Kaleb Geiger, 4 Marno Redelinghuys, 5 Jason Damm (capt.), 6 Paddy Ryan, 7 Christian Poidevin, 8 Makeen Alikhan, 9 Ruben de Haas, 10 Christopher Hilsenbeck, 11 Toby Fricker, 12 Tavite Lopeti, 13 Dom Besag, 14 Rufus McLean, 15 Erich Storti
Replacements: 16 Shilo Klein, 17 Payton Telea-Ilalio, 18 Pono Davis, 19 Tevita Naqali, 20 Vili Helu, 21 Ethan McVeigh, 22 Luke Carty, 23 Mitch Wilson
JAPAN
1 Kenta Kobayashi, 2 Hayate Era, 3 Shuhei Takeuchi, 4 Waisake Raratubua, 5 Warner Dearns (capt.), 6 Ben Gunter, 7 Kanji Shimokawa, 8 Amato Fakatava, 9 Kenta Fukuda, 10 Seung-Sin Lee, 11 Tomoki Osada, 12 Charlie Lawrence, 13 Dylan Riley, 14 Kippei Ishida, 15 Sam Greene
Replacements: 16 Kenji Sato, 17 Sena Kimura, 18 Keijiro Tamefusa, 19 Akito Okui, 20 Faulua Makisi, 21 Shinobu Fujiwara, 22 Yuya Hirose, 23 Haruto Kida
Date: Saturday, September 6
Venue: Heart Health Park, Sacramento
Kickoff: 18:00 local (21:00 Eastern, Sunday 10:00 Japan)
Weather Forecast: sunny, 84°F (29°C), wind SW 9-14mph (16-24km/h)
Broadcasts: Paramount+ (USA), TSN+ (Canada), RugbyPass TV
Referee: Craig Evans (Wales)
Assistants: Damián Schneider (Argentina) & Robin Kaluzniak (Canada)
TMO: Tual Trainini (France)
HEAD-TO-HEAD (25): USA 13, Japan 11, Draw 1
2024-09-07 – Japan 41, USA 24 (Kumagaya)
2019-08-10 – Japan 34, USA 20 (Suva)
2015-10-11 – USA 18, Japan 28 (Gloucester)
2015-07-24 – USA 23, Japan 18 (Sacramento)
2014-06-14 – USA 29, Japan 37 (Carson)
2013-06-23 – Japan 38, USA 20 (Tokyo)
2011-08-21 – Japan 20, USA 14 (Tokyo)
2008-11-22 – Japan 32, USA 17 (Tokyo)
2008-11-16 – Japan 29, USA 19 (Nagoya)
2003-10-27 – Japan 26, USA 39 (Gosford)
