Recap: U.S.A. 10-22 Ireland, When a loss feels like a win

[Getofmeland]

This loss felt like a win. No one expected the Eagles to compete with the Irish today in the World Cup opener for both teams. Even though the Irish had struggled in World Cup warm-up play, most interested parties in Ireland felt that this would be the game that Ireland would easily win. Too bad the Eagles didn't want to play that role. With the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks as the backdrop, the Eagles came out inspired.

Despite early pressure, the Eagles defence held strong. Poor kicking and constant errors by the Irish meant that when James Paterson had a 20th minute kick attempt that could have tied the game at three a piece. The kick was no good but the Eagles still were within striking distance. Ferocious tackling and hard effort by the U.S. saw the game stay close until an Irish try right at the stroke of halftime seemed to deflate the Eagles wings.

In the second half, the Eagles came out strong once again but the Irish used their forwards to put up two tries in the first fifteen minutes of the half. Still, the Eagles were committed in defence and made some big tackles. The entire team was constantly committed on defence. Their effort led to a penalty to get the team on the board. It looked like the Eagles were would go down 22-3 until Paul Emerick had a fantastic intercept for a try at the final moment of the game. The try was a great read by Emerick and was a truly deserved score for the team.

Some players stood out today:

Paul Emerick: His, and the rest of the backs, defence made the Irish quit going out wide and only rely on their forwards for advance the ball.

James Paterson: Like Emerick he was great on defence but also was effective when given the ball.

Mike MacDonald: He was solid on the day. His experience was desperately needed and he seemed to frustrate the Irish forwards time and time again.

Todd Clever: Captain America was a leader again on the field. He led the ferocity in tackling and kept the energy level up.

Mike Petri: The native New Yorker playing on a day significant to the city showed up big time as he had one of his best games as an Eagle.

Today is a good day for the team so let's look at the things the team did well.

Defence, Defence, Defence. The Eagles were fantastic in defence. This team seemed completely different from the one that lost to Canada and New Zealand. The defence was organized an energetic. It was a great effort overall.

Turnovers. While the Eagles still had turnovers, they weren't as numerous as the Irish. Time after time in warm-up matches the Eagles would kill their momentum with turnovers, and while that problem didn't go away, it was certainly an improvement.

Rucking. The team was committed to rucking and created problem after problem for the Irish.

Everything else. No one expected the Eagles to win this game, so for them to be able to compete the way they did needs to be noted.

Things that could be improved for the next match:

Kicking. With Nese Malifa out of the line-up it was up to James Paterson to make the kicks. He was 1 for 2 which isn't bad, but positional kicking could be better.

Overall, this was a terrific match to watch. The Eagles can hold their head up high and look forward to competing for the rest of the tournament.

Eagles Three Stars of the Match:

* The Entire Team
** The fans that made the trip
*** Mike MacDonald

Let me know what you think at www.thisisamericanrugby.com and on twitter @ThisIsAmerRugby

 

[M Two One]

The final score was a positive result for the United States and I was surprised that they didn't run out of gas down the stretch. They looked strong down to the final minutes and still managed to score a try with an excellent inception by Emerick. However, playing the way they did for an entire 80 minutes was not what I had in mind. They could have possibly won considering how many mistakes the Irish were making. Lineouts for the Eagles are usually their strong suit, but they were poor against Ireland.

The Eagles' defense was impressive, I don't think anyone can deny that, but they starved their wingers of possession. When Ngwenya actually had the ball, he played well and could have done some real damage to the Irish if the backs would have been utilized more. When the team subbed in Malifa, they should have brought in Hawley for Paterson. Understandably, the US may have relied more heavily on their slow and predictable play due to the slick playing surface, but a stronger effort was still required.

I also thought Moeakiola was an excellent sub for MacDonald towards the end of the match. He was aggressive from the get-go and made a lot of important tackles preventing any additional points on the board for the Irish.

 

[Wally]

What channel is the World Cup being shown in America?

 

[M Two One]

What channel is the World Cup being shown in America?

NBC/Universal Sports. We only have USA matches, the opening match, Canada v New Zealand, the semis, bronze, and final. The rest are $150 (online stream package) for seven matches or $24.99 per match on PPV (up to $10 more for HD depending on your provider). Long story short, NBC has been getting harassed by hundreds of people over this, but they won't budge on altering their plan.