Although it was a Tier I opponent it was the same mistakes for the U.S. as they lost to Scotland 24-6 in front of a boistrous crowd in Houston. Problems in the scrum troubled the Eagles once again as they gave up penalties and had another player yellow carded. They also failed to take advantage when they had their chances in the green zone. Handling errors and small penalties also hurt. That said, full credit to Scotland who came in under adverse conditions and rode their star players to the win.
Scotland began the match very much on the front foot as they wanted to put the Eagles away early. Only two minutes in the U.S. would committed a penalty but Greig Laidlaw's penalty from 40 would go off the post. However, just five minutes later the U.S. were penalized in the scrum in front of the posts. Laidlaw would make no mistake with this one and Scotland led 5-0. The scrum and penalties were a problem throughout for the Eagles. They certainly didn't get any help from the referee but nonetheless it was a definite weakness for the side.
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Despite letting in the three points the U.S. fought right back and have a few phases in their own end earned a try of their own that Chris Wyles slotted to make it 3-3. Todd Clever then gave the crowd something to cheer about with a huge run through several defenders but the U.S. couldn't cleanly win an ensuing ruck and were judged to have held on.
That lost opportunity would come back to haunt them just a few minutes later as Laidlaw, who was fantastic all match, found the U.S. asleep on defense out of the ruck. He found the space and then offloaded to a supporting Tim Visser for a nice try. With 15 minutes gone Scotland led 10-3 and looked fully in charge.
Things didn't get any better for the Eagles as Andrew Suniula and Phil Thiel were both forced off with early injuries. In fact, it was injuries to the U.S. that slowed the game down and allowed Scotland to catch their breath.
Scotland would then look to score again and nearly had another try but a well-timed tackle from Chris Wyles forced Scotland to make a mess of the play in the tryzone. Scotland then looked to get another try from Visser but he was ruled to have been held up by the TMO. Still it was just a matter of time as Scotland continued to press the U.S. in the ruck. Eventually the ref had enough of perceived U.S. infringements and sent Oliver Kilifi to the bin. Scotland then pushed in a penalty try and conversion to make it 17-3. Although the specific infraction on the penalty try was questionable there was no question the Eagles were going to give up something from the sequence.
The U.S. did do a good job to fight back and make their presence felt. Chris Wyles in particular had a calming influence on the team. The U.S. had a nice spell of possession and looked to have scored when Todd Clever muscled over for the try. However, the TMO correctly ruled a double movement. It was an opportunity missed for the Eagles. They would also miss anther opportunity when Wyles's penalty from 40 meters out and to the left fell short.
The half would end at 17-3. Scotland made mistakes but the U.S. were their own worst enemies. The only positive for the Eagles heading into the break was Scottish lock Jim Hamilton going down with an injury.
The second half saw the Eagles with more of the ball and a significant improvement in the scrum but without any reward. There was a lot of back and forth to start the half with the U.S. tacking hard to keep Scotland at bay. Eventually that aggressiveness paid dividends as they earned a penalty which Chris Wyles slotted to make it 17-6.
The re-introduction of Nick Wallace at halftime and Titi Lamositele roughly ten minutes in settled the scrum down. That improvement would save the Eagles with 25 minutes to go as they reversed a Scotland scrum at the five meter line allowing them to clear.
Momentum would swing the U.S.'s way for the next ten minutes but despite their efforts they weren't able to punch it in. Overall the ball was too slow and Scotland too quick to react. The match would then effectively be sealed when Blaine Scully wasn't able to collect a high Shalom Suniula chip . Stuart Hogg was and ran 60 meter untouched for the try. With the conversion Scotland led 24-6. It was a heartbreaking try and sealed the match in Scotland's favor.
After that try the game slowed down quite a bit with a number of lineouts but neither team was able to get much going. That suited the Scots as they wound down the clock for the win.
In the end the same mistakes are what hurt the Eagles. Problems at the scrum, failure to convert chances, and being exposed at crucial moments. They did well at times to work their way back in the game and also had a few players do well. Defensively they had some good moments and the line-up was solid. It is the first match of the summer so Mike Tolkin and his team will hope to rebound against Japan and Canada.
Full credit to Scotland who came into Houston with a load of criticism and facing the tough heat and humidity. However, while they may not have the depth of other Tier I nations they have world-class players. That is who carried them on the night. Laidlaw, Hogg, Visser, and Gray were all huge. At least that was something for U.S. fans to see on the night.