Needing a win or face elimination from Cup quarterfinal contention the Eagles stepped up in a 38-12 win over Wales in their second pool match at the Port Elizabeth 7s. The now face Kenya, a team that has struggled mightily so far, in their final match. Win and they make their first Cup round of the year.
The first half was an even affair if not a slight edge to Wales at the start. It was the Welsh that had the majority of the possession early and they wore the Eagles down with clinical cross field play. Eventually they found their overlap where Sion Bennett scored in the corner.
Things then switched in favor of the Eagles. Perry Baker put in a strong run to get the Eagles down the field and they caught a break despite knocking the ball on when a Welsh player picked up a yellow card for throwing the ball away. From the set play the U.S. were able to quickly pass out to Baker for a try in the corner and to level the match up at 5-5.
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Despite the early try the U.S. defense began to harden as the match went along. That defense eventually forced a turnover as Wales were trapped on the sideline and threw a poor pass. That pass was scooped up by the U.S. and quickly counterattacked into the hands of Madison Hughes who scored under the posts. With the conversion the U.S. led 12-5 at halftime.
The Eagles started the second half in very bright fashion. Danny Barrett won the restart and the ball eventually found it's way into the hands of Maka Unufe who slipped through a tackle for the try. Wales responded when a long skip pass found Luke Moran who shrugged off a Baker tackle to score.
But that was all Wales would get. Andrew Durutalo thought he had himself a try after he backed himself like a winger on the outside but he was ruled to have been pulled into touch. Still, it wasn't long until the Eagles scored again. Once again Wales threw the ball away, this time straight into the hands of Martin Iosefo. The ball eventually found it's way into the hands of Hughes who made the final offload to Folau Niua for the score.
The Eagles then put the match out of reach when Barrett grabbed the restart and went untouched into the try zone. Carlin Isles capped off the scoring with a great run to make the final 38-12.
Up next is Kenya at 12:36 p.m. et/9:36 a.m. pt. Kenya have struggled so far with a 38-7 loss to South Africa and a 29-5 loss to Wales. The Eagles should win that match but games aren't played on paper and the U.S. will have to come out focused.
Starters: Barrett, Test, Durutalo, Niua, Unufe, Hughes, Baker