PHILADELPHIA, PA – Refresh the page for updates from PPL Park, as the USA Eagles take on Harlequins in a World Cup warm up match. Live stream is available at ESPN3. Match day squads are available below.
Eagles: 1) Eric Fry 2) Phil Thiel 3) Titi Lamositele 4) Cam Dolan 5) Greg Peterson 6) AJ McFarland 7) John Quill 8) Samu Manoa 9) Mike Petri 10) AJ MacGinty 11) Brett Thompson 12) Thretton Palamo 13) Seamus Kelly 14) Takudzwa Ngwenya 15) Blaine Scully
Quins: 1) Mark Lambert 2) Rob Buchanan 3) Kyle Sinckler 4) George Merrick 5) Sam Twomey 6) Jack Clifford 7) Luke Wallace 8) Mat Luamanu 9) Karl Dickson 10) Nick Evans 11) Charlie Walker 12) Winston Stanley 13) Harry Sloan 14) Marland Yarde 15) Ollie Lindsay-Hague
Both teams are playing with some different lineup combinations. For Quins, Adam Jones will likely make his club debut off the bench, while Blaine Scully will captain the US in the absence of Chris Wyles. Samu Manoa makes his first appearance for the Eagles this summer in a much anticipated debut.
2 pm: An hour from kickoff, and the gates are about to open here at PPL Park. Refresh the page throughout the match for updates and commentary.
2:55 pm: 10 minutes before kickoff, Adam Jones has made it onto the field for Quins, who are still warming up.
3:00 pm: The Eagles run out, along with Quins as everyone stands for the anthems. Kickoff just around the corner.
0 mins: The Eagles kick to Quins to get things underway. Man to watch for Quins has to be Marland Yarde, the winger with a point to prove after being left out of England’s WC squad.
0 mins: Quins try to run the ball out of their 22, but are punished when the Eagles turn the ball over. Good attacking platform early.
1 min: Eagles hang on for multiple phases, go left to right, but Quins tackler doesn’t release and it should be an easy 3 for AJ MacGinty.
2 min: Kick duly sails through the uprights, and the US is ahead, 3-0.
3 mins: Testing restart, but the US gathers before MacGinty kicks. Knocked on, Quins man is offside, and another penalty to the Eagles.
3 mins: MacGinty goes for the uprights from near halfway. Should be close to a 50 meter kick, if not more.
4 mins: Low line drive sails through! Having a goal kicking fly-half makes a huge difference, as the Eagles are finding out this summer.
5 mins: After testing the Eagles with a short restart following the first penalty, Evans goes long with the second. MacGinty clears for a Quins lineout near halfway.
6 mins: First frontfoot ball for Quins nearly sees a Quins break, but the pass is judged to have gone forward, and the first Eagles setpiece ensues.
7 mins: A clean scrum win allows for another testing kick from MacGinty. The aerial battle between he and Evans will be great to watch today.
8 mins: Once more, Quins pinged for not releasing and MacGinty has another penalty chance. Shouldn’t be too tough for the young fly-half.
9 mins: Kick sails wide. Great start from the US though, keeping the pressure on the English club.
10 mins: MacGinty sends another one high in the air, and Charlie Walker knocks on. MacGinty’s kicks spiral to the point that its almost impossible to judge, accounting for the early difficulties. Quill is down for the Eagles, so a brief break before the scrum.
11 mins: US wins the scrum, but Quill goes in from the side. Subsequent penalty doesn’t make touch and Ngwenya is off on his first run of the match.
12 mins: Another man down on the field, looks like cramp. Conditions are vicious today, probably over 100 degrees on the pitch. Synthetic grass in the sunlight means we will be having plenty of hydration breaks today.
13 mins: First Quins scrum of the match. US gets a shove on, before it collapses and is reset. Almost no possession for the visitors so far, it has been a fractured match. Reset scrum holds together before Lamositele pops up, and Evans goes for touch, putting Quins inside the 22 for the first time.
15 mins: Knock on from the lineout, lost in the transfer by George Merrick. Quins back line is largely made up of starters, but their pack is inexperienced, and that has shown early on.
16 mins: Scrum won cleany by the Eagles. Manoa and Palamo combine before MacGinty clears to the 10 meter line.
17 mins: Yarde dances all the way across the field to take it on the left wing, but the rucks are getting very sloppy. Karl Dickson is down holding his head, he should be off for concussion protocols.
18 mins: MacGinty steps two defenders before seeing Palamo running a beautiful support line. First try of the day to the Eagles. 11-0 USA
19 mins: Dolan blew up a ruck before Seamus Kelly pounced on the open ball. Should probably be noted that the Eagles were likely helped by Dickson’s absence at the back of the ruck.
20 mins: MacGinty misses the conversion and the scoreline remains the same.
21 mins: Blaine Scully touches the ball for the first time all day off a long restart before MacGinty clears. A familiar pattern that has paid dividends early.
22 mins: Nothing going right for Quins. A maul is brought down legally, and it will be a scrum to the Eagles.
23 mins: Quins get the push on the Eagles scrum, but MacGinty gets about 40 yards after spotting space behind the Quins defense. The English club pinned deep, with their lineout misfiring. Worrying signs for Conor O’Shea
24 mins: Another attempt at the rolling maul, but the Eagles swim through. Clearance from Dickson goes beyond the 22. He did not go off for concussion testing. In a more prominent international fixture, that would invite some comment.
26 mins: Quins turn over the lineout, but kick away possession. The Eagles on the attack, but the referee blows things up for not releasing. Evans puts it in the seats to take some pressure off.
27 mins: Seamus Kelly very clearly in from the side, and Evans takes Quins into the 22 once more.
28 mins: First sustained USA chant of the day, but Karl Dickson cleverly takes off the back of the maul and darts through for the try right under the posts! US has dominated, but only up 11-7 after the conversion.
30 mins: Yarde takes the kick outside the 22, before Evans clears to the 10 meter line. The Eagles lineout is a point of concern, but that goes cleanly and Thretton Palamo blows a hole in the Quins defensive line to put the Eagles on the front foot.
31 mins: Turned over after an overambitious pass, but Quins knock on and the Eagles don’t lose ground. Backs have looked good with ball in hand, and tiring players may open holes in the brutal heat.
32 mins: Petri bursts through one of those holes but is brought down 10 meters short of the line! Quins do well to turn the ball over and prop Kyle Sincklair hacks it clear.
34 mins: Things getting sloppy now. Quins turn it over, Evans sees space and almost sets Ollie Lindsay Hague free. Peterson manages to kick it into touch.
35 mins: The maul finally works for Quins, and Luke Wallace is pushed over for the try. 14-11 Quins after the conversion.
36 mins: The Eagles have dominated this half, but now trail after Quins clinically took advantage of 2 mistakes. Nick Evans starting to pull the strings now.
38 mins: Breathless stuff from the Eagles. Manage to turn over a MacGinty clearance after a fantastic tackle from Seamus Kelly, Ollie Kilifi breaks free, and we have some of the first sustained forward play. Peterson dives over for a try in front of the posts, but it will be sent to the TMO for confirmation.
39 mins: Peterson knocks on, releasing just before he touched down. 5 meter scrum to Quins, they only need to see out the next 30 seconds until the half.
40 minutes: Penalty awarded from the scrum, and that will be half. An odd one. Some moments of brilliance from both sides, particularly MacGinty’s try. However, there were also numerous unforced errors on an extremely hot day. We’ll be back in 15 for the second half of a delicately poised match. 14-11 Quins at the break.
41 mins: Quins kicking off to the Eagles with some changes to both lineups. Kilifi entered before the half for the US, he is goined by Niku Kruger of Glendale Raptors and Zack Test. Adam Jones has entered for his first match in a Quins shirt. Things may ratchet up here as the Eagles chase a victory.
41 mins: Kruger is on for Petri and Test has entered for Brett Thompson, who had a quiet game. Quins have a lineout at their 10 meter line and get a quick penalty. Quick tap from new Quins scrum half, and Evans will put it in the corner in an aggressive move.
42 mins: LIneout and subsequent possession is messy, but Quins have retained it before a massive hit from Samu Manoa leads to a knock. Marland Yarde had Test beat on the outside, but chips ahead straight to MacGinty, who marks and clears.
43 mins: Quins got that lineout right, but some big hits are coming in from the Eagles, and there is a knock on at the 22. Locks Peterson and Dolan are still charging around, but Olive Kilifi will have to match wiles with Adam Jones in a big test for the American prop.
45 mins: The Eagles scrum disintegrates, but Manoa manages to collect and the Eagles are out to the halfway mark. Palamo is making things hard on the new Quins center pairing, while Nick Evans tries to get his defense organized.
47 mins: MacGinty with the show and go, almost puts himself through, but it is knocked on by John Quill, running in support. Evans clears back out to half, and the Eagles must start again from the lineout.
48 mins: Correction to earlier post, Thompson is still on, Test entered for Blaine Scully. MacGinty gets another Quins forward to bite on his fake. He has the rush defense confounded.
49 mins: There is a TMO review for foul play. No yellow card, but a penalty awarded and MacGinty puts it about 15 yards shy of the Eagles’ try line.
50 mins: It’s the Eagles turn to maul. Manoa at the back is a fearsome proposition, but he pops it off to Kruger, who is caught holding on to the ball in the tackle, which will give Quins the chance to clear.
51 minutes: Ross Chisolm and Ben Botica enter the match for Quins. The Eagles try to disrupt the lineout, but it goes off the top. An almost entirely new backline for Quins may need some time to gel.
52 mins: Knocked forward in the pass, Phiel Thiel is tackled without the ball, but it will be brought back for a lineout. Palamo is getting taped up, while Scully issues instructions to Ngwenya.
53 mins: Last time the Eagles had the put in, they were put under massive pressure. This time, the scrum collapses immediately and is reset. The Eagles are pushed up, but the penalty goes the other way, and MacGinty will take his shot at goal.
55 mins: MacGinty missed from a similar spot in the first half, and does so again. After a brilliant start to the match goal kicking, some growing pains for the Eagles’ young star.
56 mins: That will be MacGinty’s last contribution. He exits, Folau Niua is on, and the Eagles are back in the 22 attacking after some excellent running rugby. Niua tries a sevens chip, but Tito Tebaldi is back to cover and Botica will clear with a 22 drop out.
58 mins: Quill finally breaks free on a long run! Some excellent long passing from the US sees a break on the left, then the right flank, allowing Test to stretch his legs before Thompson almost breaks free for a try. Penalty awarded on the goal line when Quins don’t roll away. Beautiful play from the backs, and sevens training clearly helped there.
60 mins: The crowd finally sparks to life anticipating a kick for the corner, but the Eagles wisely go for the safe option and Niua attempts the penalty right in front of the posts.
61 mins: The first score in an action packed second half draws the teams level. 14-14 heading into the final quarter.
62 mins: Niua shanks the clearance off his boot and gains only about 25 meters. Quins with a promising attacking position off the restart. Yarde breaks through into the 22. He has been a huge threat with ball in hand, but the Eagles come straight over the top to win the penalty for not releasing.
63 mins: The Eagles clearly already miss MacGinty’s kicking boot. The penalty only goes for about 10 meters, and the Eaglese clear from the lineout. Yarde breaks free again and almost putsOllie Lindsay Hague into space. End to end stuff from both teams. A penalty for offside is called. Botica goes for the corner in the exhibition.
65 mins: Another penalty, this one for diving over the ruck, results in another kick for the corner after multiple phases go for nothing.
66 mins: When executed correctly a maul is almost unstoppable, and Quins push themselves over for the second time in the match. A brace for Luke Wallace, who benefits from the team effort once more.
68 mins: Conversion good, so Quins are back on top, 21-14.
69 mins: Quins trying to run it out of their 22, but getting into trouble, before Tebaldi clears just beyond their 22 and the Eagles have a good springboard to launch a counterattack.
70 mins: However, the setpiece goes wrong and Marland Yarde clears almost 65 yards, resulting in a huge gain for Quins. Seamus Kelly pushes the Englsih club back, but another penalty for offsides is called, and Quins can turn the screws once more.
72 mins: This penalty is from a tough distance, and goes wide, but it kills about 2 minutes of clock.
73 mins: Yet another offside call from Weaver, and the Eagles have a lineout 35 meters from their try line. They try a maul, but Quins disrupt successfully. Things getting chaotic . Tebaldi intercepts a pass, the Eagles turn the ball over but are called for diving over. Quins successfully killing the clock now.
76 mins: Niua gets about 25 meters on the penalty, but Palamo knocks on after the lineout. Eagles had a tough time all day getting clean ball from their setpiece, and now opportunities are growing scarce.
78 mins: Quins finally win a penalty from their scrum dominance, and should kill the game with another Botica long range attempt to drain the clock. A thoroughly entertaining first 20 minutes of the second half were somewhat dampened by a very fragmented end to the game as substitutes entered en masse. Botica nails the 50 yarder with a minute remaining. 24-14 to Quins.
80 mins: The Eagles give everyone more rugby than they bargained for, scoring a try with the last gasp of the match. Quins lost a scrum on the halfway after the restart went out of bounds, and Zack Test bounds over for the try. It is too little too late for the Eagles, who have a tough date with Australia next week. Stay tuned for a full match recap from the incomparable Jake Frechette from PPL Park. Final scoreline here, Quins 24, Eagles 19.
