USA Rugby team coach Scott Lawrence has made seven changes to the lineup and one positional adjustment ahead of their first match against Fiji in a decade. Toby Fricker is set to make his debut with the US Men’s Eagles, being named at full-back for the semifinal match taking place in Tokyo tomorrow.
Notably, the matchday 23 does not include key players such as fly-half Luke Cary and No.8 Jamason Schultz. Greg Peterson is the only player in the squad who participated in the previous encounter against Fiji, which resulted in a 20-14 victory for Fiji in Vannes back in November 2014. However, the experienced lock will start the game on the bench.
Peterson, who was born in Australia, captained the Eagles during the first two matches of the Pacific Nations Cup, but Nate Augspurger has since taken on that leadership role. Coach Lawrence expressed that the team is aiming for greater consistency and improved performance in their upcoming clash.
The USA will take on the Flying Fijians tomorrow at 10:05 PM in Japan.