Damm urges Eagles to learn from 63-14 Japan rout as Canada clash looms

USA captain Jason Damm has called on the Eagles to extract hard lessons from their 63-14 Pacific Nations Cup semi-final defeat to Japan in Osaka, with attention already shifting to an upcoming clash against Canada.

Japan were ruthless from the outset, racing into a 28-0 lead inside 16 minutes before a dominant second half sealed the result. The Brave Blossoms scored nine tries to two, shutting the Eagles out entirely after the break — a scoreline that Damm acknowledged left little room for ambiguity about what needs fixing.

“You learn a lot in any game of rugby. You can absolutely learn a lot from your losses,” Damm told reporters after the match. “You get shown a lot of the areas that you have to improve and you don’t have to go looking as hard sometimes — it’s pretty obvious in losses like this what you need to work on.”

The defeat was compounded by a yellow card shown to Damm himself, during which Japan crossed for two further tries through Jack Cornselsen and Esei Ha’angana. Soujirou Ootsuka had also scored in the final play of the first half before Dylan Riley completed a double in the opening minute of the second, effectively ending the contest as a contest.

There were brief signs of life from the USA. Shilo Klein and Tavite Lopeti touched down in a 10-minute spell to cut a 28-point deficit in half, and the Eagles controlled possession for nearly 70 per cent of the final 10 minutes. They also finished with a higher tackle completion rate, fewer turnovers, and won all of their restarts received — but the set-piece, particularly the lineout where the USA won just 64 per cent, was a clear talking point.

Damm was candid about the mental challenge of maintaining structure when a game is slipping away. “Sometimes it’s easy to buy into a plan and stick to it when you’re winning,” he said. “Sometimes it can be a lot more difficult if you’re on the wrong side of the scoreboard. Finding the ways we can put more energy into it and execute at a higher level.”

The defeat arrives against a broader backdrop of genuine progress for the programme. The Eagles went unbeaten through the July international window with a 3-0 run in the World Rugby Nations Cup, beating three sides already qualified for Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia. An Eagles-heavy USA XV also claimed a hard-fought one-point win over an Argentina XV last month following a training camp at the IMG Academy in Florida.

With their first Men’s Rugby World Cup appearance since 2019 now firmly in their sights, the Eagles will look to rediscover that form when they face Canada next.