Lawrence eyes 2027 World Cup edge as USA face Japan in Pacific Nations Cup semi-final

USA head coach Scott Lawrence has framed Saturday’s Pacific Nations Cup semi-final against Japan in Osaka as the first meaningful preview of a Rugby World Cup 2027 pool clash that will follow fewer than 400 days later at Adelaide Oval.

Lawrence has selected a 23-man squad that blends proven Test experience with emerging talent. Captain Jason Daam and scrum-half Ruben de Haas provide leadership, while former World Rugby Player of the Year Joe Taufete’e returns to Test rugby from the bench after a period away from the international stage. The semi-final also carries added weight for the Eagles as a programme-building exercise — the USA missed the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France entirely and are determined not to repeat that absence in Australia.

The coach was candid about how both sides are likely to approach the contest. “I think it means that both teams, if you look at the selections of the teams, they’re both developing players towards that World Cup,” Lawrence told reporters on Friday. “In terms of the result, we’re not looking too much into the result, we’re more looking at the playing base. From what I can see, it looks like the Japanese staff is doing the same.”

Lawrence added that neither side would reveal their full hand this weekend. “We’ll be looking really at individual performances. Neither team will show too much now because there will be some surprises in store for everyone I’m sure during the World Cup.”

The same dynamic is present on the other side of the draw, where defending Pacific Nations Cup champions Fiji face Canada — another pairing that mirrors a 2027 World Cup fixture roughly a year out.

USA Rugby confirmed squad changes ahead of the semi-finals, with Campbell Robb, Ma’ake Muti, and Brandon Harvey all returning home after sustaining injuries in training. Kaleb Geiger has been called up a week earlier than originally planned as cover, while Vili Helu returns to the squad for the first time since November.

Lawrence has been building his player pool methodically. The Eagles went unbeaten through a 3-0 July block of World Rugby Nations Cup Tests against fellow World Cup-bound nations, and a USA XV subsequently edged an Argentina XV by a single point in a non-Test match at Inter Miami FC Stadium after a camp at the IMG Academy in Florida.

“There will be 33 players that go to the 2027 World Cup. In order to get 33 players on the roster you’ll probably need around 66 players in total,” Lawrence said of that process. “It’s important for us to continue to build depth of the playing pool. The way that you build depth is through experiences that put players under pressure and see how they perform.”