USA captain Damm vows to use Canada defeat as 'fuel' ahead of Rugby World Cup 2027

Jason Damm says the USA Eagles will channel the pain of a 16-19 defeat to Canada into motivation for Rugby World Cup 2027, after finishing fourth at the Pacific Nations Cup in Tokyo.

Canada, ranked 10 places above the Eagles at No. 24 in the World Rugby rankings, raced into a 12-0 lead inside the first quarter and held on despite a determined USA fightback. Fly-half Luke Carty’s accurate boot kept the Eagles in contention, but Canada’s defence proved decisive in the closing stages.

“It hurts, man, it hurts. If you need fuel for your fire, it provides plenty of it,” Damm said after the final whistle. “Personally it’s just going to drive me to keep getting better and keep getting better and pushing myself.”

The defeat came in the third-place playoff, a week after the USA were beaten by eventual champions Japan in the semi-finals. It capped a mixed tournament for a side that had entered the Pacific Nations Cup on the back of an unbeaten 3-0 record in the World Rugby Nations Cup during the July Tests.

Canada’s victory was built on individual moments of quality. Inside centre Ben LeSage broke the deadlock in the ninth minute with a sharp finish through the defensive line, converted by Takoda McMullin. Wing Mason Flesch, who was later named Player of the Match, dived into the corner to extend the lead before the USA responded through loosehead prop Faka’osi Pifeleti and Carty’s boot.

Canada outscored the USA seven points to six in the second half, but it was their defensive resilience that sealed the result on the final play.

Damm pointed to poor discipline in the first half as a key factor, with the Eagles conceding too many entries into their own 22. “Discipline in the first half was poor — in the middle third we gave them easy entries into the 22. We defended well but when you give a team probably six entries in the first half you’re going to get a couple in,” he said.

The USA captain acknowledged the squad still has work to do before Australia hosts the Rugby World Cup, which begins in less than 13 months. “We’ve just got to keep pushing and getting better because we know we’ve got a ways to go,” Damm said.