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TOKYO: There will always be a mixture of excitement and disappointment among the rugby team when the team is announced for the match. Every player wants to be involved, and it was no different when he was Canada party is appointed to face the USA Eagles in Tokyo.
Canada coach Stephen Meehan says those who missed the 23rd match were “bitterly disappointed” not to be named as the fierce rivals prepare to meet at the Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup 2026 Third Place Playoff
said Eagles center Davita Lopeti RugbyPass after the semifinals in Osaka last weekend that the U.S. “owes” them after losing to the Canadians 13 months ago. It was Canada’s second win in their last 16 meetings, including a draw in 2017.
More than 11,500 fans watched at McMahon Stadium in Calgary as the Canadians ran away with a 34-20 victory, with Tyler Ardron stealing the show with four tries. Now they want to take on the Eagles for the first time since 2013.
The team won’t be announced until Thursday afternoon in Japan or late Wednesday night for those in Canada. But coach Meehan revealed the squad should have 30 of the 32 players selected for the bronze medal match at Tokyo’s Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium.
“Not that they’ve expressed it to me directly, but I know the players who missed out on the selection this week are bitterly disappointed,” Meehan told reporters.
“In normal circumstances they’re disappointed not to have played, but I think this type of game has just a bit more upside and everyone really enjoys being a part of it.
“I think as a team, and I assume the USA is the same, we are looking forward to another game together and certainly under these circumstances on Saturday.”
Canada came through the July internationals in a brand new Nations Rugby World Cup with a 1-1-1 record, which included an entertaining draw with Spain. Since then they have lost two on the bounce, falling to the Brave Blossoms in Niigata and then to the Flying Fijians last weekend.
Fiji got off to a dream start to their PNC title defense with Kitione Salawa scoring just 21 seconds into the semi-final. Canada battled several times throughout the match, but lost 45-29 at Hanazono Rugby Stadium.
The Eagles are also chasing a comeback after conceding 63 points in a tough loss to the Brave Blossoms. American player Shilo Klein and center Lopeti scored during the first half, but with a 28-0 run to start the match Japan in a strong position.
Before that, the USA cruised through its first Nations Cup shutout with a 3-0 unbeaten run against also-men’s teams Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia. An Eagles-heavy USA XV later posted a thrilling win over an Argentina XV in Miami.
“They’re a pretty disciplined team in terms of how they play. They have a style that they’ve relied on a lot,” Meehan said.
“You can expect that when there’s a bit of progression in their game, you can expect their forwards and their centers to come around the corner quite hard and quite straight to the ball; a lot of one-pass rugby when they do that.
“You can expect a lot of high balls from their nines and tens. If things aren’t going quickly for them, they’ll try to transfer the pressure that way. It’s a structure that’s worked pretty well for them.
“If, for example, there’s any loose ball after a rebound, they’ll try to move that ball wide. They’re pretty disciplined in the way they go about things so it would be a real shock if they came out and did something completely different to that.”