United States Wilts in Border Clash

The United States Eagles rugby union team lost sight of a chance for their first and only win of the 2008 Churchill Cup, suffering a 26-10 loss to Canada today. The Eagles led at 10-0 at halftime, but wilted in the second period and gave up 26 unanswered points. Given that all of the other sides in the tournament are not full international sides (including the champion England Saxons, who are England's second-level side), the U.S. loss was the only true test match of the tournament. This means that the Eagles have not won a rugby match since beating Uruguay in a 2007 World Cup qualifying match on 7 October 2006, and that they are 0-1 in full test matches in 2008. The Eagles haven't beaten Canada since 2005.

Despite the loss, the Eagles must be optimistic about the future contributions of new coach Scott Johnson, who was an Australia assistant coach in 2007 and joined the Eagles just before the tournament. Johnson expressed frustration with the side's fitness, noting that "we can play forty minutes of footy" and "they were spent at halftime." Johnson also suggested changes ahead, though, promising to "find the players that can come out of this great nation" and claiming, "We've got to find people that don't use lack of money as the excuse. We want professional people, and that just doesn't mean money. That means attitude." in a post-match television interview.

Johnson also appears to have also brought along former Australian defensive coach John Muggleton for some quick help before Muggleton begins his tenure as an assistant with the Llanelli Scarlets in Wales. Muggleton, who was seen on the sideline for the United States in a first-half television interview, had finished with the Wallabies under stormy terms and believed that he was considered a "mungo" during his time with the Wallabies due to his rugby league history, must have been glad to visit the United States, where most don't know what a mungo is--or what rugby league is, for that matter.