Amid mounting anticipation for football's World Cup, it might be expected that international rugby would take a back seat. Saturday, however, sees the start of a busy summer schedule, and with it comes an intriguing dry run for the sport’s own global tournament.
At 7pm central time (8pm eastern, 1am Edinburgh), the BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston will host the USA and Scotland, two occupants of a fascinating England 2015 Pool B alongside South Africa, Samoa and Japan. On a muggy Texas evening, against a fired-up Eagles team, the Scots will be wary of a mugging.
That Eagles XV will be at full strength – but for one man. One big man. It became clear on Thursday that Samu Manoa, the mighty lock forward who rose to prominence at Northampton via San Francisco, is taking time out after a season that culminated in last weekend’s Aviva Premiership final.
The wing Blaine Scully, fresh off an excellent first season with Leicester, acknowledged that Manoa’s absence was significant.
“Yes, it’s a blow,” he told the Guardian. “Samu’s one of the best players in the world. He’s been awesome for Northampton and he’s played however many games this year. But he had a milestone achievement this past weekend and he has I think another child on the way, so it’s probably the right thing for him to take care of his own life and we’ll be happy to have him whenever we can.
“We have guys who can step in and do a job.”
The guy most immediately at issue will be Manoa’s replacement, the giant Seattle OPSB lock Louis Stanfill. Scully is confident he, fellow lock Hayden Smith (now of Saracens, recently of the New York Jets) and the rest of the forwards can give the Scots a “hot contest”. His choice of words is apt: temperatures in Houston on Saturday could reach 92F, which in new money is a somewhat balmier-than-a-wet-weekend-in-Kelso 33C.
“We’ll give them a tough welcome,” said Scully, who is quick to note the physical benefits to his own game of a year in the “blue collar” Leicester environment. “They have some big, confrontational forwards but we have a few ourselves.
“As backs we’re always reliant on the hard work of our forwards, both in attack and defence – they’re taking and giving the big hits and doing it again and again.
“It’s about who can establish that physical dominance, who can go forward, who ends up going back.”
Scottish forwards, of course, rarely take a backward step. On this occasion, they and their threequarters will also be motivated to impress their highly respected new coach, the New Zealander Vern Cotter.
Asked on Thursday about his selection of three debutants, in particular Finn Russell to guide the team from fly-half, Cotter was more evasive than confrontational.
"Finn has been playing very well of late for Glasgow,” he said, “and this is a good chance for him. I like what he offers. He has been playing good footy and deserves his opportunity. We will see what he brings to the team.”
Up front, as well as the prop Gordon Reid and perhaps more tellingly, Cotter has opted for a new face on the openside flank. Of the cosmopolitan Blair Cowan, a New Zealander with Scottish heritage who plays for London Irish, Cotter said: "He is an out-and-out No7, quick on his feet, can carry and is quick over the ball.
"What he does give us on a dry track is speed: he is quick. He will apply pressure, which is what the game is about.”
Cotter’s Scotland – like many Scotland teams before them – seem apt to set a fast and furious pace, in the hope that those US players not employed by professional clubs may struggle to maintain it.
There is, however, evidence that such tactics may no longer be so effective against the Eagles. In the past two years in Houston they have gone close-ish Italy and closer to Ireland; last November a team light on overseas pros put up a tremendous fight against the Maori All Blacks in Philadelphia, before going down 29-19.
Now, all 23 Eagles on duty have a chance to stake a claim for a place not only in coach Mike Tolkin’s World Cup plans, but in a prized game against the world champions, the New Zealand All Blacks, in Chicago in November.
Before that, the US play Japan in Los Angeles next week and Canada in Sacramento the week after. With one eye on those World Cup re-matches with the Scots and Japanese, Tolkin is likely to rotate his squad.
For this game he has made the eye-catching selection of Olive Kilifi at loosehead prop, in place of the experienced Shawn Pittman. Kilifi’s primary job will be to shore up a scrum that was worryingly exposed by Uruguay in April’s two-game World Cup qualifier. Without solidity at the set-piece, a strong Eagles back row of captain Todd Clever, Scott LaValla of Stade Français and Northampton’s Cam Dolan will struggle to secure possession and momentum.
In the backs, Scully, Saracens full-back Chris Wyles and Narbonne’s Luke Hume form an experienced back three; at centre the youth of Seamus Kelly is paired with the experience of Andrew Suniula, a London Wasp last season. The half-backs are Mike Petri and, in the injured absence of Toby L'Estrange and Adam Siddall, Shalom Suniula, Andrew’s younger brother who is not much more experienced at No10 than Scotland’s Russell.
“The key issue going into the World Cup next year,” Scully said, “is depth. You can’t go into a tournament like that with just 15 guys.
“We need to get to a situation when every game is for everyone the biggest game of their careers, and they need to make that tackle, to execute that pass, to make that call.
“It’s about establishing that depth and creating confidence when people step on to the field when a Todd Clever or a Samu Manoa has to come off. We can trust these guys to do that job.”
Cotter evidently shares some of Scully’s confidence in the Eagles. On Thursday, he told the travelling press: “Don’t underestimate them, they are a very good team.
“They pushed Ireland close. They pushed the Maori All Blacks very close. They enjoy playing in Houston. There are a lot of challenges in front of us.”
Evidently, increasing familiarity with American rugby and its best players does not breed contempt. That means the Eagles should not expect to catch the Scots off guard, even after a disappointing Six Nations and at the start of a tough tour which goes on to Canada, Argentina and South Africa.
Nonetheless, Scully believes his team can succeed.
“As an athlete,” he says, “you always have to think you have a chance. If you don’t, what’s the point of playing?
“You go out, try the best you can, you compete like hell. And at the end of the day, the score will take care of itself.”
USA: C Wyles; B Scully, S Kelly, A Suniula, L Hume; S Suniula, M Petri; O Kilifi, P Thiel, E Fry, L Stanfill, H Smith, T Clever (capt), S LaValla, C Dolan. Replacements: T Coolican, N Wallace, T Lamositele, T Tuisamoa, D Barrett, F Niua, C London, T Maupin.
Scotland: S Hogg; S Maitland, S Lamont, D Taylor, T Visser; F Russell, G Laidlaw (capt); G Reid, S Lawson, G Cross, R Gray, J Hamilton, A Strokosch, B Cowan, J Beattie. Replacements: P MacArthur, A Allan, M Low, G Gilchrist, K Low, G Hart, R Jackson, M Evans.
USA vs Scotland; Universal Sports Network, 8pm ET
