The biggest win of the first weekend of the summer international rugby season was USA Rugby beating Portugal 30-29 in Denver on July 4.
Wait, what?
Yes. Spare me your Springboks beating England or Ireland's thriller against Australia and even the All Blacks almost losing to a depleted French side. The Eagles faced one of the hottest European rugby nations, and hottest international teams in the world, and came away with a win. Now, Portugal may not be a Six Nations country. They may not be anywhere near the level of England, Ireland, France and Scotland.
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But Wales? Italy?
Judging by Portugal’s performance in the Rugby Europe tournament this past winter, they aren’t far off. They had won seven straight matches entering the first Nations Cup tournament. Portugal entered July ranked No. 14 in the world, one spot lower than the team it beat in the Rugby Europe Final, Georgia. It was also two spots lower than Japan, which ranked just below Wales and Italy.
I don’t care where the game was played. I don’t care about the weather delays or the fact the Eagles needed Portugal to become incredibly sloppy with penalties to win. Here’s what I know: Portugal led 12-0 early, and the Eagles took advantage of what their opponents gave them.
In November, it would have been hard to believe the Eagles could withstand a 12-point deficit. They lost to Georgia 43-30 and Scotland 85-0.
They ended the year with a 26-18 win over Romania, but the European tour last fall was not great.
But a win over Portugal gives USA Rugby momentum. The Eagles will play Zimbabwe at 7:30 p.m. ET on July 11 with a chance to win three matches in a row and set up an even bigger showdown with Spain at 7:30 p.m. ET on July 18.
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So much of the focus when it comes to the USA Rugby program is on 2031. But last year this team qualified for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
When the Eagles lost to Scotland last fall, all the excitement of qualifying for the World Cup seemed dampened. But if the United States can continue to prove it can be competitive with — and even beat — nations like Portugal, matches against fellow Pool E countries such as Samoa and Japan look winnable and would put the USA in position to advance to the knockout stages next year.
How To Watch USA Rugby vs. Zimbabwe
USA Rugby vs. Zimbabwe will stream live in the United States on Paramount+.
Watch USA Rugby Vs. Georgia
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