The USA Eagles kicked off their Test season in style at Charlotte’s American Legion Memorial Stadium, defeating Belgium 36–17 and showcasing a dominant set-piece against one of Europe’s emerging nations.
Although the Diables Noirs were first on the scoreboard via a penalty from Hugo de Francq, the home side responded sharply, setting in motion an impressive comeback with two converted tries before half-time.
Centre Dominic Besag dotted down after a superb pass from NOLA Gold’s Ruben de Haas to give the Eagles the lead, with Vili Helu extending it three minutes before the break. The back row finished off a flowing team move, with AJ MacGinty and Shilo Klein linking up through a pair of well-timed offloads.
Canada v USA – 2023 Pacific Four Series
The visitors struggled at the set-piece and conceded frequent penalties, making it difficult to reduce the eleven-point deficit before the interval.
However, Stade Toulousain’s Matias Remue had other ideas. The versatile back collected the ball inside his own 22 and weaved through the entire USA defence, chipping ahead and regathering to score a sensational solo try.
USA
Belgium
With the game opening up, the Eagles regained control with two more tries before the hour mark. Tevita Lopeti powered through several tackles to score, followed by former Harlequin Makeen Alikhan, who crossed on debut.
In the final twenty minutes, the North Americans added two further tries, while Belgium grabbed a second consolation score late on. Referee Sam Grove-White blew for full-time with the Eagles sealing a 36–17 win in the first-ever meeting between the two nations.
With the Pacific Nations Cup set to begin on August 22, Scott Lawrence’s USA side will face Spain and England in the coming weeks. Laurent Dossat’s Belgium now head to Canada for a July 12 clash with the hosts.
