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Former World Rugby Player of the Year nominee named in USA’s PNC squad 2019 World Rugby Player of the Year nominee Joe Taufete’e has been named in the USA Eagles roster for the upcoming Pacific Nations Cup in Japan, overcoming an injury in time for the two-Test tournament. Taufete’e was once shortlisted for the top individual prize in men’s 15s rugby alongside England flanker Tom Curry, All Blacks backrower Ardie Savea, Springboks flyer Cheslin Kolbe, Wales great Alun Wyn Jones, and award winner Pieter-Steph du Toit. The hooker is coming off a strong Major League Rugby campaign with finalists California Legion, but he hasn’t suited up for the Eagles since August 6, 2023, then coming off the bench in a 31-17 win over Romania. USA coach Scott Lawrence has selected a 32-player squad for the PNC, while another 14 have been listed as reserves. Reigning MLR champions Chicago Hounds are the most-represented club with eight, while there are seven Eagles from the Legion. The USA secured three wins from as many matches during the inaugural World Rugby Nations Cup fixtures in July, overcoming Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027-bound sides Portugal, Zimbabwe and Spain. While it was a non-Test match, an Eagles-heavy USA XV side recently recorded a thrilling win over an Argentina XV at Inter Miami FC Stadium. Jason Damm captained the side that evening and will lead the Eagles over in Japan. The USA kick off their PNC campaign against home side Japan in Osaka, before the event heads to Tokyo for the third-place playoff and Grand Final. Win or lose, the Eagles will face either Fiji or Canada in one of those matches. “Japan is a Nations Championship team that will be a big step up for us in terms of their speed of play, physicality, and overall accuracy,” Lawrence said. “Going into this next five-week block, we’re focused on building depth and competition across our squad through intentional improvements in individual and collective performance.” “Every player has an opportunity to grow, develop, and demonstrate that they can perform at this level, and we’re excited to see how this domestic-based group continues to develop through the challenge Japan will provide.” USA Eagles Pacific Nations Cup 2026 schedule Semi-final vs Japan on Saturday, September 12 at Osaka’s Hanazono Rugby Stadium Finals day vs Fiji/Canada on Saturday, September 19 at Tokyo’s Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium USA Eagles Pacific Nations Cup 2026 roster Payton Telea-Ilalio — Unattached Fakaosifolau Pifeleti — Chicago Hounds Ma’ake Muti — California Legion Shilo Klein — Unattached Joe Taufete?e — California Legion Campbell Robb — Unattached Alex Maughan — Unattached Tonga Kofe — California Legion Mason Pedersen — Seattle Seawolves Nathan Den Hoedt — Chicago Hounds Jason Damm (c) — California Legion Brandon Harvey — Chicago Hounds Sam Golla — Unattached Benjamin Bonasso — Old Glory DC Paddy Ryan — Seattle Seawolves Makeen Alikhan — Unattached Marno Redelinghuys — Seattle Seawolves Lance Williams — California Legion Ruben De Haas — Chicago Hounds Ethan McVeigh — New England Free Jacks Michael Baska — Chicago Hounds Luke Carty — Unattached Chris Hilsenbeck — Chicago Hounds Davie Coetzer* — Seattle Seawolves Tavite Lopeti — Chicago Hounds Tom Pittman — Unattached Cassh Maliua — California Legion Dom Besag — St. Mary’s College Julian Roberts — Unattached Mark O’Keeffe — Chicago Hounds Noah Brown — Chicago Hounds Mitch Wilson — New England Free Jacks *Developmental player Pacific Nations Cup 2026 Reserves Justus Tavai — California Legion Rick Rose — Old Glory DC Vili Helu — Kurita Water Gush Tomas Casares — Chicago Hounds Aidan King — Doncaster Knights Christian Poidevin — California Legion Kaleb Geiger — New England Free Jacks John Rizzo — Old Glory DC Tevita Naqali — Old Glory DC Ish Safodien — Unattached Dan Kriel* — Seattle Seawolves Oscar Treacy — California Legion Steff Crimp — California Legion Dane Mitchell — Sydney University *Developmental player Players unavailable for selection due to injury or availability Jack Iscaro David Ainu’u Joe Mano Zion Going Kapeli Pifeleti Ezekiel Lindenmuth Sean McNulty Rhyno Herbst Nafi Ma’afu Cory Daniel Will Sherman Jamason Fa’anana Schultz Charlie Abel AJ MacGinty Jack Walsh Rufus McLean Wayne Van Der Bank* Erich Storti Spencer Huntley* Conner Mooneyham Ryan James Perry Mayo Peyton Wall *Developmental player Your home for rugby. Download the RugbyPass app on the App Store (iOS) and Google Play (Android) now! Follow your favourite teams, tournaments and players, and get personalised news and Match Centre notifications direct to your device. From live rugby streams and upcoming fixtures to breaking news, in-depth analysis and live scores, RugbyPass has everything you need to stay connected to the game.