It was five minutes away from becoming a potentially huge international rugby upset.

But USA Eagles’ Kaleb Geiger powered over from short range in the 76th minute to level the scores, allowing fly-half Chris Hilsenbeck to slot the conversion and snatch a dramatic 28-26 victory over Hong Kong China.

Credit must go to Hong Kong China. They threw everything they had at the Eagles from start to finish.

A charged-down kick from Eagles full-back Perry Mayo was collected by Marcus Ramage, who crossed for the opening try inside five minutes. Then, shortly before half-time, Jack Bartlett picked from the base of a ruck and raced 50 metres to score.

There was nothing particularly special or creative about their approach. Just good old-fashioned efficiency and an ability to take their chances.

Exactly what the Eagles failed to do.

Possession and territory were firmly in the USA’s favor, and they certainly held the physical advantage. But to put it bluntly, the performance from head coach Scott Lawrence’s men was not up to standard, particularly against a side ranked 24th in the world.

It doesn’t need me to say it. The players will be thinking exactly the same.

I’ve been in dressing rooms after games, win or lose, feeling that no matter how hard we tried, things simply didn’t click and our plans weren’t executed.

USA debutant scrum-half, Oscar Lennon, summed it up in his post-match pitchside comments on the Eagles’ social media channels: “It was stressful at times…we have lots to work on.”

Let’s start with some positives.

The USA have now won four from four in the Nations Cup, and Geiger’s late try ensured the Eagles walked away with the full five competition points, maintaining their position at the top of their pool.

Physically, the Eagles showed what they are capable of.

Mayo’s try inside the opening ten minutes came from a successful set piece, followed by strong, cohesive carrying around the corner that looked both organised and dominant.

There were glimpses of attacking variation in the opening quarter, with forwards and backs working in tandem. Hilsenbeck even produced a dangerous cross-field kick into space for Rufus McLean, which came close to painting a perfect attacking picture.

The Eagles demonstrated their power in the carrying game, and that physicality was equally evident in their driving maul.

Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz crashed over following a well-organised push, while the maul consistently looked like one of the Eagles’ strongest weapons. The scrum also asserted its dominance, eventually forcing a penalty try in the 59th minute.

In my previous RugbyPass feature, I called for greater consistency at the set piece and for the Eagles to demonstrate their physical capabilities.

In many ways, they delivered.

But ultimately, relying on a dominant driving maul as your primary attacking weapon will not be enough to win the Nations Cup. Particularly when you consider what’s coming next against Romania and Georgia.

While I applaud the build-up to Mayo’s try, moments like that were unfortunately few and far between.

The Eagles repeatedly worked themselves into promising positions and demonstrated strong carrying, but their efficiency and execution inside the opposition 22 failed to match their physical dominance.

Ball control in contact became increasingly vulnerable and inconsistent as the game progressed. Whether it was being stripped in the tackle, a basic knock-on or a forward pass, the Eagles’ attacking performance was littered with errors.

At times, the kicking game lacked clear purpose, while unnecessary infringements contributed to the 12 penalties conceded, inviting significant pressure onto the USA in the second half.

Of course, there is important context to consider.

With 21 players unavailable from the Eagles’ wider squad and changes within the coaching setup, building cohesion and implementing new ideas will take time.

But it was difficult to watch at times, especially knowing the quality and capabilities of these players. Many demonstrated their ability throughout the 2026 Major League Rugby season, while the Eagles themselves produced considerably better performances on home soil back in July.

It serves as another reminder of just how small the margins are at international level.

With all due respect to Hong Kong China, the Eagles cannot expect to continue winning Test matches while making this many errors and struggling to maintain control of possession.

The reality is that the USA have won four from four in this competition. But when you consider that victories over both Hong Kong China and Portugal in July came down to dramatic late moments, that record could look very different.

And relying on last-gasp heroics against opposition ranked below them is not where this Eagles team should want to be. Winning ugly might keep you unbeaten, but it won’t always keep you winning.

Without Chris Hilsenbeck’s reliable kicking boot, those victories might well have slipped away. A defeat to Hong Kong China would undoubtedly have sparked considerable frustration among Eagles supporters.

But that isn’t the reality.

The USA remain unbeaten, sit top of their Nations Cup pool and have a genuine opportunity to win the competition.

Perhaps that’s what I’m reminding myself, and what I’d say to Eagles supporters understandably frustrated by Sunday’s performance.

There are good players in this squad. Powerful, talented players capable of dominating opponents and producing exciting rugby.

The ingredients are there, but they need to come together with far greater consistency, efficiency and control.

Perhaps it’s a case of working smarter, not harder.

That responsibility falls on both the players and coaching staff, and they won’t have long to find the answers.

Romania are coming off a hard-fought 43-38 defeat to Tonga, while Georgia opened their November campaign with a dominant 59-14 victory over Canada.

Both will present significant challenges, and the Eagles will need to raise their standards considerably.

The victory over Hong Kong China was one the USA arguably got away with. But it was still a victory, and one that keeps their Nations Cup ambitions firmly alive.