After another fantastic weekend of rugby which saw hard-fought battles, another high-scoring draw and first wins for Portugal and Spain, the Americas-hosted leg of the inaugural World Rugby Nations Cup concludes this weekend.
Chile, USA and Georgia are all aiming to complete unbeaten campaigns with a third consecutive victory, while Samoa, Tonga, Spain and Portugal are chasing a second win of the tournament. Uruguay, Canada, Zimbabwe, Romania and Hong Kong China, meanwhile, are all searching for their first Nations Cup victory.
Fans will be able to follow all the action unfold live on RugbyPass TV where there is no local broadcaster.
Chile and the USA currently sit at the top of Pool A with two wins from two, with Los Condores ahead by virtue of an extra bonus point. Georgia stand on their own atop Pool B with a 100 per cent win record.
This weekend’s rugby once again begins in Montevideo as Samoa take on Romania and concludes in Winnipeg as Zimbabwe travel to take on Canada.
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Samoa v Romania
Venue: Estadio Charrúa, Montevideo
Referee: Angus Mabey (New Zealand)
This is the third meeting between these two sides, with the Oaks having won the first two but Samoa winning the most recent encounter, 22-0 in 2022.
Samoa will look to end the first stage of the World Rugby Nations Cup on a high after winning their opener but losing last Saturday to Georgia. Manu Samoa had managed to prevent Georgia from scoring a try for the first 30 minutes, but eventually were overpowered by the Lelos.
They'll be hoping to try and extend this defensive effort and turn it into a more complete performance. This may prove to be tricky, as Romania, still in pursuit of a first win, battled it out with Uruguay for a 36-36 draw. The issue for Manu Samoa is how to stop that attack led by Tevita Manumua, who scored a brace.
For the Oaks, discipline is what cost them a crucial win against Los Teros, with them at one point going down to 13 men, something head coach David Gerard proclaimed was too "unstable" for a more consistent 80-minute performance.
Romania have opted for two changes to the starting team, with Keanan Murray and Etienne Terblanche in for Andrei Mahu and Adrian Emanuel Mitu.
Manu Samoa, on the other hand, have made three changes with Richie Asiata, Abraham Papali'i and Joel Lam in for Manaaki Boyle-Tiatia, Iakopo Petelo-Mapu and Ereatara Enari.
Uruguay v Hong Kong China
Venue: Estadio Charrúa, Montevideo
Referee: Craig Evans (Wales)
This is only the second meeting between these sides, with the first coming in 2014. Both Los Teros and Hong Kong China will be desperate to finish this half of the competition on a high after a winless first two matches.
Los Teros especially have been knocking on the door of a win, after a narrow loss to Georgia followed by a draw against Romania. They’ll look to build on their clinical attacking performances, which has seen them score 11 tries in two matches, including a hat-trick from Joaquin Myszka last weekend. Failing to beat a side that were reduced to at least a man down for the last 15 minutes of the match will certainly be something that they’ll have tried to push aside as all concentration is now on an unfamiliar opponent in Hong Kong China.
Regardless of Saturday’s result, Hong Kong China will finish this half of the tournament positive about the fact that they’ve had the chance to test themselves against this level of opposition a year out from their maiden Men's Rugby World Cup. In their match against Chile, they were only two points down at half-time but again discipline was the common denominator as they received four yellow cards and one red, which ultimately was not a sustainable way of staying in the match until the end. There’s still potential in this side to try and pull off a fantastic result, something captain Pierce Mackinlay-West spoke about after their game against Chile, saying, “if we can write a few wrongs it’s gonna be a hell of a game.”
Los Teros have only made one change to the starting side that drew with Romania, with Franco Scaldaferri in for Ignacio Alvarez Akiki on the left wing.
Hong Kong China have made six changes to the starting team with Keelan Chapman, James Rivers, Matteo Avitabile, Seb Brien, Tom Hill and Matthew Worley coming in, while Marcus Ramage moves from right-wing to outside-centre.
Chile v Georgia
Venue: CARR Mahuida, Santiago
Referee: Jordan Way (Australia)
The third meeting between these two nations, and a first since 2005, pits the two teams who sit top of each pool seeking a third win and the completion of a perfect start to the Nations Cup. The game was initially meant to be played in La Serena, but due to adverse weather conditions it has been relocated to Santiago.
Georgia overcame a spirited Samoa side to get the 33-12 win, although discipline remains an issue as they received two yellow cards in the first half. The fact they were still ahead, and then scored at the start of the second half, will instil a belief that they can put teams to the sword no matter the pressure they face. Captain Davit Niniashvili, following their win in Montevideo, said his team are now “ready for the pressure of playing away.”
Los Condores, meanwhile, got their second win, partly assisted by the fact that Hong Kong China couldn’t keep their discipline and received multiple cards. Nevertheless, it was a confident, six-try performance where they didn’t concede once in the second half. Raimundo Martinez has been a standout in the back-row with four tries in two matches.
Chile have made four changes to the starting team from that victory with Alfonso Escobar, Marcelo Torrealba, Rodrigo Fernandez and Matias Garafulic all coming into the side, replacing Clemente Saavedra, Lucas Berti, Inaki Ayarza and Marco Alvano. Raimundo Martinez shifts from number eight to openside flanker, while Escobar starts at the back of the scrum.
Georgia are unchanged following last weekend's victory over Samoa. The only alterations come on the bench, where Giorgi Pertaia and Konstantine Mikautadze replace Aleksandre Kuntelia and Vladimer Chachanidze in the matchday squad.
Tonga v Portugal
Venue: Princess Auto Stadium, Winnipeg
Referee: Damian Schneider (Argentina)
This is only the second time Tonga and Portugal have met and for ‘Ikale Tahi a considerable task lies ahead against an Os Lobos side who have only lost once in their last nine matches.
Tonga fought a tough and demanding match against Spain, which they ultimately lost 32-19 as Los Leones always looked the more dangerous side. They always stayed in the fight, scoring only one less point than Spain in the second half, but they were always kept at a distance which meant the ‘Ikale Tahi were constantly chasing the game.
Portugal bounced back perfectly from their last-gasp opening day 30-29 loss to the USA with a ruthless second-half display against Canada, in which they scored four tries and by the 60th minute the game was fully out of reach. From the 29th to the 55th minute Portugal scored 38 unanswered points, and it was an attacking masterclass from the backline with a range of silky passing and classy finishes.
Tonga have made three changes to their starting team with Paula Latu, Sione Tu'ipulotu and Siaosi Nginingini all coming in. On the bench, Highlanders flanker Sione Misiloi will make his test debut if brought on.
Os Lobos have made two changes themselves with Antonio Prim in at tight-head prop and Domingos Cabral in at fly-half. Cabral played a prominent role in Os Lobos' Rugby Europe Men's Championship 2026 victory, starting in four of their five matches, including the final.
USA v Spain
Venue: Wake Med Soccer Park, Raleigh
Referee: Ben Breakspear (Wales)
Despite the USA's dominance in this fixture, with five wins in six matches, Los Leones won the most recent encounter last year, in the same state of North Carolina. Instead of Charlotte, though, this one will be played in the state capital of Raleigh. Only two world ranking spots divide these teams, and so far neither team have lost, with the USA looking to make it three from three and Spain looking to build on last week’s win following an opening day draw.
Despite a tight first half, the Eagles demonstrated a great deal of composure in the second half by scoring 19 unanswered points against Zimbabwe. They’ve shown twice now that as the game goes on, they can continue to build and dig deep against tough opposition. Captain Jason Damm, following that victory declared the Eagles “were happy to be under pressure. They're called tests for a reason.”
Los Leones continued the strong attacking display they showed against Canada in their victory against Tonga, but this time retaining a discipline which never let their opponents back into the match. Estanislao Bay, their dynamic scrum-half, has been in impressive form, scoring three tries so far and being the seminal piece of Spain’s attack.
USA have made six changes to the starting team. Kapeli Pifeleti, Titi Kofe, Brandon Harvey, Paddy Ryan, Julian Roberts and Mitch O’Keeffe come into the side, replacing Alex Maughan, Liam Larkan, Lance Williams, Makeen Alikhan, Tavite Lopeti and Conner Mooneyham. Jason Damm moves from second-row to number eight, while Cory Daniel switches from openside to blindside flanker.
Canada v Zimbabwe
Venue: Princess Auto Stadium, Winnipeg
Referee: Tomas Bertazza (Argentina)
This will be the first meeting between these two sides, who are both looking to end this leg of the Nations Cup with their first win. Both were defeated by clinical second-half displays from Portugal and USA respectively, in which only one converted try was scored between Canada and Zimbabwe, so both will be eager to display a more complete performance.
For Canada, despite taking the lead, the 30-minute period where they had no response to Portugal’s attack put the match far beyond reach by the time they got their next score. They need to channel the resilience they showcased in their first match against Spain, in which they found a way to avoid defeat by scoring in the final minute to end the match in a 42-42 draw.
The Sables played extremely well in the first half against the USA and were on level pegging in terms of overall performance, but had no answer to the Eagles in the second half. It was the opposite of their opening loss to Tonga.
Zimbabwe have made eight changes to the starting team from that defeat. Tijde Visser, Bryan Chiang, Farai Mudariki, Tadiwanashe Gwashu, Tyrone Gombe, Kudzai Mashawi, Tapiwa Mafura and Brandon Mudzekenyedzi come into the side
Canada have only made three changes: Evan Olmstead, Lucas Rumball and Cooper Coats are selected. Coats comes in at fly-half, meaning a switch to full-back for Peter Nelson.
