USA head coach Gary Gold has named his lineup to face England Thursday, September 26, in Kobe, Japan.

This will be the first game of the 2019 Rugby World Cup campaign for the Eagles, while England already has a game under its belt, having beaten Tonga 35-3 on Sunday.

The USA has not won a Rugby World Cup game since a 13-6 defeat of Russia in 2011.

Blaine Scully earns his 51st cap and his 20th as captain of the team. Gold has gone with an all-West-Coast front row of David Ainuu (Olympia, WA), Joe Taufete'e (Long Beach, CA), and Titi Lamositele (Ferndale, WA). 

Ainuu, at 19 years and 310 days old, will become the second-youngest front-rower in Rugby World Cup history.

No surprise that Cam Dolan starts at No. 8 (his first World Cup start) and Shaun Davies and AJ MacGinty in the halfback hinge. 

But it's interesting to see Bryce Campbell on the bench with Marcel Brache in at outside center. That's in part because Martin Iosefo has impressed at wing, and because Gold needs maybe a slight injection of pace in the midfield.

Ben Landry over Greg Peterson at lock is notable, as is the fact that Nick Civetta is healthy and gets a start.

The bench is very much an impact bench, with several players who can break open a game late, including Campbell, Mike Te'o, and Hanco Germishuy.

USA Lineup To Face England

1. David Ainuu
2. Joe Taufete’e
3. Titi Lamositele
4. Ben Landry
5. Nick Civetta
6. Tony Lamborn
7. John Quill
8. Cam Dolan
9. Shaun Davies
10. AJ MacGinty
11. Martin Iosefo
12. Paul Lasike
13. Marcel Brache
14. Blaine Scully (capt.)
15. Will Hooley

16. Dylan Fawsitt
17. Olive Kilifi
18. Paul Mullen
19. Greg Peterson
20. Hanco Germishuys
21. Ruben de Haas
22. Bryce Campbell
23. Mike Te’o