Taveti Lopeti: Eagles Must Turn Japan Lessons into Canada Response
MLR Chicago Hounds

Taveti Lopeti: Eagles Must Turn Japan Lessons into Canada Response

Published on September 17, 2026 under Major League Rugby (MLR)
Chicago Hounds News Release


Will Hooley

USA Eagles and Chicago Hounds center Tavite Lopeti reflects on a difficult defeat to Japan, the confidence gained from his MLR season, and the extra motivation of facing familiar foes Canada in the Pacific Nations Cup.

There is no bigger encounter in North American rugby than the USA vs. Canada.

The USA Eagles have little time to dwell on their heavy defeat to Japan. After five consecutive Test matches unbeaten, the Eagles suffered a 63-14 loss to their Rugby World Cup 2027 pool opponents in Osaka last Saturday in their opening game of the Pacific Nations Cup.

The result exposed areas that need attention, but for Tavite Lopeti, the lessons are clear: the Eagles must execute their individual roles and build the collective understanding needed to compete at the highest level.

And the stakes this weekend are even higher.

It is the final game of this year's PNC, but it is also a rivalry that means far more than World Rugby rankings. It is a benchmark, and the bragging rights are something both teams will want to claim heading into the Rugby World Cup next year.

Lopeti (center) alongside Ben Bonasso (left) and Noah Brown (right) for USA anthem vs Japan | USA Rugby

Speaking ahead of Saturday's Pacific Nations Cup clash with Canada, Lopeti acknowledged the disappointment of the Japan performance while emphasizing the importance of learning from it.

"Obviously just disappointed from our end," Lopeti said. "But our biggest takeaways really from the weekend was just it was more of a lack of execution on individual rules."

The Chicago Hounds center identified the small details that can decide international matches, from kicking and attack to defensive responsibilities. Japan's fast start, which saw the Eagles concede three tries in the opening 10 minutes, underlined the consequences of lapses in execution.

"It just came down to individual execution," Lopeti explained. "One thing that we've been stressing on our end is just the collective understanding of all each individual roles and everyone being able to just execute."

For Lopeti, the opening stages of the match offered a particularly important lesson. Japan found opportunities through the middle of the Eagles' defense, and the response now is to ensure the team is ready to react to transitions and maintain urgency around the breakdown.

"It boiled down to something as simple as getting urgency around the corner and getting that fold right," he said. "They were breaking us through the middle. But it was just like little key rules and details like that that just really sliced our team."

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The next challenge is Canada, a side that carries its own history for the Eagles. The teams last met in Calgary in a Rugby World Cup qualifying match during the 2025 Pacific Nations Cup, with Canada claiming victory.

Saturday's encounter offers the USA an opportunity to respond, but Lopeti is keen to ensure that respect for the opponent remains central to the preparation.

"Obviously last year left a sour taste in our mouths from losing to them," he said. "But just giving them the respect that they have and we're doing that just by coming into training and really trying to execute the things that we didn't do last week."

Canada also showed its quality in a 45-29 defeat to Fiji last Saturday. Lopeti saw plenty to admire in the Canadian performance, particularly their ability to move the ball and create opportunities.

"They play a good brand of footy," he said. "They're kicking the ball around and had a couple of line breaks."

The fixture also has a personal element for Lopeti. Several Canadian players are familiar faces from his time with the Hounds, including captain Lucas Rumball and forward Mason Flesch.

While the teammates may share a coffee or lunch away from the field, the competitive edge returns as soon as the game begins.

"Those are the type of guys that I came into Chicago with and, you know, they're cool off the pitch," Lopeti said. "But once it's game time, it's like we're both going to compete.

"It makes this Saturday's matchup even more enjoyable. We push each other at our club to make each other better and compete at the highest level. Now we get to go up against each other on the international stage."

Flesch on the charge for Canada last summer against Portugal | Rugby Canada

Lopeti will come off the bench on Saturday, with California Legion center and former NFL linebacker Cassh Maluia earning his first cap at inside center.

The Hounds midfielder can nevertheless take confidence from his own performance against Japan, having scored an impressive solo try in the first half. It comes on the back of a brilliant run of form and personal resurgence that began with the Chicago Hounds in Major League Rugby this year.

Lopeti credits his 2026 MLR season with restoring the confidence he felt he had lost after a period of moving between teams and searching for his footing. Under head coach Chris Latham, Lopeti found a renewed sense of assurance in his game, and he is carrying that mindset into the Eagles environment.

"Being with the Chicago Hounds for this past season, it has given me all the confidence that I felt like I lost," he said. "Being at the Hounds and playing under Latho again, it just gave me all the confidence that I needed."

Now, he is using that confidence to understand his strengths and contribute at a higher level with the national team.

"Being in this Eagles environment again is competing at a higher level and knowing who I am as a player and how I want to play and what are my strengths and just utilizing that kind of mindset in this environment."

Lopeti offloading against the Free Jacks last season | Chicago Hounds

Lopeti is also becoming one of the more experienced players in the Eagles squad. That brings a responsibility he is still learning to embrace.

He has traditionally focused on his own individual roles, but coaches have encouraged him to step forward and help establish standards within the group.

"I got to own it a little bit more 'cause I've always been the type of player to just, you know, do my focus on my own individual roles and not really say too much," he said.

"It's my responsibility to uphold standards. And yeah, I'm still getting used to it."

That growth in leadership is part of the broader development of a team building toward next year's Rugby World Cup in Australia. Lopeti recognizes that the Eagles' long 2026 campaign is designed to create the continuity and chemistry that will be needed when the tournament arrives.

After the Springboks and All Blacks played their series finale in Baltimore last weekend, the USA Eagles have their own significant tests coming up, with two home matches against Australia XV in Nashville and New Jersey next month.

The fixtures represent another opportunity to grow the profile of rugby in the United States and, for Lopeti, a chance to face a high-caliber opponent on home soil while continuing to progress as a group.

"Obviously as a footy player, in America rugby isn't as big as it is in South Africa, England, New Zealand or wherever all these other big tier one nations," he said. "But for me it's just exciting, you know, to get this kind of caliber of a team to come to our stomping grounds and kind of just give the exposure of rugby that I feel like it always deserved."

Before those fixtures, however, the Eagles have Canada to contend with.

Lopeti's focus is on the immediate challenge, and the team's response to Japan will be tested against an opponent that understands the stakes just as well.

"This tournament, every game that we play for this season and this campaign of 2026, it's all been with the mindset, you know, the bigger picture is we're trying to build continuity and chemistry with this team going into next year.

"We know the World Cup is on the horizon and we're excited for that."

With the World Cup approaching, the Eagles know that every Test is an opportunity to improve. For Lopeti, Saturday's clash with Canada is a chance to put those lessons into action, compete against familiar opponents and show that the team has learned.

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