February 13, 2016 - 7:48 PM
AUSTIN, Texas - Todd Clever had three second-half tries as the United States beat Canada 30-22 on Saturday at the Americas Rugby Championship.
Gordon McRorie kicked 15 points for Canada while Duncan Maguire scored his first test try.
McRorie pushed Canada's lead to 15-10 at the 45-minute mark, but Clever went over in the 57th minute off a driving maul for his first of three tries in an eight-minute span.
"We were in good position in the first half and for one moment we lost that control with a few errors and our killer instinct," said Canada's interim head coach Francois Ratier.
Clever was in again four minutes later as he powered over off a driving maul from a lineout to give the U.S. its first lead 20-10.
After another driving maul had been established, Clever snuck out the back and dove over to secure his hat trick in the 65th minute, with Niku Kruger's conversion extending the lead to 27-15.
"We had a few moments where we lacked concentration at some key moments," said Ratier. "Missed tackles, penalties when we had the momentum, these little mistakes made the big difference."
Canada responded when Maguire took a pop pass off the floor from fly half Gradyn Bowd before accelerating past the American back line to grab his first test try. Andrew Ferguson added the conversion to secure the first test points of his career.
Any attempt of a comeback fell short though, when Kruger stepped up to slot home three points to secure the win.
Canada is 1-1 at the competition after beating Uruguay in its opening match. The Canadians are back home next Saturday as they host Brazil at Westhills Stadium in Langford, B.C.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2016