Two more contrasting teams you will not find. England and the United States are, in Rugby Union terms, at totally opposite ends of the spectrum.
England, the defending World Cup champions, come from a very strong Rugby Union culture - in fact it is regarded (wrongly or rightly) as the birthplace of the game.
In the US Rugby Union is a minor sport which struggles for any kind of media coverage and funding is minimal. They have only a few semi-professional players and one or two full-timers.
Yet, when they meet in Lens on Saturday there will be expectations and hope like in any other game.
The expectations will be that of England and their vast supporter base that traveled across the channel to France. They will be expecting and easy win and a smooth ride into the crucial encounter with South Africa six days later.
The US Eagles and their small party of fans will be hoping for an upset. But mostly, they will be hoping to be just competitive.
The Eagles have qualified for the finals of a World Cup four times, with the buzzword always being the "potential" of the team. However, they won only two games - both against Japan - in their previous three visits to this global showpiece.
After their win in the inaugural 1987 tournament, they lost a record 10 games in a row until victory at Gosford in 2003.
Despite starting as overwhelming favourites, England are aware that they can't afford to look too much beyond Saturday, as complacency has brought down much bigger and better teams.
England captain Phil Vickery, who said his team is more than ready to launch the defence of their World Cup title, is the first to admit that the Eagles are not to be summarily dismissed.
"You look at it on paper and this is a team we should beat convincingly, but there is always that danger that if you don't treat them with respect then you will come unstuck," Vickery said.
"We have got to respect these guys, they are a very proud nation, they have got some very good players and they are playing the defending champions in the opening game of the Rugby World Cup."
The Eagles have focused on improving their set pieces, heading into this match against England and with several veteran forwards returning this year, the US outfit aims to make this an interesting match-up.
"We have come a long way in a very short time," scrum coach Bill LeClerc said.
"We were fortunate to have Mike Cron [the All Blacks' scrum doctor] at the beginning of the year. We have implemented a lot of his techniques.
"A lot of our players have come along in leaps and bounds in terms of their conditioning," he added.
"We have got the best tactics we can. They are up for it and they want to see how they go against one of the best packs in the world."
Ones to Watch:
For England: In the absence of the yet again injured Jonny Wilkinson the spotlight will inevitably shift onto Olly Barkley, to see how he shapes up at fly-half on the biggest stage of all. The US are not exactly the biggest test he'll face, but he will have an ideal opportunity to show there is life after Wilko.
For the United State: You will have to look at the veterans - the likes of Mike Hercus at fly-half and Luke Gross in the second row - to guide the World Cup newcomers, of which there are many in the Eagles team.
Head to Head: The midfield battle could be very entertaining. Probably not the most decisive showdown, but it will be worth watching how veterans Jamie Noon and Mike Catt (England) shape up against the effervescent Paul Emerick and Vahafolau Esikia (Eagles). In the second row Luke Gross (US) will play a crucial set piece role in his battle with Simon Shaw (England).
Recent Results:
2001: England won 48-19, San Francisco
1999: England won 106-8, London
1991: England won 37-9, London
1987: England won 34-6, Sydney
Prediction: Like all North American sides you can expect the Eagles to be very committed. They've had their moments, but they've also had problems in sustaining that over a period. This England team is not as bad as most people think and even without Jonny Wilkinson will cruise to an easy win - by 20 points or more.
Teams:
England: 15 Mark Cueto, 14 Josh Lewsey, 13 Jamie Noon, 12 Mike Catt, 11 Jason Robinson, 10 Olly Barkley, 9 Shaun Perry, 8 Lawrence Dallaglio, 7 Tom Rees, 6 Joe Worsley, 5 Ben Kay, 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Phil Vickery (c), 2 Mark Regan, 1 Andrew Sheridan.
Replacements: 16 George Chuter, 17 Matt Stevens, 18 Martin Corry, 19 Lewis Moody, 20 Peter Richards, 21 Andy Farrell , 22 Mathew Tait.
United States: 15 Chris Wyles, 14 Salesi Sika, 13 Paul Emerick, 12 Vahafolau Esikia, 11 Takudzwa Ngwenya, 10 Mike Hercus (c), 9 Chad Erskine, 8 Henry Bloomfield, 7 Todd Clever, 6 Louis Stanfill, 5 Mike Mangan, 4 Luke Gross, 3 Chris Osentowski, 2 Owen Lentz, 1 Mike MacDonald.
Replacements: 16 Blake Burdette, 17 Matekitonga Moeakiola, 18 Alec Parker, 19 Inaki Basauri, 20 Mike Petri, 21 Valenese Malifa, 22 Albert Tuipulotu.
Date: Saturday, 8 September
Venue: Stade Felix Bollaert, Lens
Kick-off: 18.00 (16.00 GMT)
Conditions: Mostly sunny, wind NW 14 km/h; High 22°C, overnight low 13°C
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
Touch judges: Lyndon Bray (New Zealand), Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)
Television match official: Paul Honiss (New Zealand)
Assessor: Michel Lamoulie (France)
www.planetrugby.com
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