The USA Eagles will have a tough row to hoe at next year's Rugby World Cup no matter which Pool they eventually end up in.

If all goes according to plan, the US and Canada will likely go in as the Americas #1 and #2 qualifiers following this coming summer's RWC qualifying rounds. Their opponents in that series of games will be Chile and Uruguay, the team finishing third will be forced into a repechage.

The Americas #1 will go into Pool D alongside New Zealand and Wales, while Americas #2 will slot into Pool C with England and South Africa, so either way, it will be a big ask for the North Americans.

"There are no free lunches at the World Cup," said Eagles head coach Tom Billups. "From our perspective, if you've qualified you're not going to be a bad side and we'll be grateful to be taking on anyone that the IRB has set for us. But first we have to qualify."

According to Billups, the eventual seedings will make little difference to the Eagles' preparations, "There's no debating as to whether we come in as Americas #1 or #2 because we'll just be setting our sights on qualifying. We'll be taking our summer tests one at a time."

Prior to the qualifiers, the Eagles have a one-off Test against Scotland in San Francisco and while it has no bearing on the USA's World Cup aspirations, it will be a good measuring stick for the Americans. "Every time we put on our national colours we're honoured and we'll be going out there to do our best. We'll focus on qualifying after the Scotland Test."

Billups added that he has been casting an eye over potential squad members since getting the nod as head coach back in January, "I think we'll be ready to announce the squad in the next week or so. And I think we'll put a good team on the field."