SACRAMENTO — The United States posted a confidence-boosting 23-18 win over Japan in the Pacific Nations Cup Rugby Tournament here Friday. The US was beaten in its opening match by Samoa, which retained its unbeaten record Friday when it drew 30-30 with Fiji, which also remain unbeaten after two matches. Samoa overcame a 17-point deficit in the second half, and Patrick Faapale struck a late-gasp penalty to level the scores. In the other Friday match, Tonga posted its first victory when it overcame a slow start to beat Canada 28-18 in a match played at Burnaby in suburban Vancouver. — Reuters