The USA Men’s U20s finished on a high in Georgia to conclude their 2026 Junior World Championships campaign.
In the 15th place play-off head coach, Johannes ‘Neets’ Gericke’s, watched from the sideline as his team came from behind to beat Uruguay 39-15 and claim the USA’s first-ever win at the annual tournament.
It was a dramatic 80 minutes at the AIA Arena in Kutaisi. The Teritos raced into a 15-0 lead with three tries from hooker Sebastian Perez in 10 first-half minutes.
From the moment of Perez’s third trip across the whitewash in western Georgia the USA were in full control of the fixture and scored 39 unanswered points. The comeback started with Aidan Stewart’s try on the stroke of half-time.
Two minutes after the 15-minute break Papaseea Matelau crashed over for a try that was converted and Declan Cadden’s penalty handed Gericke’s team a one-point lead.
Harrison Cluff, Oliver Kirk and Liam Hill all had tries of their own before the full-time whistle blew, while Jack Firebrace split the uprights with a penalty of his own.
It all aligned in Georgia and the sound of joyous singing filled the changing room as players and coaches alike celebrated their success on the field.
“I was very pleased and relieved,” Gericke said. “Especially the way the boys reacted to the hard messages at half-time. We did not play to what we are capable of in the first half, so to score 39 unanswered points was a great way to cap off our tour.”
“Getting a win despite the illness adversity we faced with minimum on field time to build continuity could overshadow the historic nature of our first JWC victory. But, with that said, it is a great part of our team’s history we will cherish forever.”
When it came to picking out individuals from the Uruguay victory, Gericke quickly named Kirk. A replacement prop, Kirk was introduced to the fixture in the 35th minute for Colin Donnelly and was named Player of the Match by his coaches and teammates.
Brought onto the field immediately after Uruguay’s third try, the Cal Rugby front-row helped calm the USA at the scrum and lent himself well to play in the loose too.
Rewarded with a try six minutes from time, it was a day to remember on the turf for the Illinois native in his second outing of the tournament.
There was also a special mention for Will Darbishire. The center, who represents the University of Nottingham in the UK’s BUCS Super Rugby, played the full 80 minutes against the Teritos and scored two tries across his five appearances in Georgia.
It took three Junior World Championship events for the USA Men’s U20s to register their first win at the tournament. In 2008 [Wales] and 2012 [France] the side finished bottom of their pools and did not register victories in their play-off fixtures.
Now two years on from the age grade group’s runner-up finish at the World U20 Trophy – which was won by tournament hosts Scotland – it is clear that the USA Men’s U20s are gaining in their competitiveness.
After group stage fixtures against England, Argentina and Ireland, the USA played Japan in a 15th place semi-final. The squad, which had been battling a virus across pool play, lost 71-21 to Japan in Kutaisi.
At one stage of the tournament 22 of the 30 players in Gericke’s 30-player squad were affected by the illness that swept through camp.
Across the 80 minutes against Japan, the USA conceded 21 penalties, both Tyler Trower and Spencer Huntley received yellow cards and Alfie Booth received a red card.
“Japan was disappointing for us, because we were technically well prepared, but we didn’t have the physical preparation to back it up,” Gericke said. “Our biggest focus was not correcting our mistakes from Japan but focusing on all 30 players being healthy to train. The last time we had that was the week before England.”
By the tournament’s end Japan had claimed 13th place, Ireland claimed ninth, Argentina were beaten by Australia in the 7th Place Play-Off and England lost to New Zealand in the bronze medal clash. South Africa won their second Junior World Championship in a row with a 16-5 win over France in Tbilisi.
Ahead of the USA Men’s U20s long journey home from Eastern Europe, Gericke took a final chance to reflect on the journey his team had been on across this past month.
It ended on the high of a win over Uruguay but had not always been plain sailing.
There was the immense disappointment of opening day defeat to Argentina. Then battling to even field a team to play England and Ireland as illness left some players bedridden. It is not a tournament that anyone associated with it is likely to forget any time soon.
“We are extremely proud of the boys and the adversity they have shown,” Gericke said. “We could have easily given into the effect the illness had on the team. But this squad never gave up.”
“Even with little on field prep versus Ireland and Japan, the boys never gave up. For that, we are very proud of these boys for staying positive in a really physically taxing tournament.”
“It truly took all 30 players and eight staff members to constantly stay in it. This was a mentally and physically draining tour for the whole squad. The relief after a good win over Uruguay was shown through songs and tears.”
USA fans can still support the Men's U20s by donating here.
