SHAWNIGAN LAKE, B.C. - The USA Men's U20s fell to Canada U20s 5-23 in the finale of the World Rugby Trophy Qualifier series. Canada will represent North America at the main tournament held in Brazil next month. Head Coach Scott Bracken said: "The guys worked very hard and gave it their all. We did the best we could with what we had. I am very proud of our athletes.' The Canadians applied masterful pressure from the very beginning, particularly in the scrum, capitalizing on mistakes by the United States to keep their phases in attack more productive. With challenges in ball handling and penalties drawn in crucial moments, the USA U20s were stopped from crossing the goal line on many occasions. Canada scored nine of their 23 points on penalty goals, with their only two tries coming in the first thirteen minutes of the match.The Americans fell further behind in the 18th minute when Chase Jones drew a yellow card, despite applying valiant effort to spread their numbers and keep the Canadians back. While Canada's U20s were the more dominant team, the United States had a promising five-minute standoff in the second half which saw them put the Canadians on their toes. In the 57th minute, the U.S. made it into the try zone but were held up; and from the scrum, Captain Bailey Wilson charged into the Candian defense and almost made it over the line. Stopped two meters short, the Americans continued to threaten until Canada drew a yellow card and the USA were given an advantage. Following another Canadian penalty and a few more phases, the attack stayed alive and Alex Lopeti crossed the goal line in the 62nd minute to end the shutout. With Canada winning the berth in the U20 trophy on an aggregate score of 38-67, the United States will head home and focus their efforts on next season. For more information about the USA Under-20s, click here.
USA MEN'S U20s ROSTER
| PLAYER NAME | POSITION | CLUB/COLLEGE |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jack Wiles | Prop | St. Bonaventure University |
| 2. Jack Manzo | Hooker | University of California, Berkeley |
| 3. Jared Miller | Prop | Life University |
| 4. Sam Golla | Lock | University of California, Berkeley |
| 5. Asa Carter | Lock | Arkansas State |
| 6. Chase Jones | Flanker | St. Mary's College of California |
| 7. Miles McCormick | Flanker | OMBAC |
| 8. Bailey Wilson (C) | No 8 | Utah Valley University |
| 9. Ethan McVeigh | Scrumhalf | Cardiff Metropolitan University |
| 10. Mike Weir | Flyhalf | Dartmouth College |
| 11. Jasper Green | Wing | Dartmouth College |
| 12. Lauina Falatea | Center | USA Sevens Residency Program |
| 13. Jack Wendling | Center | Central Washington University |
| 14. Ryan James | Wing | San Diego Legion |
| 15. Sam Walsh | Fullback | University of California, Berkeley |
USA MEN'S U20s RESERVES
| PLAYER | POSITION | CLUB/SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|
| 16. Braden Looper | Reserve | University of Arizona |
| 17. Doug Mitchell | Reserve | Central Washington University |
| 18. Alex Lopeti | Reserve | Life West Gladiators |
| 19. Matt Gelhaus | Reserve | Kutztown |
| 20. Chris Noggle | Reserve | Santa Barbara Academy |
| 21. Jeff Peleseuma-Breiz | Reserve | San Francisco Golden Gate |
| 22. Inoke Waqavesi | Reserve | USA Sevens Residency Program |
| 23. Cole Semu | Reserve | BYU |
| 24. Will Vakalahi | Reserve | DC Old Glory |
| 25. Luke Freeman | Reserve | University of California, Berkeley |
| 26. Jake Christmann | Reserve | Utah Warriors |
USA MEN'S U20S STAFF
Head Coach | Scott Bracken
Assistant Coach, Attack | Brendan O’Meara
Assistant Coach, Defense | Michael Engelbrecht
Assistant Coach, Set Piece | Liam Harnett
Strength & Conditioning Coach | Michael Smith
Athletic Trainer | Santiago Aquirre
Performance Analyst | Jake Sullivan
Operations Manager | Kevin McCorry
WORLD RUGBY TROPHY QUALIFIER SERIES
Streamed LIVE on Rugby Canada’s Facebook Pagevs Canada U20s | 33-44 (L)vs Canada U20s | 5-23 (L)Click here to learn more about the USA Under-20s
