Men's Selects name starting roster to face Tonga A in Americas Pacific Challenge 2018 opener
MONTEVIDEO, URU.- Men’s Selects’ Head Coach Scott Lawrence has named his matchday 23 to face Tonga A this Saturday at 12:30 PM ET in the opening match of the Americas Pacific Challenge (APC) 2018, LIVE on FloRugby.
The full team will consist of 11 capped Men’s Eagles, 10 returners from the 2017 tournament, three 2018 First Team Men’s Collegiate All-Americans and three recent collegiate or professional rugby champions.
The developmental tournament will feature six teams all gunning heavily to expose new waves of players to international competition ahead of Rugby World Cup Japan 2019. With less than one year until the World Cup and just weeks from final selections for the November Internationals, athletes from all sides will be heavily focused on delivering standout performances.
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“We’ve had a focused few days together and it’s been encouraging to see the men self-organize. We know tomorrow’s match with Tonga A will be well-contested and are looking forward to putting the week’s hard work into action,” said Head Coach Scott Lawrence.
Leading the team as Captain is San Diego Legion’s Conor Kearns who will make his first-ever appearance with the Men’s Selects. Kearns is no stranger to the USA Rugby pathway having earned All-American honors at both the Junior and Collegiate levels in 2013 and 2016, respectively. His experience competing at the professional level with Major League Rugby coupled with his international appearances from previous All-American tours will undoubtedly be a benefit to the entire playing group.
Kearns is joined by 2018 Collegiate All-Americans Chance Wenglewski, Alex Maughan and Mitch Wilson. Maughan and Wilson both own 2018 D1A National Championships with Life University and played in the 2017 tournament.
Capped Eagle Psalm Wooching will feature on Saturday after last joining the Men’s National Team for the Americas Rugby Championship 2018. Wooching’s APC appearance is a valuable stepping stone for his return to the senior international stage, having spent the last several months recovering from injury.
Men’s Eagle Angus Mclellan also joins the Selects after Olive Kilifi was held out of consideration due to injury. Maclellan appeared at both the 2016 and 2017 iterations of the APC.
The Men’s Selects finished last year’s tournament in second-place while Tonga A came in third. After Saturday, the Selects will face Uruguay XV on Oct. 10 before closing out the Americas Pacific Challenge 2018 with reigning champion Argentina XV on Oct. 14. All three games will kickoff at 12:30 PM ET and be streamed LIVE on FloRugby.
Men’s Selects Starting Roster
| Player Name | Position | Current Club | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Chance Wenglewski | Prop | Lindenwood University | • 2018 First Team Collegiate All-American • 2017 Americas Pacific Challenge |
| 2. Alex Maughan | Hooker | Life University | • 2018 First Team Collegiate All-American • 2018 D1A National Champion • Capped Men’s Eagle • 2017 Americas Pacific Challenge |
| 3. John Hayden | Prop | Unattached | – |
| 4. Nate Brakeley | Lock | New York Athletic/ Rugby United New York | • Capped Men’s Eagle |
| 5. Taylor Krumrei | Lock | Seattle Seawolves | • 2018 Major League Rugby Champion |
| 6. Psalm Wooching | Flanker | Unattached | • Capped Men’s Eagle • 2017 Americas Pacific Challenge |
| 7. Hanco Germishuys | Flanker | Austin Elite | • Capped Men’s Eagle |
| 8. Brendan Daly | No. 8 | San Francisco Golden Gate | • Capped Men’s Eagle • 2017 Americas Pacific Challenge |
| 9. Nick Boyer | Scrumhalf | San Diego Legion | • Has appeared on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series |
| 10. Conor Kearns (C) | Flyhalf | San Diego Legion | – |
| 11. Mika Kruse | Wing | Glendale Raptors | – |
| 12. Anthony Salaber | Center | San Diego Legion | – |
| 13. Dylan Audsley | Center | San Diego Legion | • Capped Men’s Eagle |
| 14. Tim Maupin | Wing | NOLA Gold | • Capped Men’s Eagle • 2017 Americas Pacific Challenge |
| 15. Mitch Wilson | Fullback | Life University | • 2018 First Team Collegiate All-American • 2018 D1A National Champion • 2017 Americas Pacific Challenge |
Men’s Selects Reserves
| Player | Position | Current Club | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16. Pat O’Toole | Reserve | San Diego Legion | – |
| 17. Kelepi Fifita | Reserve | Glendale Raptors | • 2017 America’s Pacific Challenge |
| 18. Angus Mclellan | Reserve | Utah Warriors | • Capped Men’s Eagle • 2017 Americas Pacific Challenge |
| 19. Matt Jensen | Reserve | Utah Warriors | • Capped Men’s Eagle • 2017 Americas Pacific Challenge |
| 20. Vili Toluta’u | Reserve | Seattle Seawolves | • 2018 Major League Rugby Champion |
| 21. Devereaux Ferris | Reserve | Life West Gladiators | – |
| 22. JP Eloff | Reserve | NOLA Gold | • Capped Men’s Eagle • 2017 Americas Pacific Challenge |
| 23. Ryan Matyas | Reserve | San Diego Legion | • Capped Men’s Eagle |
USA Men’s Selects Staff
Head Coach | Scott Lawrence
Assistant Coach | David Williams
Assistant Coach | Scott Murray
Strength & Conditioning Coach | Huw Bevan
Performance Analyst | Jimmy Harrison
Team Doctor | Marc Kowalsky
Head Athletic Trainer | Kevin Ng
Assistant Athletic Trainer | Santiago Aguirre
Team Manager & Operations | Kevin McCorry II
Americas Pacific Challenge 2018 Schedule
Montevideo, Uruguay
vs Tonga A
Sat, Oct. 6 – 12:30 PM ET
vs Uruguay XV
Wed, Oct. 10 – 12:30 PM ET
vs Argentina XV
Sun, Oct. 14 – 12:30 PM ET
*Schedule subject to change; all matches LIVE on FloRugby.
