World Rugby Trophy Qualifier

The Men’s Junior All-Americans (U20s) will face Canada U20s in a World Rugby Trophy Qualifier tournament. The two-match series will be held in Houston June 12 and 16, the same week as the Eagles test match against Scotland is being held at BBVA Compass Stadium.

Scott Bracken, Eagle No. 235, is the Head Coach for the Men’s Junior All-Americans (MJAAs). He looks forward to the series and the opportunity to develop young players as they move through the USA Rugby pathway.

Bracken indicated that “This age-grade is my favorite to coach. The athletes at this age are just sponges and it’s a transitional stage in their lives where the right mentorship can make a difference in their life direction. This trip will be a great experience because we’ll be practicing at the same location as the Men’s National Team. Being alongside the men’s team, and seeing it up close, will give them an extra impetus to strive for that goal.”

The team will be selected after a camp is held May 11-13 at the Chula Vista Olympic Training Site. JD Stephenson (Director of Rugby for the Men’s Junior All-American tour) and the MJAAs staff have selected 50 players through open nominations and an evaluation of standout athletes from the previous year’s competition.

Assisting Bracken are Assistant Coaches Scott Murray, Ray Egan, Brendan O’Meara and Michael Engelbrecht, who were selected from USA Rugby’s new coaching development pathway Project SOAR.

The winner of the WRT will be the team with the highest aggregate score and will earn a place at the 2018 World Rugby Trophy tournament this Fall.