MJAA World Trophy Qualifier Squad Against Canada
Men’s Junior All-Americans (U20s) Head Coach Scott Bracken announced a 26 man roster that will compete against Canada in the two-game World Rugby Trophy qualification series on June 12 and 16th. The winner will represent North America in August in Romania. Houston, Texas will host the series, with the venue, announced later.
Twenty-six athletes survived the fifty, who participated in a training camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Site in Chula Vista. Six members of the squad are from the newly launched U.S. professional league, Major League Rugby. The remaining squad members were a mix of high school, collegiate and overseas club athletes who demonstrated both tactical and technical skills.
Head Coach Scott Bracken said “The staff and I have selected athletes that we believe will develop into a very good team for the upcoming Canada series. The players are very excited to go to Houston and get to work.”
This is the 11th World Rugby Trophy competition. The 2018 event will bring together eight national under-20 aged programs in Romania for more than two weeks of international competition beginning August 24th and ending September 10th. All teams have qualified for the event, except for the North American representative. The team with the greatest cumulative score will advance after June 16. Canada won the qualifier in 2017, while the United States won in 2016.
With the qualifier in Houston the same week as the Men’s Eagles play Scotland at BBVA Compass Stadium on June 16th, the Men’s Junior All-Americans will be able to train alongside the Men’s Eagles.
Broadcast information, location and match times for the World Rugby Trophy Qualification series will be confirmed closer to the date.
MEN’S JUNIOR ALL-AMERICAN ROSTER – 2018 WORLD RUGBY TROPHY QUALIFIER
| PLAYER | SCHOOL/CLUB |
| Ainuu, David | Toulouse Rugby |
| Bagley, Daryl | American International College |
| Bradfield, Jack | Cleveland Westside Rovers |
| Buckley, Connor | Iona College |
| Dacey, Max | Glendale Raptors |
| Farmer, Kieran | Houston SaberCats |
| James, Ryan | Glendale Raptors |
| Johnson, Justin | Life University |
| Johnstone, Campbell | Mount St. Mary’s University |
| Leddy, Alec | Glendale Raptors |
| Lialio, Payton | St. Mary’s College |
| Madden, Patrick | Cal Poly State University-San Louis Obispo |
| Mascolo, Santiago | Iona College |
| Mcleish, Stephen | Lindenwood University |
| McVeigh, Ethan | Old Mission Beach Athletic Club – Wallabies |
| Murphy, Ronan | Saint Mary’s College of California |
| Niumataiwalu, Noah | Saint Joseph’s University |
| Perry, Quinn | Santa Monica Rugby |
| Short, Devin | San Diego Legion |
| Shotwell, Dillon | Sam Houston State University |
| Teles, Bronson | University of Arizona |
| Walsh, Sam | Scots College (NZ) |
| Waguespack, William | NOLA Gold Rugby |
| Wendling, John | Central Washington University |
| Wiles, Jack | St. Bonaventure University |
| Wilson, Bailey | Utah United |
MEN’S JUNIOR ALL-AMERICAN STAFF – 2018 WORLD RUGBY TROPHY QUALIFIER
| POSITION | STAFF |
| Head Coach | Scott Bracken |
| Assistant Coach | Michael Englebrecht |
| Assistant Coach | Brendan O’Meara |
| Athletic Trainer | Catherine Donahue |
| Team Manager | Kevin McCorry |
| Director of Rugby | JD Stephenson |
