A Closer Look at the USA U19 Win at RAN Championships
A Closer Look at the USA U19 Win at RAN Championships
The expectation for the USA U19s was to win the RAN U19 Championship, but expecting it and getting it done are two different things.
Ultimately the young Eagles did well, allowing just one try during the entire competition, as they went 5-0 (four shortened games and one full-length games), outscoring the opposition 204-20. They essentially dominated, although it's also fair to say that Jamaica and Cayman Islands pushed them early-on.
After the USA U19s beat Jamaica 48-8 Saturday to take the championship, Head Coach Todd Thornley spoke with Goff Rugby Report about the pressure.
Sure, Thornley acknowledged, the expectation to win ... the idea that the USA should win ... is pressure in itself.
"But pressure's good," Thornley continued. "Ultimately we want to see players perform under pressure so it can be a good thing. We got a lot out of this event and finals rugby, in any situation is definitely a good test for any player."
What he saw was good. The players responded to the pressure and continued to play smart rugby and play as a team.
The tournament was an interesting test for Thornley, too, who has just left Central Washington after the program's varsity support was pulled. He was stepping out of a difficult situation to perhaps also show what he can do as a high-level coach with a selected national team of players from all over. One of the key parts of that job is to pick the captains, and he did the right thing there, naming Papa Matelau and Marco Lapierre, two quite different players and leaders, but two who complemented each other well.
"Papa's leadership was more about action," said Thornley. "He speaks, too, but really it was about his work rate and what he did as a player. Marco was certainly active, too, but he was more of a vocal communicator. So it was a good combination, and off the field they led by example. Whether we had a good game or a bad game, we operated as a team. The players overall were excellent. We had no off-field issues. Whether a guy was playing or not playing, guys were supportive of each other and what we were trying to accomplish."
And there was a team running the team, too.
"I really enjoyed working with this staff," said Thornley. "Everyone was great to work with."
Spare a thought also for Jamaica, who worked hard to make the final and scored the only try that the USA U19s gave up. They are improving in Jamaica and deserve some help in developing their senior team.
And one final note on this. While the USA U19s did win well, they didn't blow everyone out of the water and were, as we said, under pressure on occasion. This spells out what a terrific job the USA South and Panther Rugby Academy did to win this tournament multiple times. PRA won the RAN U19s three straight years from 2022-2024. It is highly likely that they will be asked to compete again in 2026. The reason the USA U19s took on the tournament was because World Rugby stopped holding the U20 World Rugby Trophy as they develop plans to expand the U20 World Championship for 2026.
So this U19 group will be the core of the U20 group for 2026, and it's unlikely we will see the USA U19s at RAN again. So back would come Panther Rugby Academy, and this non-national-team playing and beating national teams has been something to see.
