Strong Performances at United World Games Set Up Finals Day
Strong Performances at United World Games Set Up Finals Day
Here's the latest news from the United World Games in Austria.
Utah Lions Girls U18s continued their excellent run of form, beating a very good Rhinos Rugby Academy (also of the USA) 36-7 before shutting out Scotland's Garioch and Czechia's RC Strong Girls 65-0 and 55-0, respectively. This set up the semifinals with three American teams in the final four.
The Lions beat the Texas Outlaws 20-7 in the semis, while Rhinos fell 22-0 to a very tough Rugby Academy Ireland side.
So on Sunday Rhinos will play the Outlaws for 3rd and the Lions will play the Irish for the Cup.
Regardless, it's been a good showing from the Rhinos girls.
Rhinos Academy U18 Girls
MIkayla Lord, Neasa McLaughlin, Danica Snyder, Hannah Wallace, Sana'a Lunon, Aleksandria Gabbard, Jordis Lomu, Reece Torticill, Arabella Cassidy, and Honey Proudfoot.
This is a relatively young Rhinos girls side. They do have a couple of players from overseas—Proudfoot is originally from Australia and Lord is from Canada. But it's largely a USA group. Proudfoot, McLaughlin, and Cassidy all played for Rhinoes in the Rugby Tens Championships—McLaughlin is set to go to Harvard and Cassidy will be attending Dartmouth.
In the semis Rhinos faced their Rugby Tens Championship coach in Dan Van Zyl, who is coaching Rugby Academy Ireland.
The Outlaws have seen strong improvement in their showing since last week's Heidelberg 7s.
For the Lions, they have gone from strength to strength.
Since the beginning of the Heidelberg 7s last week they have logged the following results:
NA Lions 34-0 Dutch Girls Rugby
NA Lions 38-7 Dubai Girls
NA Lions 34-0 Stade Francais
NA Lions 15-12 Dog River Howlers
NA Lions 22-12 RBW
NA Lions 24-10 Rugby Academy Ireland
NA Lions 38-0 Texas Outlaws
NA Lions 36-7 Rhinos Rugby Academy
NA Lions 65-0 Garioch
NA Lions 55-0 RC Strong
NA Lions 20-7 Texas Outlaws
So 11-0 so far with an average scoreline of 35-11 and five shutouts.
North American Lions U18 Girls:
Paola Arredondo, Summit HS Colorado; Caroline Cook, Charlotte Cardinals NC; Charlotte Dauser, Sparta Rock Michigan; Chloe De Leon, Carmel Indiana; Nolah Flynn, Doylestown Pennsylvania; Annie Huettel, North Bay Maryland; Reaghan King, Doylestown Pennsylvania; Alexa Kirschner, Charlotte Cardinals NC; Lindsey Mulligan, San Diego Mustangs California; Nila Lolesio-Pua, Belmont Shore California; Joselin Roque, Summit HS Colorado; Zoe Zumbro, Carlsbad Thunder California.
Texas Outlaws players include:
Payton Olivas, Lucia Hoffman, Delilah Staberg, Elizabeth McIsaac, Naomi Diaz Allen, Heidi Sheppard, Morgan Suniga
NA Lions at opening ceremonies at United World Games in Klagenfurt, Austria... They played pretty well too. pic.twitter.com/YvYG8ZFkaU
— Alex Goff (@goffrugbyreport) June 24, 2023
The Rhinos are the only program in the U18 Boys, and they finished round-robin play in 3rd position after two close losses on Friday, 26-24 to Causeway Barbarians and 7-0 to Rugby Club Compiegne out of France. But they shut out Rugby Opens Borders to finish up 3-2 and that was good enough for a place in the semifinal.
In that game the Rhinos exacted revenge over Compiegne with a 30-0 win to move to the final.
Rhinos U18 Boys
Robert Combrinck, Troi Arthur-Taufaao, Gregor Zavisin, Tevita Kutu Tevita, Siua "Lloyd" Arthur-Taufaao, Oskar Hillelson, Matej Sehnal, Michal Adamec, Devon Enesa, Ondrej Sehnal, Marco Scarpello.
Brothers Troi and Lloyd Arthur-Taufaao finally get a chance to paly together. Lloyd has been in the Rhinos HP program and has developed really well. Scarpello also has been in the Rhinos program for a long time. Tevita (Utah) and Enesa (Hawaii) are relatively new to the Rhinos program. So are twin brothers Matej and Ondrej Sehnal.
In the U16 Boys bracket the Utah Lions edged Austrian side Rugby Union Donau Wein 21-19 to finish atop their pool. It was not surprising that this game was close.
The Texas Rangers had already secured 2md in their pool thanks to a forfeit win over Ukraine. So those two met in the semis, with the Lions coming out 36-0 winners. Donau Wein also won convincingly so it will be a massive rematch in the final. The Rangers play French team RC Prelouc for 3rd. When these two met on Friday Prelouc won 19-10.
North American Lions U16 Boys:
Amari Barron, Wester Suburbs Virginia; Dylan Belivacqua, Fort Hunt Virginia; Kaiden Boyer, Berks County Pennsylvania; Francis Burke, Elizabethtown Pennsylvania; Lincoln Dansie, Mountain View Utah; Natane Fakahafua, Orem Zombies Utah; Lenny Ibarra, Belmont Shore California; Aiden McLaughlin, Charlotte Cardinals NC; Aiden O'Connor, Charlotte Cardinals NC; Jasiah Lelesio-Pua, Belmont Shore California; Becket Robinson, Fort Hunt Virginia; Riley Scrogham, Regis Jesuit HS Colorado
Texas Rangers Boys U16s:
Orin Hart, Carter Long, Adrian Marroquin, Brennan Thompson, Brody Hopkins, Claudio Vilchis, Kaden Nixon, Elliot Rouse, Gavin Miranda, Matthew Clem