It was a 3-0 day for the USA men's age-grade teams at the Corendon Summer Tour in Amsterdam, Netherlands, with the USA U18s, U20s, and U23s all winning their games.
The U18s battled in a tough, back-and-forth game with the Netherlands. It was very close at halftime and but the USA team put in an improved second-half effort and pulled away 31-23.
This was the group's first hit-out as international rugby players ever, and it took them some time to adjust to the intensity. The Netherlands team, as was true of the other teams the USA squads faced Saturday, was physically large and tested the USA players' physicality.
"They found out what it was like," said Pathways Director Brendan Keane. "But coaches Ollie and Dom did a great job making adjustments and keeping them in the fight."
That would be former USA prop Ollie Kilifi as assistant coach and Dom Wareing as the Head Coach.
The players adjusted well at halftime.
The U20s torched a pretty tough Belgium team 55-7.
"This is a very dangerous U20 team," said Keane. "Several of these guys played in that three-game series against Canada a couple of years ago, and they came together nicely. They are talented, full of quality players who have played together."
The U20s handled the physical intensity and pressure they were put under, and any time they had space they threatened to score.
