GRR: U23s
The USA U23s beat the UXI Invitational XV at Western Province in South Africa 41-12 on a muddy Wednesday afternoon.
This was had open subs and featured an opponent drawn from the UXI Western Province International Rugby Institute. So there were a lot of similarities between the two teams—both full of talent, both made up of players that had just started playing together.
USA Rugby and the New England Free Jacks are holding a women's U23 tournament icing off tomorrow, Friday, in Quincy, Mass.
This is a buildup toward, hopefully, the selection of a USA U23 team, but is notable for a few other reasons, too.
The Midwest Thunderbirds are on the hunt again. The U23 all-star team is returning to the Las Vegas Invitational and looking to defend its college 7s title. Roger Riley and Steve Murra have also returned as coaches, and noted that this year's competition will produce new challenges.