NACRA U19 Rugby Team Profiles: USA South

The NACRA Men’s U19 Rugby Championships is the premiere U19 Men’s Championships for the North American Caribbean Rugby Association. The members of NACRA U19 are  USA Rugby South, Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago, and Turks and Caicos Islands. We will profile each team leading up to the 2015 NACRA Men’s U19 Rugby Championships being held in Orlando, FL from July 11-18, 2015.

The USA South will premiere this year as the host team for the NACRA Men’s U19 Rugby Championships. In addition, the USA South will be entering two teams into the tournament. USA South’s first team (also known as USA South Blue) will enter into the competition as the 3rd ranked team in the competition. The second USA South team (also known as USA South Red) will enter into the competition as the 8th ranked team. USA South is lead by coach Mark Williams and manager Kevin Kitto.

The USA South plays under the philosophy that a simple game plan and good defense is what it takes to win games. The utilization of a wide range of programs and skill levels helps win championships. With ten starters returning from the 2014 USA South team, these two competing sides will surely fit into their philosophy. The USA South veterans are,

Dylan Boast (Georgia)
Josh Inglis (Georgia)
Jeffery Rein (Tennessee)
Samuel Toliver (Tennessee)
Cameron Troxler (Louisiana)
Stephen Curran (Georgia)
Brennan Falcon (Louisiana)
Judah Ogbuehi (Georgia)
Matthew O’Connell (Tennessee)
John Williams (Tennessee)

Coach Mark Williams has high praise for this returning side. Williams mentioned,

Last years team was thrown together. Going into the championships some of the guys had just met each other shortly before the matches. This year these guys have returned with more experience and maturity”

Most of the players on USA South Blue were high school seniors when they played in Trinidad and Tobago last year. This year they have returned with a year of experience under their belt playing in the collegiate rankings. Players such as team captain, Dylan Vost, who now plays with the Division 1A, Arkansas State’s starting Rugby side, Cameron Troxler and Brennan Falcon who are starters for LSU, a team that will be playing in Division 1A for the 2015/2016 season. Also front row specialist, Steven Curan, a starter for the Georgia Southern Division 1AA side.

All the praise for the USA South Blue team, one cannot forget about the impact of the USA South Red.  The Red side may be the second team for the USA South, but they are not an inferior side. A roster made up primarily of high schoolers, the Red side will be taking on personality of its own. Williams predicted that the USA South Red could be the dark horse team of the tournament.

There is undoubtedly pressure on the USA South to perform at a top-level this year. Being a home team favorite, winning can become a burden of expectation, and not a result of proper execution. For Mark Williams, it doesn’t have to be.

Pressure is what you make it. You can’t focus on anything further than the immediate kickoff, and you can’t look forward until the game is completed. It’ll be hot and demanding, but they (USA South) can’t worry about what’s going to happen. Focus on playing good fundamentals, good defense and good things will happen for us. It’s not a ‘win or else’ mentality. We need to win this play or else. Nothing more than a few seconds ahead.

USA South Red will be playing their first match against Mexico on Saturday, July 11th at 10:00 am EST. USA South – Blue will play their first match against Bermuda on Sunday, July 12th at 10:00am EST. You can catch all the action on The Gift-Time Rugby Network.

Roster