BOULDER, Colo. – The Men’s Junior All-American Under-20s (JAAs) squad has been selected for the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy (JWRT) tournament to be played in Tbilisi, Georgia this summer. The JAA squad consists of mostly collegiate players and will take on Pool A opponents Samoa, Russia, and Uruguay. The JWRT kicks off on May 24 and concludes on June 5.
Eleven players named to the squad play in the College Premier Division (CPD) so they will effectively close their CPD seasons out and catch the next plane to London where the JAAs will train for a week ahead of the JWRT. The squad arrives in London on May 15 and leaves for Tbilisi on May 21.
JAA Head Coach, Scott Lawrence, isn’t expecting many surprises when his players assemble in London. Lawrence has been working with the athletes and their “home team” coaches on a weekly basis to ensure that players arrive at camp in shape, on the same page, and ready to play at the international level.
In order to select his JWRT squad, Lawrence and his staff considered a number of criteria. For each player they evaluated game film, monitored player form during the course of the spring season, and sought feedback from each player’s home team coach.
“We expect the players to arrive at camp ready to focus on the U20s [JAAs],” said Lawrence.
When asked about the USA’s opponents in the JWRT, Lawrence is realistic about what their opponents bring. The USA will have a solid test as they take on rugby nation Samoa in the JWRT opener on May 24.
