USA Selects named for Pacific Challenge

San Diego Breakers head coach Ray Egan will take a young squad to Montevideo for the upcoming Americas Pacific Challenge tournament. Of the 26 players only 10 have senior test caps with none reaching double digits. Joe Taufete’e is the most capped with 7 and the sole representative from the World Cup squad. Only Ohio Aviators prop Demecus Beach is above 26 years of age and there are two players – prop Chance Wenglewski and second row Siaosi Mahoni – still eligible to represent the Junior All-Americans next season at the World Rugby u20 Trophy.

Beach and San Francisco’s Mahoni are two of a dozen selections that took part in the inaugural PRO Rugby season. Denver prop Jake Turnbull and San Diego loose forwards Cecil Garber and Sione Tu’ihalamaka are selected entirely on the back of their performances in the new professional competition. Australian-born Turnbull was not a starter for Denver but his work rate and ability to play both sides of the scrum make him an interesting prospect. Garber was one of the surprise packages of the season for the Breakers as a dogged openside flanker, while Tu’ihalamaka’s massive physical presence makes his inclusion no surprise.

Collegiate standouts include Life University front rower Alex Maughan, BYU lighthouse Matt Jensen, and hard-running Indiana center Bryce Campbell. Highly-rated UCal Golden Bears graduate Nick Boyer will look to secure the scrumhalf role, and there are strong options at flyhalf in Junior All-American goal kicker Ben Cima and the creative JP Eloff, now fully recovered from a broken leg suffered while on PRO duty with Ohio. Second row Christian Ostberg is the only overseas player included having been granted time off by his French Pro D2 club Aurillac.

Versatility is another feature of the squad, with a number of players set to cover a variety of positions. Flankers Hanco Germishuys and Pat Blair have been touted as potential hooker options, and there are any number of permutations in the backs with virtually every player capable of slotting in at multiple spots. With only 10 backs selected it seems likely the team will opt for a 6-2 bench split, especially given the short turnaround between games.

The tournament kicks off on October 8 when the Selects square off against the Fiji Warriors. A fierce battle is expected in the North American derby against Canada on October 12, with hosts Uruguay rounding off the opposition on October 16. All matches will be played at the Estadio Charrúa. Streaming details have yet to be confirmed by World Rugby.

FORWARDS
Demecus Beach (Old Blue / Ohio Aviators), Alex Maughan (Life), Mason Pedersen (Belmont Shore / San Diego Breakers), Jake Turnbull (NYAC / Denver Stampede), Chance Wenglewski (Lindenwood), Hanco Germishuys (Glendale Raptors / Denver Stampede), Joe Taufete’e (Belmont Shore / San Diego Breakers), Matt Jensen (Brigham Young), Siaosi Mahoni (EPA Bulldogs / San Francisco Rush), Christian Ostberg (Aurillac, FR), Malon Al-Jiboori (Lindenwood), Pat Blair (Seattle Saracens / San Diego Breakers), Cecil Garber (Seattle Saracens / San Diego Breakers), Harry Higgins (Old Blue), Aladdin Schirmer (Seattle Saracens), Sione Tu’ihalamaka (San Diego Breakers)

BACKS
Nick Boyer (Unattached), Stephen Tomasin (OMBAC), Ben Cima (Rocky Gorge), JP Eloff (Chicago Lions / Ohio Aviators), Bryce Campbell (Indiana Hoosiers), Ahmad Harajly (Detroit Tradesmen / Ohio Aviators), Martin Iosefo (USA 7s), Matai Leuta (USA 7s), Brett Thompson (USA 7s), Mike Te’o (Belmont Shore / San Diego Breakers)

Head Coach – Ray Egan
Forwards Coach – Shawn Pittman
Video Analyst – Chris O’Brien
Manager – JD Stephenson
Strength & Conditioning – Alex Ross
Physiotherapist – Kevin Ng
Team Doctor – Mark Sakr

FIXTURES
Oct 8 – 10:30 PT / 13:30 ET – vs Fiji Warriors
Oct 12 – 10:30 PT / 13:30 ET – vs Canada ‘A’
Oct 16 – 10:30 PT / 13:30 ET – vs Uruguay ‘A’