USA Selects named for Americas Pacific Challenge

Scott Lawrence will again lead the USA Select XV to the Americas Pacific Challenge next month. A team of 27 players has been selected for matches against the second senior sides of Tonga, Uruguay, and Argentina in Montevideo.

Included are 12 players capped at test level, with Olive Kilifi the most experienced man in the squad with 24 caps. Others who appeared in the June internationals are flankers Hanco Germishuys and Vili Toluta’u, and midfielder Dylan Audsley.

A total of 19 have been selected from Major League Rugby with the San Diego Legion contributing seven of them. Three are first team Collegiate All-American selections, with another two plucked from club rugby in the Pacific Rugby Premiership.

Notable selections are Irish-born duo Pat O’Toole and Tadhg Leader, New Zealand native Devereaux Ferris, and Australian duo Zach Young and Mitch Wilson. Taylor Krumrei is rewarded for his for with the Seattle Seawolves, as are fellow newcomers Mika Kruse of Glendale and San Diego’s Anthony Salaber.

Psalm Wooching is a surprise inclusion having been inactive since the Americas Rugby Championship. World Cup lifelines have also been thrown to Nate Brakeley and Brendan Daly, both of whom were overlooked for the June tests after skipping out on the first season of MLR.

[EDIT: Zach Young was incorrectly named in the original squad release. USA Rugby have now clarified that JP Eloff was in fact been selected.]

A detailed squad list can be seen here.

FORWARDS
Kelepi Fifita (Glendale Raptors), John Hayden (Seattle Seawolves), Olive Kilifi (Seattle Seawolves), Chance Wenglewski (Lindenwood), Cam Falcon (New Orleans Gold), Alex Maughan (Life), Pat O’Toole (San Diego Legion), Nate Brakeley (Rugby United New York), Matt Jensen (Utah Warriors), Taylor Krumrei (Seattle Seawolves), Brendan Daly (SFGG), Hanco Germishuys (Austin Elite), Thomas Robles (UCal Golden Bears), Vili Toluta’u (Seattle Seawolves), Psalm Wooching (Seattle Saracens)

BACKS
Nick Boyer (San Diego Legion), Devereaux Ferris (Life West), Holden Yungert (New Orleans Gold), Conor Kearns (San Diego Legion), Tadhg Leader (San Diego Legion), Dylan Audsley (San Diego Legion), JP Eloff (New Orleans Gold), Mika Kruse (Glendale Raptors), Anthony Salaber (San Diego Legion), Ryan Matyas (San Diego Legion), Tim Maupin (New Orleans Gold), Mitch Wilson (Life)