Men’s Selects roster announced for Americas Pacific Challenge 2018
27 players to assemble in Fort Lauderdale, FL this month for training camp
LAFAYETTE, CO. – Head Coach Scott Lawrence has named his 27 Men’s Selects (15s) for the Americas Pacific Challenge 2018 (APC), taking place Oct. 6-14 in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Of the 27 athletes selected, 10 return from the 2017 tournament, 11 are capped Men’s National Team players and four are 2018 1st Team All-Americans (15s) named from the recent Men’s Collegiate All-American Selection Camp. Together, the Selects will face Tonga A, Uruguay XV and reigning two-time champion Argentina XV as they strive to topple their runner-up finish from the previous year.
Broadcast information for the 6-team Americas Pacific Challenge 2018 will be announced closer to date.
“The makeup of this year’s touring squad is an exciting evolution leading into a World Cup year,” said Head Coach Scott Lawrence. “Not only are there a handful of current Eagles that we’re looking to build cohesion with, there are also a number of new Major League Rugby and Varsity collegiate athletes that have the film and the metrics to back up their inclusion.”
The Men’s Selects bring an accomplished group of players to the developmental tournament; allowing emerging talent to learn both from the structure of the competition and their peers. The 2017 tournament itself saw three Selects move on to become capped Men’s National Team players.
Among them, are none other than Psalm Wooching and Brendan Daly who will both feature again this October.
Men’s Eagle Hanco Germishuys joins the two, as well, having scored an instrumental try in the United States’ June upset over then No. 6 Scotland. Germishuys also appeared at last year’s APC, having already earned his first cap.
Experience and new flair combine with the addition of four of this year’s 1st Team Men’s Collegiate All-Americans (MCAAs), including Alex Maughan, Chance Wenglewski, Mitch Wilson and Zach Young. Maughan represents both the capped Eagle and All-American sides of the squad.
The Men’s Selects will begin training camp for the third annual Americas Pacific Challenge later this month, adapting to the warm climate in Fort Lauderdale as a key part of preparation.
The 6-team tournament — which also includes Canada A and Samoa A — will begin on Oct. 6 with the U.S. facing Tonga A at 12:30 PM ET. Uruguay XV and Argentina XV will follow, after which the team with the most points in the first-past-the-post competition will be named champion.
2018 USA Men’s Selects Roster
Player Name | Position | Club | Notes |
Dylan Audsley | Center | San Diego Legion | Men’s Eagle |
Nick Boyer | Scrumhalf | San Diego Legion | |
Nate Brakeley | Lock | New York Athletic | Men’s Eagle |
Brendan Daly | Flanker | San Francisco Golden Gate | Men’s Eagle |
Cam Falcon | Hooker | NOLA Gold | |
Devereaux Ferris | Scrumhalf | Life West Gladiators | |
Kelepi Fifita | Prop | Glendale Raptors | |
Hanco Germishuys | Flanker | Austin Elite | Men’s Eagle |
John Hayden | Prop | unattached | |
Matt Jensen | Lock | Utah Warriors | Men’s Eagle |
Conor Kearns | Flyhalf | San Diego Legion | |
Olive Kilifi | Prop | Seattle Seawolves | Men’s Eagle |
Taylor Krumrei | Lock | Seattle Seawolves | |
Mika Kruse | Center | Glendale Raptors | |
Tadhg Leader | Flyhalf | San Diego Legion | |
Ryan Matyas | Wing | San Diego Legion | Men’s Eagle |
Alex Maughan | Hooker | Life University | Men’s Eagle & 1st Team All-American |
Tim Maupin | Wing | NOLA Gold | Men’s Eagle |
Pat O’Toole | Hooker | San Diego Legion | |
Thomas Robles | No. 8 | unattached | |
Anthony Salaber | Center | San Diego Legion | |
Vili Toluta’u | Flanker | Seattle Seawolves | Men’s Eagle |
Chance Wenglewski | Prop | Lindenwood University | 1st Team Collegiate All-American |
Mitch Wilson | Fullback | Life University | 1st Team Collegiate All-American |
Psalm Wooching | Flanker | unattached | Men’s Eagle |
Zach Young | Center | Arkansas State University | 1st Team Collegiate All-American |
Holden Yungert | Scrumhalf | NOLA Gold |
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