USA u20 squad convenes ahead of return to Junior Worlds

USA Rugby has named 37 players that have convened in Charlotte to begin final preparations for the Junior World Championship. This year’s tournament has been expanded to 16 teams and will take place in Tbilisi, Georgia, beginning on June 27. The USA has been drawn in Pool C and will play Argentina, England, and Ireland in the round-robin stage.

Included in the training group are 15 players currently based abroad. Four come from Super Rugby academy programs – second row Kitiona Talaepa (Hurricanes), and outside backs Gavin Holder (Crusaders), Blake Miller (Brumbies), and Dane Mitchell (Waratahs). Finn Love, another speedster, recently signed a professional contract with RFU Championship side. Openside flanker Yiannis Efthymiopoulos plays for Biella, who compete in Italy’s top domestic division.

Mount St. Mary’s prop Alfie Booth was previously included in a Wales u18 training squad. Cal prop Oliver Kirk and Hartpury scrumhalf Spencer Huntley toured with the USA u23s last year, while Brown winger Marco Lapierre was selected for the USA Falcons 7s. Santa Rosa midfielder Mosese Luveitasau is the son of the former Fiji international of the same name.

Ex-Rugby ATL hooker Neethling Gericke will again act as Head Coach for the side, having previously led the group at the 2024 Junior World Trophy. His staff also includes former Samoa international Elvis Seveali’i and recently-retired Eagles veteran Marcel Brache. The group will be tasked with reducing the squad to 30 players ahead of the tournament.

This marks just the third time the USA has taken part in the top flight competition. They finished 16th in the inaugural 2008 edition and 12th in 2013. Since then the Americans have qualified four times for the second tier Trophy tournament, most recently finishing as runners-up to Scotland in 2024. The USA did not field a u20 side in 2025, instead taking a u23 selection on tour to South Africa.

 

PROP
Alfie Booth (Mount St. Mary’s)
Colin Donnelly (Saint Mary’s College)
Oliver Kirk (Cal Berkeley)
Quan Nguyen (OMBAC)
Sawyer Troupe (Life University)
Tyler Trower (Drybrook RFC, UK)

HOOKER
Salesi Kafovalu (Life West)
Aidan Stewart (Life University)

SECOND ROW
Lyndon Bailey (Western Washington)
Adam Devlin (UCLA)
Pierce Kelly (Belmont Shore)
Kitiona Talaepa (Petone, NZ)

BACK ROW
Harry Cluff (Sydney University, AU)
Yiannis Efthymiopoulos (Biella, IT)
Frank Finicle (Loyola New Orleans)
Liam Hill (Sydney University, AU)
Flynn O’Connell (Cal Berkeley)
Owen Welburn (Indiana University)
Jayden Williams (Ohio State)

SCRUMHALF
Spencer Huntley (Hartpury University, UK)
Rhys James (Mary Washington)
JW Sarkees (Penn State)

FLYHALF
Declan Cadden (Blackrock College, IR)
Jack Firebrace (Cobham RFC, UK)
Oliver Sinclair (Cal Berkeley)

MIDFIELD
Jameson Beatty (Life University)
Will Darbishire (Nottingham University, UK)
Leo Keesler-Venables (Life University)
Mosese Luveitasau Jr. (Santa Rosa)

OUTSIDE BACKS
Tristram Harwood (Leeds Beckett, UK)
Gavin Holder (Lincoln University, NZ)
Marco Lapierre (Brown University)
Finn Love (Cornish Pirates, UK)
Blake Miller (Queanbeyan, AU)
Dane Mitchell (Sydney University, AU)
Siale Ofa (Saint Mary’s College)
James Pullan (Brunel University, UK)