The Australian Indigenous U20 team has wrapped up its tour of the USA.

The squad opened up with a 41-7 defeat of a American Native XV in New Mexico, and then followed that on with wins over New Mexico 84-17, an Arizona State University 15 65-12,  a San Diego State 15 41-34, and then losing to a SoCal U23 team 66-33.

Played at night on hard surface, the Australian Indigenous 15 v ASU game saw wing Nathaniel Tamwoy bag five tries in an incredible display of speed and finishing. The accuracy of execution coupled with a brilliant tactical short and long kicking game continually had the Americans on their back foot. The Australians led 14-0 after just four minutes with tries from Australian touch rugby player Lionel Anau and a magnificent solo kick-and-chase by Boxy set the tone for the rest of the match. Center JR Morgan played a leading role in both attack and defense; he, along with the playmaking of Brendon Trudgeon, created space for the backline. Tries from Will Callen, Tamwoy, and hard-running lock Daniel Chui-Clarke, made it 31-5 at halftime.

The Australians did get into penalty trouble, leading to a second ASU try - a well-worked blindside movement set up that try. The Sun Devils 15 came out in the second half with a much more determined approach and dominated possession for the opening ten minutes.

But the tourists' forwards started to set a better platform and eventually. Tamwoy scored three tries in the space of ten minutes, and then outside center Will Callen, Tamwoy again, and finally a second forward try to team captain Brendon Luta. finished if off. ASU named Bailey Stringer the best Australian player.

Things got a little tighter on November 20 with a 41-34 victory over a San Diego State 15 at the University complex. The Aztecs came out with guns blazing and scored in the first five minutes after some powerful forward play. The hosts continued to make ground through good work from their well-balanced teamwork and energized approach to the game. The Australians eventually scored in the 18th minute of play through Tamwoy again, who finished off a break from pivot Brendon Trudgeon. The Australian backline repeatedly demonstrated that speed and quickness of pass were always going to trouble SD State. John Badham, Lionel Anau and a second to Tamwoy pushed the Aussies out to a 22-5 lead (Both Tamwoy and Anua hail from the Torres Straight islands of Badu and Boija at the extreme northern borders of Australia, where paddling the 5KM to neighboring Papua New Guinea is a regular passtime).

At the stroke of halftime a great chargedown and kick through from the Aztecs resulted in a converted try and a 22-12 lead for the tourists.

The Australians might have been a little tired, or perhaps a little cocky in the second half, and the Aztecs rolled in three tries early in the second half to lead 29-22. But Daniel Chui-Clark for the Indigenous U20s back on the scoreboard and then massive No. 8 Leonard Snowball reached to get over the line for the lead at 36-29. Center JR Morgan backed up well in support of a wide line break to extend the lead to 41-29. Not to be outdone, SD State got one more at the end of the game. For SD State, it was an impressive scoreline for so early in the season. Jake Dorn scored two tries, as did flyhalf Austin Switzer, while Kevin Glee added another. 

So Monday, on to a Southern California U23 select side at Cal State Long Beach. The host country finally got one as the SoCal team won 66-33. The Indigenous U20s made it through the tour with very few injuries, but the fatigue seemed to set in, and they were without a couple of starters. Capped Eagle Joe Taufetee was all kinds of problems for the tourists with his powerful running, and his efforts opened up space for his backline. Still, the Aussies led 14-0 early on thanks to tries from Brendon Luta and JR Morgan. But the power of the SoCal players produced six tries on the trot to put the game away. Former HS All American Adam Channel scored 26 points on nine conversions, a penalty, and a try.

SoCal U23s 66

Tries: M. Long 2, Woo, Voafut, Masoe, Channel, Siliga, Seanoa, Bates

Convs: Channel 9

Pens: Channel

Australian Indigenous U20s 33

Tries: Morgan 2, Luta, Anau, Penalty Try, 

Convs: Trudgeon 4

The Australian team leaves the Southwest of the USA with plenty of good rugby played, but also some barriers broken. Indigenous Australians have made their mark in rugby union before - the Ella brothers, for example - but it's been a struggle. But this tour opened up the chance to play a Native American 15, which was a wonderful start to the tour, and the cultural exchange between the players of all nations was, said David Conyers, who was instrumental in getting the tour together, "a blessing. The friendships made and the fact the Australian, Aboriginal and Torres Strait flags hang in spaces across four American states with memories of our culture far exceed winning games. The Native American experience goes largely unheralded by some in this country, but now global interest into the Native American rugby program to engage them in future is staggering. Calls from the New Zealand Maori, an Indigenous highland Welsh team, and Native Hawaii have been fielded by Timaris Montana. The Australian tour opened up interest, created the idea and hopefully the future involvement of Native Americans in the sport."

The Indiegnous 15 also visited with the ICEF program in Compton, Calif., and there was a rugby cultural exchange there.