Character Part of U18 Camp Success
Character Part of U18 Camp Success
USA Rugby’s Boys winter U18 camp carries with it some significant potential.
After all, as USAR Pathways Manager Brendan Keane said to GRR afterward, these are the guys who will be in the conversation for 2027 and 2031 Rugby World Cup selection.
In fact, we might see them treated a little differently as a result. It’s worth noting that the USA team has attended the Correndon Summer Tour the last two years—no complaints; it was international competition and challenging in some ways—and haven’t lost a game in six matches. Surely that isn’t the pinnacle. Surely future Eagles need to be tested.
USA U18 Head Coach Dom Wareing invited 52 players to the camp, and while injuries kept a handful at home, about 48 attended. For Wareing, the athleticism and rugby ability was pleasing, but he was most enthusiastic about the character.
“It was the best assembly we’ve had in terms of camaraderie,” Wareing told GRR. “As students of the game they were excellent. If you can raise the level of play of the people around you, and you can help others gel into a team, that’s the kind of player we want.”
Cohesion was a huge part of what Wareing is trying to achieve; he and coaches in the age-grade system are reasoning that many of these players will be teammates in the future, and unity now is important.
The roster of players itself was heavy in the front row because the game has become ever more demanding on tight five players—consider that many teams carry five tight-five players on their bench, meaning the average expected time on the field for a player is half a game.
Wareing wanted to build on the high performance depth of props, especially. At the end of the camp the players were split into three teams of 16 players, playing a series of shortened games. The guys on the sideline were props, who rotated in during the day.
“We did have players move into multiple positions, and sometimes had a forward move to the backs or vise versa,” said Wareing. “We’re trying to build depth across the board.
“The vibe was really good,” he added. “Guys stepped up in leadership roles.”
The players at the camp all will receive concrete feedback on their play and what they might need to improve. This group will form the core of the candidates for games this summer, but the coaches will continue to look for talent. And as we’ve seen from how Wareing judged this winter camp, talent is only one part of the equation.
