Day One at the Global Youth 7s is in the bag and it’s been a pretty positive day for the USA and North American teams at the event in Auckland, NZ.
USA U18s Girls
Allie Gabbard, USNA; Ariane Moeal, United Rugby; Bella Vogel, Life U.; Fane Tausinga, Majestics; Gianna Veetutu, Kent Crusaders; Madelyn Hubbell, Harvard; Madison Englin, Waverly Shell Rock; Marley Larkin, Dartmouth; Olivia Frisby, Life U.; Sana’a Lunon, Harvard; Shawnee Asiata, Majestics; Teagan Barth, Summit HS; Zoe Zumbro, Belmont Shore
The USA Girls U18s, run by Irene Gardner as Head Coach and Kelly Griffin as Assistant Coach, won comfortably over Cook Islands 62-0, but ran into a bit of a wall after that with a 22-0 loss to Matatu, which is a professional program out of Canterbury, NZ and is running a development youth team of South Islanders in the Global Youth 7s.
Next up for them is Japan.
USA U18s Boys
Alex Drury, White Plains; Kole Frogley, Owyhee HS, Caden Hartley, UCLA; Tristram Harwoon, Leeds Beckett U.; Kingston Hawkins, San Diego Mustangs; Gavin Holder, Lincoln U.; Neel Menon, Texas A&M; Adrian Pham, Try Time; Mone Pifeleti, San Mateo; Uate Pifeleti, San Mateo; Reece Reiter, San Diego Mustangs; DJ Ta’ape, AIC; Christopher Thorndyke, Esher Rugby Club
The USA Boys age-graders shut out the Cook Islands 35-0 and that moved them on to play Waterboy, a relatively new select side program out of New Zealand. The Americans beat them, too. Not a shutout but an impressive 35-14 win.
The USA, run by Head Coach David Fee and Assistant Coach Taylor Howden, is led by Gavin Holder, who leads the tournament in tries and points so far.
The USA boys will now set up with the Australia Cavaliers and the New Zealand Cavaliers for Saturday (NZ time) games.
