The USA Rugby South U19s may not be a national team, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t representing their country.

The Panthers are in the final of the North American Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) U19 Championships, and will play Mexico in Orlando on Saturday. The tournament features two teams from the South - the South B team will play for 7th on Friday - and six national U19 teams - Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Trinidad& Tobago, and Turks & Cacos. Sending a national U19 team to this tournament would be costly and perhaps a little one-sided for the United States. So, instead, the South has taken on representing the USA, and they’re proud to do it. They get the chance to show how strong the game has become in the region, and perhaps expose more young Southern talent (remember both USA 15s star Cam Dolan and USA 7s star Perry Baker are from Florida). 

The players put a lot into it, going to camps throughout the season, and spending close to $1,000 for the honor of representing the South. And they know also, that they are the representatives of the United States.

“We take it very seriously,” said Andrew Pretorius of Roswell, Ga. “The guys are taking care of themselves through the tournament, and staying focused. But more than that, Listening to the National Anthem before the first game was one of the biggest thrills I’ve ever had. It’s such an adrenaline rush.”

“It hits you in the heart when you hear the anthem,” added Arkansas State flyhalf Dylan Boast. “You realize that you’re playing for something bigger than you; you’re representing your nation.”

The South U19 program hasn’t been embraced by every state in the region. Nine states produced players for the two South Panthers teams. But of the 48 players in the assembly, 39 are from Georgia, Tennessee, and Louisiana. The dominance of those states is in direct correlation with how many players from the different Southern States tried out for the team. It will be interesting to see how the experience for the young Tennessee and Georgia HS players will help the game in those states, and how many of those players heard that National Anthem, and wanted to get those chills up their spine one more time.