The USA U23s did indeed win fairly convincingly 41-12 in the opening match against the UXI Invitational XV, but what does that mean?
Let’s take a look.
UXI Sport is a private education group that runs six different rugby institutes around South Africa. The players in the program are not professional rugby players; rather they are talented rugby players working on their career development and also their rugby development. They might become professional rugby players, but they might also pursue careers off the field.
The UXI Invitational XV included mostly players from UXI Sport’s Western Province International Rugby Institute plus a few players who study at UXI institutes in the northern part of South Africa. the players were all about 19 to 21, so, overall, maybe a bit younger than the USA players.
Several USA-based rugby players actually attend UXI institutes, usually at the WPIRI, every year. Among them was Will Sherman, UCLA and USA U23 lock, who attended the UXI sessions at Stellenbosch University.
“UXI welcomes American players it’s a nice pathway for US boys to come over,” said UXI Sport National Program Director Anton Moolman. “There are young men, aged 19 to 21, all studying and following a high-performance rugby program.”
Assessment from UXI Program Director
‘The game went really well. We had a great first half and it was 12-all at halftime," said Moolman. "We were really competitive, but the physicality of the game was where the US had the ascendancy, especially up front. Their lineouts functioned really well. We scored two fantastic first phase tries in the first half and we managed to hold our own in the set piece. But once we made substitutions, the age gap showed.
“Nonetheless it was a great outing, and for the US Under 23s it was a great way to start their tour. The field was a little bit muddy and they played well; they went to the corner and they drove.”
Learn more about the UXI WPIRI by emailing Gary Coetzee at gary@uxisport.us
