U20 Men Hard at Work to Face Daunting JWC

06.22.2026Eagles

USA U20 Head Coach Neethling Gericke, on USA U20 training a couple of years ago. Photo Punkus.

Author: Alex Goff

Having been training for about a week-and-a-half in Tbilisi, Georgia, the USA U20 team is working hard to face a very challenging Junior World Championships.

The Junior Eagles are under no illusions as to how difficult will be the task that awaits them.

They play Argentina in five days, England five days after that, and Ireland five days after that.

In 2025, Argentina finished 3rd at the JWC, England 6th, and Ireland 11th, however, that doesn't fairly represent how good those teams are. Ireland lost to Italy and Scotland by two points and one point, respectively. England did lose to Australia for 5th place, but beat them earlier in the competition.

Argentina's 3rd-place finish was impressive. They beat Wales, Spain, and France, and lost only to France and South Africa.

USA U20 Roster for the 2026 JWC

So Head Coach Neets Gericke has been careful to prepare, but not run them into the ground. The players spent Monday sightseeing in the Georgian capital, however that followed a leg-burning Sunday in which the team was put hard through its paces.

Gericke told GRR that the players averaged 105% of normal match intensity.

Praising the facilities provided, Gericke added that, with the tight schedule ahead, they really shouldn't be worrying about opponent-specific preparation.

"We are fully focused on executing our game," Gericke told GRR. "We have seen bits and pieces of it, but not yet fully complete, [but] we are preparing very well."

Added to all of this is the complication of a new tackle height trial in this event. The JWC will be the first international competition to feature a trial of lowering the tackle height with an eye toward reducing head contact. Tackles will need to be at or lower than the base of the sternum.

All 3 matches played at Avchala Stadium in Tbilisi

USA's Junior World Championship Pool Schedule:

USA vs Argentina, Avchala Stadium, Tbilisi, Georgia, Saturday June 27th | 5:00am ET

USA vs England, Avchala Stadium, Tbilisi, Georgia, Thursday July 2nd | 10:00am ET

USA vs Ireland, Avchala Stadium, Tbilisi, Georgia, Tuesday July 7th | 5:00am ET

All games will be live on Paramount+.