Mexico has been crowned 2019 Rugby Americas North Men’s Under-19s Tournament Champions after defeating USA South in the cup final on Sunday afternoon at Bellevue Plantation Polo Club.
The final day of competition opened with the hosts Barbados taking on Curaçao in the 7th place playoff, with the home side picking up an impressive 30 – 0 victory. The 5th place final proved to be a thrilling encounter between Cayman Islands and Jamaica with both sides showcasing talent, pace and passion. Cayman Islands, however, would emerge victorious as Jamaica ran into sin bin troubles in the second half and eventually lost 31 – 19.
Trinidad & Tobago won a thrilling bronze medal final by two points after narrowly edging Bermuda 17 – 15 in a game that had highlight reel tries, superb tackling and unbridled enthusiasm.
The gold medal final – which was a repeat of the last five years – was a battle of two polar opposite teams: USA South is known for their high-flying offence and powerful forward pack, while Mexico’s strength lied in its unity and game plan. In the end, Mexico used their staunch defence and pin point accuracy to outlast the Americans and lift their second consecutive trophy with a 30 – 20 victory.
Rugby Americas North General Manager, Niall Brooks said: “I would like to congratulate all of the teams, staff, match officials, volunteers and everyone who helped make this week’s 2019 Rugby Americas North (RAN) Men’s U19 & Women’s 10s a resounding success. The quality of competition continues to grow in the region and high-performance tournaments like this one showcase all the incredible work that’s being done by each union.
Congratulations to Mexico, who have won both the Men’s & Women’s tournaments and to Jamaica Women and USA Rugby South Men who finished with silver medals. Finally, I would like to send a special thank you to the Barbados Rugby Union for their fantastic hosting this week.”
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e seen live on Rugby Americas North’s Facebook & Youtube pages starting at 10am local time.
Source: www.rugbyamericasnorth.com
