LAFAYETTE, CO – USA Rugby has today announced new naming standards for its men’s and women’s age-grade programs with High School and Collegiate All-American titles now specific to honors lists as opposed to national competition teams.
Naming schemes are as follows and will be consistent across men’s and women’s programs:
Under-18s – players who are 18 years or under by December 31
Under-20s – players who are 20 years or under by December 31
Under-23s – players who are 23 years or under by December 31
While All-Americans are no longer specifically associated with a competition team, USA Rugby High Performance will name its own honors list for High School and College, in conjunction with scholastic programs across the country, to preserve the decades-long recognition associated with the All-American badge.
New naming conventions are designed to alleviate any confusion across the domestic landscape and to create greater parity with national team programs. The distinction between each individual program and All-American honors lists creates a greater understanding for players as they enter in and move through the pathway.
Alongside the changes to age-grade titles, development sides for all senior national teams across 7s and XVs will be known as Falcons.
For questions about USA Rugby’s age-grade national programs, please contact JD Stephenson at jstephenson@usa.rugby.