2019 Rugby Americas North Men’s U19 & Women’s 10s set to kick off

Bridgetown, Barbados (July 17, 2019) – Hundreds of the best rugby players from around North America and the Caribbean North have landed in Barbados for this week’s 2019 Rugby Americas North Men’s Under-19 and Women’s 10s tournament.

In its 17th year running, the Men’s U19 will shift from a week long competition to four days of matches. The new festival style format will allow for teams to play a greater number of matches, with each match being 40 minutes long, except for the finals which will have 35-minute halves. Mexico and USA South Panthers have traded the Men’s U19 title back and forth since 2015.

The Women’s 10s tournament remains an important development tool for the women’s game around the region. In its fourth year, the number of teams competing, and the caliber of play continues to increase. The Women’s 10s tournament will take place on July 19th and 20th.

Entering its 17th year, the Men’s U19 tournament is an important development tool for the region. For many young athletes it’s a first introduction to the international stage and the year’s only chance to compete against high caliber teams in a condensed tournament format.

The Women’s 10s tournament is entering its fourth year and is part of RAN’s strategy to encourage unions to establish 10s and fifteens domestic programs. This year the eight teams have been separated into two pools: USA South, Trinidad & Tobago, St. Lucia & Curacao in Pool A with Pool B being Jamaica, Mexico, Dominican Republic & hosts Barbados.

Barbados hosted last year’s successful 2018 RAN Sevens, and have a long history of hosting international rugby dating back to 2005.

“We are thrilled to once again host our RAN teams in Barbados,” said Niall Brooks, Rugby Americas North General Manager. “The Bellevue Plantation Polo Fields will provide an ideal location for the matches and the action will be streamed on our Youtube channel so that it can be seen throughout the region and world. We wish the very best to all teams and players.”

The four-day long tournament is being held at the Bellevue Plantation Polo Club and is free to attend.

Fans can watch live on Facebook & Youtube on Saturday and Sunday, while live scoring, photos and video highlights will be provided on Rugby Americas North’s social media pages and website.