Bermuda head into today’s Rugby Americas North Men’s Under-19 tournament final day of action in Querétaro, Mexico, with great prospects of winning gold.

Chris Naylor’s side face USA South in the gold medal play-off in Querétaro. It has been a great week for the Bermudians, with three wins and just one defeat in the five-team round-robin.

They started off with a 17-10 victory over the home team, before they left it late to overcome Trinidad & Tobago 14-11.

On Thursday, the Brandon Sangster-led side suffered their only loss when they were beaten 35-3 by USA South.

In their second match of the day, Bermuda recorded a resounding 33-0 triumph over Cayman Islands.

Naylor conceded that they go into the final encounter as the dark horses in a full 80-minute contest. The round-robin matches were played over two 20-minute halves.

“We play USA in the final on Saturday as pretty heavy underdogs and it’s a full 80-minute game,’’ Naylor told The Royal Gazette.

“It’s going to be tough, but if at the beginning of the week we had been asked if we would take beating Mexico, Trinidad and Cayman then losing to USA South, we would have said yes.

“We’re sort of exactly where we thought we would be, so that’s an absolute positive. We’re happy with our performances throughout the week, we were beaten by a better team in USA South.

“They’re a big, strong, well-drilled athletic team with some very good players. I felt the scoreline was a bit harsh on us, we gave a couple of soft tries away, that’s also as a result of playing a better team.

“Overall, the boys are still looking forward to Saturday, despite the bangs and the bruises, they’re OK.

“I can’t even remember the last time we played in the final, it’s been at least a decade. We’re pleased with ourselves, the boys are where they deserve to be.”

Bad weather is predicted for the final day of action, something Naylor reckons can work in their favour.

“We’re going to be competitive in the final, obviously we’ve to come up with a different game plan,’’ the coach said.

“The weather’s not very good, we might exploit that if we can. Heavy rain is forecast, that might level the playing field a little bit, but they have some big boys in their pack so that might play to their strength.

“There are certain things we may do as rugby teams when the weather is bad, there’s some tactical stuff that we’ll look at.

“Even though it might not be our natural way of playing, we’re taking on a team that’s on paper better than us, we just have to work hard and see how that goes.”

Naylor spoke of how they hope to turn things around from Thursday’s defeat in their quest to be crowned champions.

“It’s cutting out mistakes that we made because we gave them 14 points just by making mistakes,’’ the coach added.

“Things like bad defensive reads that can be fixed quite simply by a bit of communication, making sure people know where they are supposed to be in certain situations.

“It will come down to work rate and attitude. If we can outwork them and be really up for it, then we can unsettle them I think.

“It’s going to be a challenge for the coaches to come up with something that we think will trouble them with the players that are available.”

The coach spoke of the contributions made by captain Sangster and vice-captain Malachi Paynter.

“Brandon has been fantastic, all the players respect him, when he talks everybody listens,’’ Naylor said. “His own game has been awesome, he’s kicked really well, his cover defence, which is one of his strengths has been great.

“He’s a key player for us, him and Malachi Paynter have provided good leadership to the team by leading from the front.”

Ahead of the final, Bermuda were sweating over the injury of fly half Kwame Naylor.

The former captain did not play at all on Thursday, with Aiden Kendall being switched from outside centre to No 10.

Meanwhile, Gemma Godfrey, the Bermuda Rugby president, has congratulated the island’s future rugby stars for reaching the final.

"The entire Bermuda Rugby community is immensely proud of our under-19s for their incredible achievement in reaching the finals of this competition,’’ Godfrey said.

“Friends, family, and supporters both in Bermuda and further afield have been cheering them on the live streams throughout their journey.

“Their performance has demonstrated remarkable improvement with each game, clearly reflecting the dedication and hard work they’ve put into their training.

“These young athletes have shown they are true ambassadors of the promising future of Bermuda rugby.

“We are all excited to watch them take on USA South in Saturday's final, let’s go Bermuda.”

David Jenkins, one of the parents who travelled to Mexico, has been impressed by the spirit unity prevailing in the Bermuda camp.

“As a parent on tour, it has been a gratifying experience to see how tight these boys are as a group,’’ Jenkins said.

“A number of the boys are away studying in different countries, but the camaraderie is evident and they are representing Bermuda in an exemplary way.

“It’s great to see the respect that they all have for their coaches and this is translating to some exceptional performances on the field. Although just a spectator here, it has been so much fun being part of this team.”