August 22, 2015
Limerick 7s: Northeast Academy, SFGG Wrap Up Day Two
Day two at the Limerick World Club Sevens will initially focus on both the Shield and the Cup competition. San Francisco Golden Gate, Ulster, Leinster and Stade Francais will challenge for places 9 to 12. The remaining 8 clubs, Buenos Aires, Samurai, Canadian Maple Leafs, Golden Lions, Northeast Academy (New York 7s), Connacht, Daveta and Munster go for the Cup today.
Day One sorted out the Pool brackets and saw many exciting matches. For a recap, see http://djcoilrugby.com/2015/08/21/limerick-7s-northeast-academy-sfgg-wrap-up-day-one/
After the day one competition ended, Thomond Stadium turned its attention to rugby 15s, as host Munster lost a Guinness Pro 12 Rugby pre-season match 12-28 to Connacht in front of 2,700 spectators. Limerick is hoping for good play from Munster today in sevens to brighten their spirits.
Take the jump to read more.
Shield
In the first match of the day, Ulster beat San Francisco Golden Gate 17-7 in a Shield Semi-final. Don Pati scored the try and Taylor Howden converted. Leinster won 33-19 against Stade Francais in the other Semi-final. There will be an all Irish Shield Final later, while San Francisco Golden Gate and Stade Francais face off in an 11th/12th place match. Pride is on the line!
Cup Quarterfinals
In Cup Quarterfinal action, Samurai and Buenos Aires drew in regulation 21-21. Samurai won in extra time 26-21, advancing to the Cup Semi-finals, while Buenos Aires moved to the Plate Semi-finals. The Golden Lions then beat the Canadian Maple Leafs 19-5. Justin Douglas scored the lone try for Canada. This set up a Samurai – Golden Lions Cup Semi-Final and a Buenos Aires – Maple Leaf Plate Semi-final.
Connacht raced to a 21-0 Halftime lead on tries by Fionn Carr, Shane O’Leary and Shane Layden against the Northeast Academy. During the second half, New York mounted a comeback with two tries by Rick Kirkland, both converted by Nate Augspurper. Chris Frazier scored another try, but felt heartbreak as Nate Augspurger’s conversion hit the posts. Connacht won 21-19.
Defending Champions Daveta, then beat host club Munster 40-14. Daveta advanced to the Cup Semi-final against Connacht, while Munster will face the Northeast Academy in a Plate Semi-final.
11th/12th Place
Stade Francais and San Francisco Golden Gate drew 19-19 in regulation, as Golden Gate’s Ricky Reynolds scored a late try. Other regulation tries came from Bubba Jones and Don Pati. Taylor Howden added two conversions. In extra time, Dan Pati earned Golden Gate’s first win 26-19 with a try and conversion to finish in 11th place.
The Limerick World Club Sevens tweeted “From their line dancing to their rugby, the defenders of the Golden Gate have been great at the Limerick 7s.” They completed the tournament 1-4, but with 3 close losses. Something to build upon!
Shield Final
In an all Irish Final, Leinster prevailed over Ulster 33-17. Ulster fought back from a 28-0 halftime deficit, adding 3 second half tries. Shield winner Leinster, will take some hardware back to Dublin.
Plate Semi-Finals
The plate Semi-finals have tremendous North American interest, as the Canadian Maple Leafs take on Buenos Aires, while the New York 7s (Northeast Academy) face host and crowd favorite, Munster.
Both matches had disappointing North American results. Buenos Aires moved to the Plate Final with a 21-17 win against the Canadian Maple Leafs. Sean White, Thomas Fuly and Admir Cejvanovic had tries in their close loss.
The New York 7s (Northeast Academy) delighted the crowd in their loss to Munster 33-10. It was all Munster who fashioned a 19-5 halftime lead on tries by Steve McMahon, Alex Wootton and Sonny Dwyer. Marcus Henderson scored for New York. The final was 33-10 with Steve McMahon adding his second try and Cian Aherne also scoring. Nate Augspurger added a try for New York.
Munster will join Buenos Aires in the Plate Final, while the Northeast Academy will play the Canadian Maples Leafs in a 7/8th place match.
Cup Semi-Finals
The first Semi-final pitted Samurai against the Golden Lions (South Africa). In a thrilling match the score ended 17 all after regulation. At one point, the Lions were down to 5 players. The Samurai gained a Final spot in extra time with a gritty try in the corner by Pedro Leal to win 22-17.