USA Rugby Elite City 7s Day One
Doug Coil
This year’s USA Rugby Elite City 7s is at the Greater Chester Valley Sports Association in Malvern, PA. This is the second time this competition has been held, with the initial event at the Houston Sports Park.
There are eight men’s teams and four women’s teams competing for the Cup. Teams in Pool A finished day one in the following order: San Diego (OMBAC), Philadelphia (Atlantis), Ohio (Tiger Rugby) and Boston (Northeast Academy Development). Pool B standing were New York City (Northeast Academy), Armed Forces, Rugby Utah, and Atlanta (Life ODA). In the Women’s bracket, the Women’s Collegiate All-Americans topped the bracket, followed then by the American Rugby Pro Training Center (ARPTC) from Little Rock, Armed Forces and Northeast Academy, respectively.
The Elite City 7s creates a high performance environment for players to compete. While some have already played at the national level, there are others on the radar and perhaps a hidden gem will be found during this tournament. Players are expected to meet certain standards that Mike Friday, Head Coach of the Men’s Eagles 7s, discusses in an interview yesterday.
There are also some coaches having the opportunity to be the head coach at this tournament. Dom Waering, Northeast Academy (NY7s) and Andrew Locke (Armed Forces Men and Women) are two examples. The USA Rugby “Elite City Sevens will also serve as a chance to assess coaches for future placement in USA Rugby Olympic Development Academy program.” Mike Friday, Alex Magleby and Richie Walker are at this event to assess both coaches and players.
In a USA Rugby article by Chad Wise, the “Elite City Sevens is a chance for emerging-elite coaches to gain much-needed experience at representative level, and to demonstrate they can organize a high-performing team and all that encompasses – building systems on and off the field, raising money, identifying and committing athletes, and putting a good product on the field,” Magleby said. “It isn’t easy, but international rugby requires adept organizational, fundraising, player management, teaching, and tactical know-how, all under the pressure of pre-Olympic competition.”
I had the opportunity to speak with many of the coaches. Interviews will be on DJCoil Rugby You Tube Channel as they are uploaded. They will also made available in a follow up article.
Day One Results
Men
San Diego 31-5 Boston
Ohio 0-22 Philadelphia
NYC 20-5 Atlanta
Utah 10-29 Armed Forces
San Diego 19-17 Philadelphia
Ohio 24-14 Boston
NYC 12-7 Armed Forces
Utah 24-10 Atlanta
San Diego 31-0 Ohio
Philadelphia 45-0 Boston
NYC 24-7 Utah
Armed Forces 29-0 Atlanta
Women
Little Rock (ARPTC) 19-21 WCAA
Boston (Northeast Academy) 5-22 Armed Forces
Little Rock (ARPTC) 12-7 Armed Forces
Boston 5-10 WCAA
Little Rock (ARPTC) 26-5 Boston
WCAA 28-19 Armed Forces
Day 2 Schedule
Women
WCAA v Boston (Northeast Academy)
Little Rock (ARPTC) v Armed Forces
Men
Bowl SF: Ohio-Atlanta & Utah-Boston
Cup SF: NYC-Philadelphia, San Diego-Armed Forces
Men’s Bowl Consolation & Final, 3/4th and Cup Final
Women’s Cup Final
