Serevi Rugbytown Sevens Day Two

Day Two: August 27, 2017

On Day 2 of the 2016 Serevi RugbyTown Sevens at Infinity Park in Glendale included the conclusion of Pool Play, the Armed Forces Championship and the quarterfinal matches.

Pool A fielded teams from the five U.S. Military branches with Army going 4-0 and Air Force 3-1 with their only loss 41-0 to Army.

With Army and Air Force finishing first and second in Pool A, it set up a rematch to determine this year’s Armed Forces champion. Army proved to be the tougher opponent in winning the Military Championship 55-5. Rocco Mauer was the Man of the Match in scoring four of Army’s nine tries.

This was the fourth-straight time Army has won the Military Championship in the five years of SRS.

Army captain Andrew Locke said “We love having this event here as part of the Armed Forces Championship. We could have it anywhere in the country, but we love having it right here in Glendale. We have two or three guys that are probably deploying here in the next couple of months. We represent your Army and it’s an honor to represent the Army.”

Championship matches are ten minute halves, so while Army and Air Force playing an extra match for the Military Championship is an honor and is desired, it still can have a physical toll in later matches.

Less than 90 minutes later, Army faced Tiger Rugby, who finished second in Pool D. Tiger Rugby withstood a late Army try that when the conversion was missed sent Tiger Rugby into the Cup semi-final and Army to the Plate Semi-final.

In Pool B, both the SoCal Griffins and Glendale Raptors finished with the same 3-1-0 records following their 19-19 draw on Day 1. The Griffins had the better point differential and were the first seed, while Glendale was second.

In the Cup quarterfinal, the Raptors faced a formidable opponent in the British Army, winners of Pool C. Glendale was up to the task defeating British Army 26-5.

Raptors Head Coach Andre Snyman said of the British Army team that “Everybody thought that they would walk all over us. I’m really stoked at the manner the guys battled up and we walked away with a victory. Our defense was unbelievable. We rattled them. We didn’t give away space and time for them to do what their strength is, to move the ball and look for space. We just shut them down. It really paid off.”

With the win, the Raptors and Tiger Rugby will play each other in the Cup Semi-Finals on Sunday at 1:58 p.m. MDT.

Synman then added about the semi-final that “It’s going to be a tough game. “The tigers are a really well drilled side. They train together every day. They know each other and have some big names. It’s going to be a challenge and I see another physical game coming up.”

Another local favorite, the Denver 7s came in second in Pool C, but also will be playing in the Cup Semi-finals after they dispatched the SoCal Griffins 14-10. Their defense of last year’s title continues into the semi-finals Sunday at 2:17 p.m. where they will face the Ramblin Jesters, Pool D winners. The undefeated Jesters beat the U.S. Air Force 45-0 in their quarterfinal.

Denver’s Head Coach Steve Laporta said “We just had all 12 guys step up for us today. We went through a little adversity. We didn’t have Maximo DeAchaval for that last game but the rest of the guys really stepped up and made the plays they needed to. I’m incredibly proud of the effort and the heart.”

Sunday’s matches will begin at Noon MDT with semifinal matches followed by the Shield, Bowl, Plate, 3rd Place and Cup Finals.

There will also be a performance by the Mile Highlanders pipe band at 2:45pm prior to the Finals kicking off at 3:40pm. The Cup Final will conclude this premier tournament at 5:20pm.