We are halfway through our qualifying season (can you believe it?) and it’s a battlefield out there. All eight regions have hosted at least one qualifier and none have yet secured bids to Nationals. Sure, we’ve got some clear front runners, but the season is just heating up.
In this June recap, we’re going to go by region breaking down the men’s and women’s sides of the competition. We’ll tell you who’s on top, who’s still got a chance, and who might be packing up and setting their sights on next year’s comp.
Remember that only half the teams secure bids from being top in their region. The other half of the teams at Nationals are eligible through “at-large” bids; determined by a number of factors including competitive schedule, competitive score lines, historical performance, etc. So even if the top bid is locked up in the region, there’s still plenty to play for.
The disclaimer – I’ve obtained score results from 7s divisional reps, tournament organizers, and official score reports posted online. If you see a discrepancy, please feel free to give a shout. Added commentary is for fun, I’ve got no stake in the outcomes of these matches.
Let’s get started!
Pacific Northwest
Kicking off our update, we head to the Pacific Northwest to check in on our primarily Seattle and Oregon-based programs. Historic top teams from this part of the country include the Washington Athletic Club (WAC) who placed third for women and tenth for men last year at Nationals and ORSU who placed seventh for women.
The first tournament qualifier of the season was the WAC 7s in Seattle. In the men’s competition WAC Black and White battled against the Sharks, the Axemen, and the Barbarians in a five team round robin whose top two after pool rounds played in the final. WAC Black finished 3-1 after losing to WAC White 22-7 in pool play, while WAC White dropped their opening match to the Barbarians 22-0, also finishing 3-1. The third 3-1 team, the Barbarians, were unlucky not to make it to the final after defeating WAC White and coming within 10 points of WAC Black in their loss, point differential being the cause. The Sharks finished 1-3, but with close scores against both WAC White and the Barbarians. In the final were both WAC sides, Black versus White. Turning the table on their pool play result, WAC Black were able to take the lead and stay there until the final whistle, victorious 26-14. The Barbarians were able to clench third 33-12 over the Sharks.
The second qualifier of the year was the Lucas-Bonilla 7s hosted by ORSU. Similar faces to the first tournament, but teams were joined by the ORSU Jesters and the Harlequins. WAC Black opened their day with a close 12-7 win over the Sharks, followed by more confident defeats of the Harlequins and the Barbarians to take the top seed into the semis. The Sharks joined them after following up their early loss with a 19-19 tie to the Jesters, and finally a sound defeat of the Harlequins. WAC White managed to eke into the Cup semifinal after a 21-14 defeat of the Jesters. The final semifinalist was the Barbarians, who beat the Jesters and WAC White to finish 2-1. In a rematch of the past weekend’s final, WAC White played WAC Black for the semi, with Black cruising through to a 40-0 win. The other semi saw the Barbarians taking on the Sharks in a bloodbath. The Sharks managed to pull ahead at the last moment, qualifying for the final 21-14. It was a rematch of the opening men’s game of the day for the Championship, WAC Black versus the Sharks. This time, WAC wasn’t going to be caught surprised; they were clinical in attack and defense, claiming their second title of the season with a 40-7 spanking of the Sharks. WAC White bowed out of the third place match, letting the Barbarians take the bronze for the second time this season. This leaves WAC Black on top of the standings, with the Barbarians and Sharks tied far in second.
The women’s competition also kicked off at WAC 7s, with a fierce rivalry at the top. Four teams played for qualifier points in a round robin format that progressed straight to a Championship match and a bronze. Hosts WAC were joined by Seattle, the Oregon Sharks, and ORSU. WAC and the Sharks breezed through their opening matches, but faced each other in the second pool game of the day. WAC took that one, just 19-7. Seattle also managed to find their solo pool win of the day in the second round as they topped ORSU 15-10. 3-0 WAC met the 2-1 Sharks in the final. This time, it was much closer, and down to the final second. WAC managed to hold onto the lead 21-17, but learned there was more work to be done as the Sharks were close on their tail. Seattle managed to repeat their pool win over ORSU in the third place match, this time spreading the gap 24-5.
Straight into the Lucas-Bonilla 7s at ORSU, the competition took a turn. It started as expected, WAC scored a lot against opponents, the Sharks scored a lot against opponents (non-qualifying points seeking opponents). They played each other once in pool play, and WAC got the best of the Sharks again 17-5. Until the final. It was WAC versus the Sharks, for the fourth time in two tournaments. This time, the Sharks did their homework, they executed the game plan; and in the end, it was the Sharks who were victorious 17-12 over WAC. Now the standings are interesting, both WAC and the Sharks are tied on points, with two qualifiers left to play. One will automatically qualify, but the other will be certain to have a great case for at-large qualification. I have no say, but I would bet that we will see both of these heavy hitters at the National Championship in August.
Southern California
California kicked off their 7s season on June 14th for the men and June 21st for the women, both held in Santa Monica. California is another hotbed for 7s, with teams like Belmont Shore and the San Diego Surfers dominating the space. However there’s some new faces on the scene this year, and it’s gonna get spicy.
First up, the men’s competition started June 14th, with Belmont Shore [1,2,3] , Eagle Rock [1,2], Santa Monica, Oceanside, and the West Coast Marines taking the pitch. Unfortunately due to local deployments of active duty Marines, the WC Marines side was limited in numbers and had to forfeit after game 1 of the day. Sad for the team, but also probably the only valid excuse I’ve ever heard for a team having to drop out. As expected for a team deep enough to field three sides in a single tournament, Belmont Shore did pretty well in pool play, going 3-0 with zero points scored against them. In the other pool, Eagle Rock and Santa Monica duked it out. Eagle Rock tied Oceanside 17-17 to kick off their day, while Santa Monica slid by Belmont 3. It was the final pool match of the day however, that really got the fans excited. Santa Monica and Eagle Rock went back and forth, both scoring twice. It would be the final conversion from Eagle Rock to take the win 14-12 and snatch the “easier” semifinal. This pitted Santa Monica against Belmont Shore, the 2024 National Champions and 2023 runners-up, in the semi. A tough game in the best of circumstances. Belmont swept through 31-0 in order to qualify for their first final of the season. In the other semi, Eagle Rock took on Belmont 2, who went 2-1 in pool play after falling to their first side. Eagle Rock continued to impress as they confidently secured their berth in the final 28-7 over Belmont 2. The final match of the day had Eagle Rock taking on Belmont. Finishing their day perfect with zero points scored against, you guessed it, Belmont took home the trophy and the top points in their journey to requalification for Nationals in order to defend their title. Eagle Rock finished second, while Belmont 2 beat Santa Monica 28-12 for third. Oceanside finished their day with a big win to claim 5th, 45-5.
The teams went straight into the next qualifier, the following weekend at Belmont. This time, Belmont 1 and 2 shared a pool, along with Eagle Rock 2 and Navy. Eagle Rock 1 took on Oceanside, Santa Monica, and Belmont 3. A testament to the strength of their club, Belmont took both top spots in Pool A, piling on the tries while holding their opponents to zero (yet again). In Pool B, Eagle Rock cleaned up nicely, going 3-0 with pretty confident wins. Santa Monica held them to 22-5, but it was nothing like the 14-12 contest the weekend before. Oceanside were able to qualify for their first semifinal of the year as they topped Santa Monica 27-17 in their opening match of the day. It would be Belmont 1 versus Oceanside and Belmont 2 versus Eagle Rock for the semifinals. Despite Oceanside’s improvement from the last weekend, they were unable to keep up with the Belmont boys, falling 33-5. Eagle Rock also continued their winning ways, slicing through Belmont 2 38-0. Ah, another rematch for the final. This time, Eagle Rock stuck to Belmont like a thorn in their side. At the final whistle it would be Belmont taking their second championship of the season, 26-17; a far closer match than the weekend before. Belmont 2 managed to squeeze by Oceanside for third place, 17-12; while Santa Monica took home fifth.
With one qualifier left to play, Belmont 1 is sitting pretty at the top of the table, on track for automatic qualification. Eagle Rock looks good though, really good. Especially considering they are playing against the top team in the country. I would have them in my at-large pool for sure.
The women’s competition has also completed two qualifiers so far. Three teams indicated intention for National’s qualification at the first stop: the San Diego Surfers, the Santa Monica Dolphins, and the WC Marines; and then were joined on the second leg by Las Vegas.
In Santa Monica, the teams played a double round robin with no final Championship match. San Diego were expected to be the top dog after their fifth place finish at Nationals the year before, and they delivered to expectations. However the competition was stronger than it had been in years’ past. Game two for the Surfers saw Santa Monica trail by only a try, finishing 10-5. Meanwhile the Marines clocked a 17-10 win over Santa Monica in their first match of the day. The second time these teams played, Santa Monica managed to pull one out over the Marines, winning by a try 22-17. The Surfers also extended their lead over Santa Monica in the final game of the day, but not by much, winning 17-5. San Diego finished 4-0 as the top seed, and the Marines snuck into 2nd, finishing 1-3, thanks to a higher PD in the head to head. Santa Monica also finished 1-3, but landed in third.
The next weekend, these three sides were joined by Las Vegas at the Sunsplash 7s hosted by Belmont Shore. And here, the games got exciting. Santa Monica opened their day with a big win over the Marines, while San Diego dropped their first match against new kids on the block, Las Vegas. Las Vegas then went on to beat the Marines by 5, but eventually fell to Santa Monica 28-19. The Surfers rallied and won their next two matches, leaving the pool play tied on a 2-1 record with both Santa Monica and Las Vegas. Due to the point differential, Las Vegas missed out on the chance in the final by inches, setting up another San Diego vs Santa Monica head to head. The Surfers confidently bounced back from their opening loss, serving up a 34-5 win over the Dolphins. The Marines slotted their first win of the day to claim third, 17-12 over Las Vegas.
With one more tournament to go, San Diego is securely in first, but any of these teams has the ability to notch a win over the champions, and a strong case to make for an at-large bid.
Frontier/Rocky Mountain
The Rocky Mountain region kicked off their men’s 7s qualifying season this past weekend with Denver 7s hosted by the Denver Barbarians. Many of the usual suspects from the Frontier region were in attendance, most fielding more than one side. Hosts Denver Barbarians were joined by the Kansas City RFC, the KC Blues, and the Omaha GOATs, as well as home-state teams such as the Gentlemen of Aspen, Air Force, and Vail, to name a few. Split into four pools of three, teams played two pool games before advancing to either the Cup quarters and beyond or the Bowl semis.
Emerging perfect from pool play and taking the top seed into the quarters were the Barbos, Kansas City RFC, KC Blues, and the Gents (who took first with an impressive 28-21 win over Barbos B in their final pool match). They were joined by the Air Force Selects, the Denver Highlanders, Vail, and the aforementioned Barbos B. All of the quarters were close affairs, with the exception of the Barbos A who blew the Highlanders out of the water 61-0. Kansas City remained undefeated as they snuck by Air Force 24-19, while Vail upset the Gents 26-17. The Barbos B joined their first side in the semis after squeezing by the KC Blues 19-12.
In the semifinals, Denver kept up their hot streak, blanking Vail by an astonishing 49-0 while Kansas City firmly put the Barbos B in their place 33-14. This set up a Denver Barbos versus Kansas City final. KCRFC rallied and put it all against the home team, managing to score the first try against Denver all day (no, not kidding); but in the end it wasn’t enough to stop the onslaught. Denver raised the trophy high claiming the Championship title and an excellent first step in requalifying for the National bid.
There’s one qualifier yet to play for these teams, down in Kansas City, MO. This time home field advantage will be with the Blues and the KCRFC, perhaps that’ll be enough to shake the Barbos off their throne.
On the Women’s pathway to qualification, we haven’t seen any action yet, but we’re hopeful that the Rocky Mountain/Frontier will send a team up to the National Championship, after missing out the past two years. Rocky Mountain Magic placed 7th in 2022 and 5th in 2021, but since then have remained quiet. We’ll keep you updated as we find out.
Midwest
Up in the Midwest we are one qualifier down out of three as the Midwest 7s Series kicked off this past weekend up in Lansing, MI.
On the men’s side of the competition, all eyes were on the St. Louis Bombers who placed 4th Nationally last year and 2nd in 2023. They were joined by the Chicago Lions and the Detroit Tradesmen, among others. St. Louis delivered as they went undefeated in pool play over Grand Rapids and the Tradesmen B. Detroit A also swept through pool play, taking down the Lions B, Cleveland, and Lansing. The Cincinnati Wolfhounds and Chicago Lions A advanced as well, putting on impressive performances in their respective pools. The semifinals provided entertainment for everyone as the Bombers and Lions went back and forth for the full 14. In the end it was the kicking accuracy of the Bombers that won them the trip to the final, 21-19. Cincinnati must’ve burned out in the pool rounds, or the Tradesmen really turned up the intensity, as they breezed through their semi to nab a spot in the final. Both Detroit and St. Louis entered the final undefeated, though not untested. The Bombers had the final say as they showed what years at the National level can produce, winning 14-7 over Detroit. Meanwhile, Chicago finished their weekend off on a high, smashing the Cincinnati Wolfhounds 36-14. It’s certainly all to play for at the next qualifier, as anything can happen during a few weeks.
On the women’s side of the competition, last year’s runners-up and 2023 National Champions, the Chicago Lions entered an impressive three sides into the mix. They were joined by Chicago North Shore, the Cleveland Rugby Coalition, and the Circle City Tempest (that’s a lot of C-names…). Circle City and Chicago North Shore both entered in two sides to the competition as well, bringing the total to eight teams in two pools of four. The Lions and North Shore both proved top of the table on the day as both the first and second sides took first and second in their respective pools. This setup Lions vs Lions and NS vs NS in the semifinals. Now, we’ve actually seen this a fair amount so far this summer, as many clubs have a big pool of players and split into multiple sides; but for it to happen to two clubs at the same time for the same competition’s semifinals is pretty funny. Safe to say the first sides advanced to the final. In the Championship match, it got heated. Turns out 14 minutes of rugby wasn’t enough for the women from Chicago, as they headed into extra time, golden point wins. It was Chicago North Shore in the end, pulling off the upset, as they ended 17-12 to take the first leg of the Midwest Series. In the third place match, the Lions 2 were able to hold off North Shore 2 17-0 to get double the hardware. It appears that North Shore is not messing around this year, they came to play, and to qualify for Nationals. Sure makes the rest of this series exciting.
Red River
Two of three qualifiers checked off for the clubs in the Red River region; primarily Texas-based teams. First up was Bloodfest 7s, the historic kickoff for the Nationals qualifying season.
Let’s start with the men’s competition. Six teams are vying for bids from the Red River region, and there’s some heavy hitters in the mix. The Nationals-tested Dallas Reds and Austin Huns are back, joined by the select-side Gorilla, the Dallas Harlequins, HEB (not the grocery store chain), and perhaps the big surprise this year, the Austin Blacks have decided to make a run at 7s Nationals. These six sides were joined at Bloodfest by a young Denver Barbarians selection and the Army Selects (not seeking qualifying-points). Dallas RFC topped their pool 2-0-1 after an opening 14-14 tie against the Denver Barbos. The Dallas Harlequins finished second by the skin of their teeth thanks to a five-point win over HEB and a two-point defeat of Denver. This caused Denver to drop to third, and HEB finished last. On the other side of the bracket, the Austin Blacks kicked off their campaign in perfect fashion, defeating Army, Gorilla, and the Huns, scoring an average of 27 points per match while only allowing 10. The Austin Huns finished second after defeating Gorilla and Army, albeit narrowly, their final score was 14-12 over the Army Selects. Army defeated Gorilla 24-19 to take third, while Gorilla finished fourth in the pool. The teams went straight into the semifinals, Dallas RFC against the Austin Huns and the Austin Blacks against the Quins. Both Austin teams reigned at the final whistle, defeating their opponents by at least two tries; setting up Austin vs Austin for the crown. The final was much more thrilling than their previous pool match (that the Blacks had won confidently). Back and forth and to the final whistle, it was the Huns who managed to pull ahead and take full points from their home tournament, defeating the Blacks 26-19. In the third place game, the Dallas RFC found their missing link, putting it together to storm by the Quins 40-10. Denver finished fifth over Army 26-21, while HEB notched their first win of the day 31-26 over Gorilla.
Two weeks later, the teams met again, this time up in Durant, OK for Choctaw 7s. The Blacks, the Huns, the Reds, and the Quins all topped their respective pools with impressive point differentials. There was no messing around with quarterfinals, it was straight into the fire for these four sides. Bloodfest Champions, the Huns, faced off against the Dallas Harlequins, while the Austin Blacks took on the Dallas RFC. Both games showed promise, but as the minutes ticked down, the Austin sides again pulled ahead, both notching strong wins in their bid for glory. For the third time this 7s season, the Austin Huns took on the Austin Blacks. It was a low scoring affair, which kept everyone on their toes, eager to see where the ball bounced next. Despite a game-ending try by the Blacks, it was the Huns who won 14-7. With two qualifiers down, the Austin Huns are in the strongest position to qualify as the Red River’s top seed, however they must ensure they win bronze at the final qualifier if the Blacks snatch the top spot that weekend. The Quins had a resounding shutout of the Reds in the third place playoff in Durant, tying them in the standings. Both Dallas teams trail by too much to get first, unless the Austin sides no-show at Hell or Highwater. However with a marked improvement in scores, they could always qualify at-large.
On the women’s side of the competition, Bloodfest proved fruitful for the Texas D1 teams as the Dallas Harlequins took full points and sHARCs slid in second place behind them. The Quins led their pool 3-0 after defeating Army Rugby Union, the Dallas RFC, and Gorilla while the sHARCs went 2-1, defeating the Austin Valkyries and HEB before falling to Faith Rugby Family 26-7. In the semis the Harlequins defeated the sHARCs 26-14 while Faith dominated Army. Since Faith and Army both weren’t going for qualifying points, the Quins took the top seed despite a 17-12 loss in the final and the sHARCs took second after beating Army in the bronze. The Austin Valkyries are third in the standings thanks to their sixth place overall behind the Dallas RFC (also not playing for qualification), followed by HEB who beat Gorilla 31-0 in the final match of the day.
Heading up to Durant, OK two weeks later, the Quins, the Valkyries, HEB, sHARCs, and Gorilla all went head to head in another weekend of thrilling play. The Quins started where they left off at Bloodfest with a resounding statement in pool play, scoring an average of 44 points per match while holding off any opponents from scoring against them. The second-place sHARCs had a tougher time, taking it to the final minute in their opening match of the day, but holding out for a 17-12 win over the Quins’ second side. Last year’s automatically qualified team HEB stepped up to top their pool after a disappointing Bloodfest. The sHARCs and Gorilla both qualified for the Cup semifinals after going 2-1 in pool play, while the Austin Valkyries missed the boat after falling to Gorilla and the Quins. Both semi finals were not tight affairs; HEB and the Dallas Harlequins both held their opponents to zero while running in more than four tries apiece. Finally, the showdown was set; the current top seed, the Dallas Harlequins, against the re-energized HEB Lady Hurricanes. In the end, the Quins proved too strong, they smashed the Hurricanes 31-0, capping off a perfect tournament to end 5-0 with zero points scored against them.
Looking ahead to the final qualifier, the Dallas Harlequins have all but locked it down, they pretty much just need to show up to Hell or High Water to secure the bid. The sHARCs are in the best place to put in a convincing at-large bid, but HEB this past weekend might have something to say about that. Another strong performance in Houston and HEB could have a good shot at heading back to Nationals.
Mid-Atlantic
Swinging over to the Mid-Atlantic region, we’ve got two of four qualifiers down and a good guess of who could automatically qualify for Nationals.
First stop was the Rites of Summer 7s hosted by Baltimore Chesapeake. Five men’s teams entered the premier bracket and played a full round robin for pool play, so we got a good taste of what all the head to heads look like. There were also no semifinals for this competition, so teams had to place first or second in order to reach the final. Beltway Elite made the cut after going 4-0 in pool play; however their opening match against NOVA was decided by only a conversion, 7-5 the final score. NOVA quickly brushed off their opening blunder by racking up an astonishing 137 point differential, more than double Beltway. 68 points alone came from their pool match against Lehigh Valley, which averages out to almost a try a minute; insane stuff from NOVA. Schuylkill River finished 3-2, which gave them a slot in the third place match. They did well in pool play, putting up 7 to Beltway’s 19; but it just wasn’t enough. They beat Central Penn a resounding 38-0 in the bronze. In the final, Beltway and NOVA met once more. It was another nail biter of a match, with a few more tries on either side. NOVA however, avenged their tournament opener, and took home the trophy 17-12.
One week later, only three of the five Men’s teams had progressed to the elite bracket of Billy Gardner 7s: NOVA, Beltway, and Schuylkill River. They were joined by NOVA 2 in order to fill out a four team bracket that would play a round robin in pool play, followed by the Championship and bronze match. Taking the top seed after the last weekend, NOVA played NOVA 2 to kick off their day. Unsurprisingly, they won that comfortably. Schuylkill River managed to inch closer to Beltway, holding them to 14 points, but still only scoring 7 of their own. Beltway also took down NOVA 2, though it was 19-5 so still a good contest. Meanwhile Schuylkill definitely made strides as they went toe to toe with NOVA, only falling by 10 points. The final games of pool play couldn’t be more exciting as Schuylkill and NOVA 2, both desperate for their first wins of the day, tied on tries scored, but with Schuylkill slotting all three conversion kicks to finish 21-15. NOVA and Beltway however, tied on tries scored and conversions made, to draw the final game of pool play 12-12, truly showing how close this competition is. For the fourth time already this season NOVA would play Beltway, while Schuylkill took on NOVA 2. Compared to the fireworks that flew in the final pool rounds, the finals were more cut and dry. NOVA solidly took down Beltway 24-5, while Schuylkill flattened NOVA 2 35-7.
With two qualifiers remaining, NOVA leads the way with full points. Beltway at least has an excellent chance of proving their case as an At-Large seed thanks to their score lines against NOVA over the last two tournaments, if they don’t just pull ahead at the final two tournaments. Schuylkill isn’t yet to be counted out – their improvement over one week shows they can rally for the tail end of this season.
Checking out the women’s competition, the Mid-Atlantic is home to four-time National Champions Scion, a literal powerhouse of rugby in the USA. But it’s not just a one pony show, there’s also NOVA, Phoenixville White Horse, Philadelphia, and Raleigh, all clubs with National Championship-level experience.
At Rites of Summer 7s, all five of the above teams were in one pool playing a round robin, which then progressed straight into a 1v2 Championship and 3v4 Bronze. Scion proved that they’re back by scoring 152 points over four games and allowing none. Phoenixville and Philadelphia both finished 2-2, with Phoenixville winning the head to head 28-24. Philadelphia topped NOVA 20-0 while Phoenixville narrowly lost 14-10, which accounted for the same record. Meanwhile, Raleigh beat NOVA 19-14 to qualify for the bronze, though both those teams finished 1-3. Scion kept their train rolling straight into the final where they topped Phoenixville 42-0, cementing their perfect record. Philadelphia notched their second win over Raleigh that day in the bronze final, winning 34-12.
Heading to Billy Gardner 7s, all five teams were joined by NOVA 2, who filled out the pool to make two three-team round robin brackets that went into semifinals before the Championship games. Scion breezed through NOVA 1, NOVA 2, and Philadelphia; on track to yet another trophy. However, in their opening game of the day, they finally let one slip through the defense, as NOVA scored the first try against them all season. The game may have ended 33-7 in Scion’s favor, but a small win is still a win. Raleigh Venom improved, securing wins over NOVA 2 and Phoenixville, while falling by a conversion to Philadelphia. NOVA 1 beat Phoenixville and Philadelphia to secure third overall, with the same record as Raleigh. Phoenixville was the last team to sneak into the semifinals, but as the fourth-place team, they would have to take on Scion again. It did not go in their favor, Scion scoring 57 unanswered points as they blazed on to their second Championship match of the season. The Raleigh vs NOVA rematch was a much tighter affair, with NOVA holding out a strong Raleigh attack to take the win 21-14. In the Championship, NOVA came to play. They put up 19 points total, tripling the total scores against Scion all season, but in the end it wasn’t enough. Scion still ran in 42 points to take the crown and likely all but guarantee their place in another National Championship tournament. Phoenixville and Raleigh went into overtime in the bronze final, Phoenixville scoring the golden try to win 19-12.
With two qualifiers left, Scion is pretty comfortable with their position. The battle for second is heating up though, and with many regions not having super active Women’s 7s comps, it’s likely that extra At-Large bids will be available to the teams that hustle; and for that, Raleigh, NOVA, Philadelphia, and Phoenixville are all making their mark.
South
Down in the South region we are about halfway through. The men play three qualifiers (Gulf Coast, Tennessee, and Hotlanta) while the women play Gulf Coast and Hotlanta. There are other tournaments, like Cape Fear’s annual Fourth of July tournament, that provide valuable information on how teams are shaping up, but don’t count to the final standings.
On the men’s side we’ve got six teams from five states battling it out – Life U and Atlanta Old White representing Georgia, St Pete, Nashville, Charleston, and Birmingham. Five of these teams attended Gulf Coast, with Nashville the lone absentee. To split into two pools of three, St Pete fielded two sides, the Pelicans and the Blitzburgs. The Blitzburgs found themselves in Pool A with Life U and Birmingham while the Pelicans played in Pool B with AOW and Charleston.
Pool play kicked off with both Old White and Life asserting dominance in their pools with 30+ point blankings of their opponents. However after that, the score lines grew closer. The Blitzburgs kept Life to 17-5 in their match, while Charleston put 12 against Old White’s 28. The Blitzburgs also nudged Birmingham by a conversion, 14-12. In playoff rounds, A2 played B3 and B2 played A3 to qualify for the semis where they faced one of the pool leaders, either Old White or Life. Birmingham [A3] rallied to a surprising 26-5 win over the Pelicans [B2], while St Pete [A2] took down Charleston [B3] 15-7. Well rested from their quarterfinal byes, Old White and Life both went to work, defeating Birmingham and St Pete respectively. This set up the anticipated final between Life and AOW, as well as a spicy third place rematch between the St Pete Blitzburgs and Birmingham. In the final, both teams showed their finesse, but in the end it was Life who cemented their victory 17-12 over Old White. The third-place match was decided by only a conversion, same as the pool play game, this time Birmingham taking the spoils. Heading into TN 7s, Life U leads the way, followed by Atlanta Old White, Birmingham, St Pete, and finally Charleston; Nashville is yet to get on the scoreboard.
The women’s qualification tour is officially half over with one of two tournaments completed. Four teams played in a single round-robin format followed by 1v4 and 2v3 semi-finals and one final match. Phoenix, Orlando, Atlanta 2.0 Selects, and Fort Miami all indicated their intention to compete for the National bid and made the trip down to Florida for the first leg.
In pool play Phoenix went undefeated, however they only edged Orlando 7-5 in their final match. Orlando also fell to the Atlanta 2.0 Selects, who finished second; then tied Ft Miami, who also went 0-2-1. Thanks to point differential, Orlando finished third overall with Ft Miami in fourth despite Ft Miami’s impressive 17-10 battle against Atlanta. Both Atlanta and Phoenix impressed in the semis, blanking their opponents. Then on their fifth match of the day, Atlanta and Phoenix went all out for 14 minutes, both teams finding time and space to score. At the end though, Phoenix would pull ahead by two tries, defeating the 2.0 Selects 17-5 at the final whistle. Thanks to a storm, the third-place match was unable to be played, so Orlando and Ft Miami are currently tied in the Qualifier ranking, behind Atlanta 2.0 Selects in second and Phoenix leading the way.
Northeast
The Northeast region has a whopping four qualifiers, two of which happened in June – Newport 7s in Rhode Island and Long Island 7s.
On the men’s side of the competition, it’s a battle between the ARP powerhouses; Old Blue, Mystic, White Plains, and NYAC. Opening the season at Newport 7s, each team was given a chance to shake off the rust, though not many of them needed it. Mystic, Old Blue, and White Plains stormed out to a strong start scoring over five tries each in their opening matches. NYAC started their season out with an unlucky 17-17 draw against Mystic 2. The blows kept raining down from the big dogs in pool play; however, some teams surprised and stepped up to the plate. Saratoga topped Long Island 26-12 and scored twice against Old Blue in pool play. Mystic 2 followed up their tie against NYAC with a 19-5 loss to White Plains and then a 24-5 thumping of Old Blue 2 to qualify for the semi-finals. Mystic topped Old Blue in the Pool B decider, an impressive 32-14; however both advanced into the semis thanks to their wins earlier in the day.
This set up White Plains (A1) against Old Blue (B2) and Mystic 1 (B1) against Mystic 2 (A2). Now we love an inter-squad scrimmage, but sometimes when it’s hot out, it’s the last thing you want to do. Regardless, both Mystic sides took the pitch and (unsurprisingly) Mystic 1 pulled ahead 29-5 to make it to the final. The other semi-final was a battle to the end. Old Blue rallied after their pool game defeat and stuck it to White Plains, holding out for a 22-12 win and gaining the berth to the final. A spicy rematch lay ahead, Old Blue versus Mystic. Now this one was a barn burner. Back and forth action entertained the fans for 14 unforgettable minutes, but in the end only one could emerge victorious. In the comeback story of the tournament, Old Blue found the gaps in Mystic’s defense and lifted their first trophy of the season, 27-22 at the final whistle.
There was no time to celebrate and boast however, as the show went on the next weekend, heading to Long Island. Old Blue landed in a pool with NYAC (who rallied the weekend before and finished fifth overall), Mystic 2, and Saratoga. Mystic 1 were in Pool B joined by White Plains, Long Island, and Old Blue 2. Old Blue finished perfect in pool play, while NYAC astoundingly added another tie to their overall record, ending 19-19 against Saratoga. This was enough to finish second and qualify them for the semis. In Pool B, Mystic also finished 3-0, including a strong 38-17 win over White Plains to secure the top seed. White Plains won their other two games however, so they still made it to the Cup rounds. No friendly semis this weekend, Mystic 1 (B1) faced NYAC (A2) while Old Blue (A1) took on White Plains (B2). The top seeds once again proved why they are the top seeds as Mystic blanked NYAC 29-0 and Old Blue held off White Plains 21-5. Ah, another rematch for the Cup Final, Mystic versus Old Blue. This time, the defense was a bit more stout, both teams not finding the try zone nearly as much as their last hit out. Old Blue still managed to dot down thrice to Mystic’s one, taking their second title in two weeks, and solidly building a lead to Nationals qualification. In the third place game, White Plains put out a fantastic effort to top NYAC 17-10.
Two more qualifications ahead, but it looks like it’ll come down to a battle between Old Blue and Mystic. However, it’s not too late for a second half push from either White Plains or NYAC, with half the qualifiers left, it’s all up for grabs.
On the women’s side of the competition, both New York and Boston have indicated their intention to compete for Nationals and played in the Women’s Open bracket of the Newport 7s. They went head to head in the pool rounds where Boston confidently beat New York 29-10. Other teams that participated (not for qualifying points) and impressed were New Haven, who eventually lost in the final to Boston; and the Worcester Shamrocks who placed fourth. There was no Women’s bracket in Long Island, but we will see these athletes back in action for Saratoga in a few weeks!
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