The pools for the USAR National Club 7s have been released and it’s time to dive into the details; who qualified, what seed they are, and how did they get there. There’s a lot to cover so we’ll dive past the fluff this time and get straight into the action. But – I have to include my disclaimer – this information is taken from publicly posted scoresheets/tournament websites. Without RX reporting, I have to rely on the information provided by the clubs, so if anything is incorrect, my deepest apologies, but also it’s not the end of the world. These articles are written for entertainment from someone who has no stake in the outcome of these matches, I promise. I’m just here for the rugby.
This article covers our four women’s pools (A-D), if you’re looking for the men’s action – check that out HERE.
Here’s the final breakdown of the 2026 pools: Pool A – Chicago Lions, San Diego Surfers, Oregon Jesters, Colorado Grey Wolves; Pool B – Chicago North Shore, Berkeley All Blues, HEB Hurricanes, Orlando; Pool C – Scion Sirens, Boston, Phoenix, Chicago Lions Bonus Track; Pool D – Life West, Washington Athletic, Philadelphia, Dallas Harlequins.
Pool A
Starting off nice and strong, we have the defending National Champions back for round two (round three if you count their 2023 title). That’s right, the Chicago Lions (1) are back headlining Pool A; on top of the table where they belong. Last year the Lions entered the competition as the fourth overall seed, after taking second place in the Midwest. They breezed through pool play, racking up a total differential of 125-17, advancing to the Cup quarterfinals where they toppled Washington Athletic 33-7. The semifinal was a rematch of the 2024 National Championship match, Scion taking on the Lions. This time, the Lions bettered the Mid-Atlantic powerhouse, defeating the Sirens 17-10 and advancing to the final. There, they met their Midwest rivals, Chicago North Shore. Turns out the Midwest had been having National Championship matches all season long, as these two had been trading titles back and forth each tournament. A thrilling match ensued, but in the end it was the Lions who won it by a kick, final score 17-15. The Lions claimed the Midwest title this season with a resounding 29-5 victory over Chicago North Shore at the Midwest Championships just the other weekend. In addition to the qualifier tournaments, in June the Lions hosted a camp at the Elite Athlete Training Facility in Chula Vista, CA to train and scrimmage with the US and Canadian National Teams. If that doesn’t scream commitment to defending the title, I’m not sure what does.
Joining the Lions in Pool A are the Southern California Champions, the San Diego Surfers (8). The Surfers boast four national 7s titles to their name, all between 2012-2019 (in addition to three XV titles – in case anyone is counting). San Diego finished eighth last year, after entering the tournament ranked fifth. In another weird twist of fate, San Diego and the Lions were both in Pool D together last year; that match ending 38-7 in favor of Chicago. San Diego started strong at last year’s tournament, knocking off HEB and Phoenixville, but then they ran into trouble. They dropped four games on the hop, starting with that pool play game against Chicago, all the way to the 7th/8th ranking match where they lost to Life West. But enough of the past! The Surfers are back and ready to finish the season off the way they intended to last year. San Diego has been unstoppable this summer, racking up hardware all across the Southern California coastline. Their final qualifier of the season was highlighted by a total PD of 157-12 during four matches in Santa Monica. The Surfers even got in some extra game time post-qualification, fielding two teams at the Oasis 7s in San Diego on the final weekend of July. An added edge for the Surfers is that they haven’t had any tournaments cancelled due to weather – half the other regions have. They’ve gotten the maximum time to prepare for what’s going to be another grueling weekend.
Third in this pool and back on the 7s scene once again are the ORSU Jesters (9). The Jesters take the 9th place seed from the Oregon Sharks who won the Bowl at last year’s Nationals. I personally think the Jesters are ranked too low, because the Sharks finished last year with a final record of 5-1, better than the eventual National Runners-up. They went 2-1 in their pool, but so did two other teams, so it came down to point differential for who would qualify for the knockouts, and that’s where Oregon drew the short straw. They proceeded to win all three matches on Sunday, taking home the only hardware they were eligible for – but probably feeling a bit shafted on missing out on the top 8 spots. So now we have to consider that the Jesters, who took home second-place in three of the four qualifiers this year, took down the Sharks who finished third in all four PNW events. Sure they lost their finals against WAC, but WAC is currently ranked 5th so that all checks out. If you were going to make a list of bottom 8 teams capable of making the knockouts, I would put the Jesters near the top.
Getting dropped in this star-studded pool are the Colorado Grey Wolves (16). Colorado finished 16th last year, with two of their Sunday games cancelled due to weather. Due to point differential in their Shield semifinal, they dropped below the Dallas Harlequins who took 15th. But this is a new year! The Grey Wolves played two qualifiers this year, Game of Cones 7s and Fountain City 7s, taking home the hardware in both. They won a close one over Denver Black Ice in their first tournament, 21-19, and eventually won the premier final 28-5 over Vail. The Wolves also took a trip down to Bloodfest in Austin, TX, winning the social bracket and getting some free heat conditioning. It’s no secret that this Club 7s will be a tough one for Colorado, but it’s not their first time at the dance, they know what is expected of them. And as we always say, anything can happen in a 7s game.
Pool B
Leading off Pool B we have another Chicago side, Chicago North Shore (2). I guess that’s what happens when your region houses two of the top women’s club 7s teams in the nation. North Shore finished runners-up last year, after the Lions scored at the death to seal the win. North Shore actually went 2-1 in pool play, dropping their first match of the tournament 22-12 against Life West. They followed this up with a close win over Phoenix 14-10, then back to smooth sailing as they blanked the Oregon Sharks 26-0. In the knockout rounds, North Shore showed just how strong their defense was, allowing no tries against them in either the quarters or semis, making their way to the final match where they faced the Chicago Lions. This year, North Shore finished second in the Midwest after securing championship wins in Columbus and Milwaukee, and coming second in Lemont. Since the St. Louis qualifier was cancelled due to storms, North Shore entered the final tournament with an edge, but the Lions had something to say about that. If you look at it objectively, last year North Shore won the Midwest but came second in the Nationals, so this year with the Lions winning the Midwest, maybe North Shore will take home the big trophy.
Joining North Shore are the NorCal powerhouses, the Berkeley All Blues (7). Berkeley comes with a hefty record of National Championship wins, mostly in XV in the 2000s, but also two 7s titles in 2011 and 2013. The All Blues most recently featured in the Cup final in 2019, falling 21-12 against the San Diego Surfers. Last year Berkeley finished fourth overall, losing to the Scion Sirens in the bronze, 14-10. They went 3-0 in pool play, notching wins over Philadelphia, WAC, and the Colorado Grey Wolves, then took down the Surfers in the quarters 22-12. This year, the All Blues finished second in Northern California after playing a mixed season between California and the PNW. They suited up for Marin 7s and Mare Island 7s in June, and finished off with a trip up to Portland 7s at the end of July. The benefit of this mixed schedule means that the All Blues have regularly been playing against some of the top teams on the West Coast, including WAC and Life West, both of whom they could potentially face in the later rounds. I think Berkeley are going to be solid competitors again this year, and have a high chance of finishing top two in this pool.
Third in Pool B are the Red River Champions, the HEB Lady Hurricanes (10). HEB are making their fourth trip to Club 7s, and finished 10th last year after entering the competition ranked 12th. The Hurricanes finished 1-2 in pool play, only narrowly edging by Phoenixville White Horse in their final pool match 21-19. After the Bowl quarterfinals were cancelled, HEB progressed to the semifinals where they smashed the Atlanta 2.0 Selects 47-0. In the Bowl final they narrowly lost to the Oregon Sharks 21-19, but still managed to gain two spots in the rankings at the end of their run. This year they are starting where they left off, in 10th overall. HEB went 2-1 in qualifier titles this year, topping the Dallas Harlequins at Bloodfest and Back in Black 7s, while taking 2nd at Sheriff 7s. The Hurricanes have only reached the knockout rounds once in their Nationals history, placing 7th in 2023. They’ll have to take down at least one of the first two teams in order to make it past pool play, a tall order.
Our final team in Pool B comes from Florida, making a rare but deserved appearance at Club 7s – Orlando (15). Orlando weren’t at Nationals last year, and instead slot in a bit under Phoenix’s final ranking from 2025. Orlando finished first at a few tournaments over the summer, both qualifiers and friendlies. They took home hardware from Surfin 7s and Gulf Coast 7s before facing down Phoenix at the Christmas in July 7s qualifier on July 11th. Orlando beat Phoenix not once but twice in the competition, taking home the hardware and clinching qualification to Nationals. When it comes to Club 7s, I’m not sure how Orlando will stack up nationally, but their strong feeder system from the UCF injects them with young energy, and by the end of the game, they might just be able to score a quick couple of tries and make some late comebacks.
Pool C
Kicking off Pool C are the 4x National Champions, the Scion Sirens (3). Scion are perhaps one of the most known names in the women’s 7s scene in the US, having produced a number of Olympians and National team members. Last year Scion breezed through pool play without allowing a single point against them, outscoring opponents a total of 157-0 in three matches. They took the top seed into the Cup quarterfinals, defeating Life West 31-5 in what seemed like another rung on the ladder leading them to another trophy. However, in the semifinals they met the Chicago Lions, and that’s where this glorious run ended. It was a phenomenal back and forth match with Chicago taking down the defending champs 17-10. Scion went into the third-place match, determined to take home some hardware, which they did. They edged out a strong Berkeley side 14-10 to claim third and remain in the top three. This year Scion are back to business, steamrolling through the Mid-Atlantic to emerge as the top seed after winning all the qualifier tournaments. Their biggest competitor was Philadelphia, who features in Pool D, but Scion just look too good. As we saw last year, they’re not unbeatable, but I’m predicting some pretty big scorelines in pool play, in favor of Scion.
Joining Scion in Pool C are the Northeast Champions, Boston (6). Boston regularly competes at Club 7s, placing 6th last year and 9th the year before. Boston went 2-1 in pool play last year, and are unlucky to be drawn in the same Pool as Scion again. Last year’s result was 59-0 in favor of the Mid-Atlantic Champs; Boston’s only loss in the pool. They managed to top the Dallas Harlequins and Atlanta 2.0 Selects though, qualifying for the Cup quarterfinals. There they faced Chicago North Shore, who defeated them 17-0, sending them to the Plate semifinals against San Diego. They managed to hold on for a win over San Diego 14-12, then just dropped the Plate final 10-5 against Washington Athletic. This year Boston finished first in the Northeast after the July 11th Saratoga tournament where they topped the New York Rugby Club. New York qualified as the second seed out of the Northeast but declined to travel to Madison; had they traveled, they likely would have ended up in the same pool as Boston (more on that later).
Our third team in Pool C are the Southern Champions, Phoenix (11). Phoenix actually finished in 13th place last year, losing all three pool matches, but not by that much. Looking closer at the scorelines you’ll see they lost to the Sharks by a converted try, and to Chicago North Shore by two conversion kicks. Phoenix managed to win both of their matches on Sunday (with their Bowl quarterfinal cancelled, they went directly to Shield playoffs) and finish the tournament on a positive note, but the 13th place finish was still a sting to the team that entered as the 10th seed. Phoenix have definitely put in the effort this summer, sending teams to Cape Fear 7s and Gulf Coast 7s on the same weekend, as well as winning the Hotlanta 7s qualifier in Georgia. They did lose twice to Orlando at Christmas in July 7s, but still take the top seed out of the South and enter the competition seeded four spots higher than their Floridian rivals. Phoenix will definitely bring the heat to Pool C, and could easily sneak back into the top eight by the time Saturday comes to an end.
Our final team in Pool C are the Chicago Lions Bonus Track (14). They’re so good, we had to have them twice. Look, I mentioned earlier that New York didn’t accept their seed to Nationals, they would have been in this spot (and having to play Boston yet again), but when they declined, the committee had to find a replacement at the last minute. And who better than the Lions? Don’t be fooled, this isn’t some B-side made up of players who happened to be available this weekend, the Lions Grey have been competing all summer and making some serious waves in the Midwest. They finished third at the Midwest Championship with a final score of 45-0 in the bronze. They also traveled to Chula Vista to train with Olympic-medal winning teams just last month. In fact, they probably should be ranked higher. I’d be intimidated if I were in Pool C right now.
Pool D
Our final pool is led off by Life West (4), who finished in 7th place last year. Life West adopted the 4th place seed from the Berkeley All Blues, who the Gladiatrix topped in multiple tournaments this summer. Last year Life West went 2-1 in pool play, losing once to the Oregon Sharks, but beating Chicago North Shore so that three teams ended 2-1 in that pool. Life West were lucky to make the cut to knockouts thanks to point differential, but just another valuable lesson that pool play is an important part of the tournament. In the Cup quarterfinals they were unlucky to meet Scion, who thumped them 31-5, dropping Life West to the Plate competition. In the Plate semifinals, Washington Athletic got the upper edge, sending Life West to their final match of the day, the 7/8th ranking game. They managed to finish Sunday on a high note, storming by the San Diego Surfers 35-0 to claim 7th in the nation. Life West have already won a National Championship this season, defeating the Tampa Bay Krewe 24-12 to claim the USAR Women’s XV D2 title back in May. If Life West manage to claim the 7s crown this year as well, it would be their 5th National Championship win, with two D2 and two D1 XV trophies already in their cabinet.
In order to make this happen though, Life West are going to have to get through a familiar face, as they are joined in Pool D by the Washington Athletic Club (5). WAC finished fifth last year with a final record of 4-2. They went 2-1 in pool play, dropping their second match against the Berkeley All Blues, but qualified for the Cup quarterfinals against the Chicago Lions. That one obviously didn’t go WAC’s way, but the Lions were on a hot streak and couldn’t be stopped. They won their Plate semifinal over Life West, final score 21-7, an ominous sign for Life West for this year’s pool play. That sent them into the Plate final where they topped Boston 10-5, earning some hardware for their solid performances all weekend. This year, Washington Athletic took home top qualifier points in all four stops of the Pacific Northwest Qualifier Series, taking down the ORSU Jesters in back to back July events. Add that into their top finishes in June, and we’ve got a serious top four contender on our hands. It’ll be interesting to see them match up against Life West again, and I’m not sure if anyone knows who will end up on top of this pool.
Joining these two west coast teams are the second seed out of the Mid-Atlantic, Philadelphia (12). Philadelphia finished in 11th place last year, after going 1-2 in pool play. Their Bowl quarterfinal against Phoenixville was cancelled, a shame because we would have loved to see that Pennsylvania v Pennsylvania battle. They progressed to the Bowl semifinals, where they lost to the Oregon Sharks 19-0, and that was it for their 2025 run. With some of the lower ranking matches cancelled, Philadelphia finished over the Atlanta 2.0 Selects based on PD from the semi. This year Philadelphia have been really good, they’re just stuck being in the same region as Scion. Philly had a fully packed summer schedule, starting June 6th and running through their final qualifier on July 18th. In the final qualifier, Philly stumbled in pool play, but managed to walk away with a 2nd place finish, securing their place as second in the Mid-Atlantic. Philly once again find themselves in the same pool as WAC; the last time these two played it worked out in WAC’s favor, final score 40-5. Hopefully the year has been good to the Keystone State women and they are going to hit the ground running in their first match of the day.
The final team to cover, and the lucky 13th seed, are the Red River Runners-up (say that three times fast), the Dallas Harlequins (13). The Harlequins finished in 15th place last year, with a record of 0-4. They came close in pool play, five points behind Boston and seven points behind the 2.0 Selects, but they got walloped by Scion and then suffered the same “cancelled Bowl QF” fate as half of the other teams. In their Shield semifinal they came so close, but were one conversion kick too short, dropping their last match 7-5 against Phoenixville. This year they took home gold in one of three qualifiers in Texas, defeating HEB at Sheriff 7s in July. They came in second in the other two, showing a lot of promise for what they can achieve. Last year they were Texas’ top seed and finished lower, so maybe this year the Harlequins will turn the tables and finish higher than 13th. They certainly have less pressure on them than some of these other sides, and sometimes that’s the key to success in achieving your goal.
