USA Rugby Club 7s National Championships | August 12-13, 2017 - News

More teams punch tickets to Club 7s National Championship

7/17/2017

Article by Alex Solomon | Originally published at usarugby.org

Photo by Travis Prior - KLC Fotos

The Aug. 12-13 USA Rugby Emirates Airline Club 7s National Championship will be competed at the National Sports Center just outside of Minneapolis. Every match at the 2017 Club 7s National Championship will air live on The Rugby Channel.

LAFAYETTE, Colo. - Six more teams have qualified for the Aug. 12-13 USA Rugby Emirates Airline Club 7s National Championship following an important weekend of qualifying events held across the country. The total number of teams booked for the 2017 Club 7s National Championship in Minneapolis, Minn., is up to nine with the previous qualifications of American Rugby Pro Training Center, the Austin Valkyries, and Rugby Utah.

The four representatives from the Atlantic North were determined as Bulldog Rugby and Old Blue rose above a very difficult regional competition to qualify for Nationals on the men's side, while Beantown and New York Rugby emerged from the women's sevens series.

Mystic River appeared well on its way to a third consecutive appearance at the Club 7s National Championship after taking first place at Newport 7s in June. However, Bulldog Rugby won the Atlantic North tournament last week in New York to put itself in a more favorable position to qualify heading into the Saturday, July 15, Saratoga 7s.

Contenders seek positive Legacy 7s results ahead of Midwest Championship

7/14/2017

Article by Alex Solomon | Originally published at usarugby.org

Photo by Travis Prior - KLC Fotos

The Midwest 7s Championship in Cincinnati, Ohio, will see the eight best men’s and women’s squads battle for qualification to the Aug. 12-13 USA Rugby Club 7s National Championship.

BRIGHTON, Mich. - The third and final Midwest qualifier will take place Saturday, July 15, at the Legacy Center in Brighton, Mich., where the participants and seeds for the July 29 regional championship event will be determined. The Midwest 7s Championship in Cincinnati, Ohio, will see the eight best men's and women's squads battle for qualification to the Aug. 12-13 USA Rugby Emirates Airline Club 7s National Championship.

A year after missing out on a trip to Nationals for the first time since 2012, the women of the Chicago Lions appear to be on the verge of earning the program's fourth overall appearance at the Club 7s Championship event. The Lions took first place at both Madtown 7s and Rock n' Roll 7s. Thanks to the victorious start to their summer, the Lions will claim the top seed at the Midwest 7s Championship by reaching the Finals at Legacy 7s.

"Defense has been a big factor," coach Jeremy Nash said of the two tournament wins to open the summer. "Also our depth. We have a pool of 16 to 18 players competing for spots in the team."

Three teams with combined 11 Club 7s titles in action at Sunsplash 7s

7/13/2017

Article by Alex Solomon | Originally published at usarugby.org

Photo by Travis Prior - KLC Fotos

The Rugby Channel, which will broadcast the Aug. 12-13 USA Rugby Club 7s National Championship, will also be airing Saturday’s Sunsplash 7s live from Long Beach.

LONG BEACH, Calif. - Sunsplash 7s is one of Southern California's premier sevens events of the summer. Of course, any time previous Club 7s National Champions Belmont Shore, Old Mission Beach Athletic Club, and San Diego Surfers share the same pitch on the same Saturday afternoon, you are likely in for a quality day of rugby.

Saturday, July 15's Sunsplash 7s is the final women's Pacific South qualifier for the 2017 USA Rugby Emirates Airline Club 7s National Championship, and acts as the third of four qualifying tournaments in the men's series.

In the contest to claim the two spots for Nationals reserved for the Pacific South Region, the three usual suspects from Southern California currently sit at the top of the men's standings. Belmont Shore has created a gap between first place and the rest of the field after winning each of the region's opening two qualifiers. The fast start to Belmont Shore's summer has been especially impressive given its 15s season lasted into late May thanks to a run that led the team to the Division I National Semifinal.

Club 7s Qualifier Analysis (July 11)

7/11/2017

Photo by Travis Prior - KLC Fotos

31 out of this year's 47 qualifying tournaments are now complete, and the 2017 USA Rugby Emirates Airline Club 7s National Championship field is starting to come into picture. As of July 8, three teams have already officially qualified, and another handful are more or less de facto qualified by their performance thus far.

Three teams earn spot at Club 7s nationals during busy weekend of qualifiers

7/10/2017

Article by Alex Solomon | Originally published at usarugby.org

Photo by Travis Prior - KLC Fotos

Like the Atlantic North Region, the Red River has seen three different teams take first place over the region’s first three men’s qualifying events.

LAFAYETTE, Colo. - The busiest weekend of the summer of qualifying events for the Aug. 12-13 USA Rugby Club Emirates Airline Club 7s National Championship saw certain clubs distance themselves from the pack thanks to first-place finishes Saturday, July 8, while other regional competitions tightened as a number of teams picked up their first tournament victories of the summer.

A trio of teams, meanwhile, became the first of 32 sides to qualify for the 2017 Club 7s National Championship in Minneapolis, Minn. 2015 National Championship winner American Rugby Pro Training Center claimed the Red River's No. 1 seed to Nationals, and the Austin Valkyries punched their ticket as the region's second squad. On the men's front, reigning National Champion Rugby Utah has earned the right to defend its title after winning a second tournament in the Frontier Region.

Busiest weekend of the summer sees 20 teams win at 12 qualifiers, and 3 teams officially punch their tickets to Minnesota

7/9/2017

Second half of Atlantic North sevens competition begins at Hell Gate 7s

7/7/2017

Article by Alex Solomon | Originally published at usarugby.org

USA Eagle and Old Blue player James Bird showing tremendous class in helping a Mystic River player up at the 2016 Club 7s event | Photo by Travis Prior - KLC Fotos

The 2017 USA Rugby Club 7s National Championship will be held at the National Sports Center in Minneapolis. All 96 matches to be contested at the Aug. 12-13 National Championship event will be broadcast live on The Rugby Channel.

LAFAYETTE, Colo. - The contest to qualify for the USA Rugby Club 7s National Championship does not get much tougher than the competition in the Atlantic North. Old Blue's women's program's rise to national power and a number of teams improving their play on the men's side - with the assistance of Northeast Academy - have the region boiling over with talented squads and individual athletes.

The second half of Atlantic North's qualification process for the Aug. 12-13 2017 USA Rugby Emirates Airline Club 7s National Championship begins Saturday, July 8, at Hell Gate 7s in New York.

Mystic River and Old Blue, the region's 2016 men's representatives at Nationals, currently hold the top two spots in the Atlantic North standings after each team earned a first-place finish at the opening two qualifying rounds. Both teams are major players on the national stage, as well, each having Cup Semifinal appearances at Nationals between them the past two summers. Still, New York Athletic Club has reached the Cup Quarterfinals as recently as 2014 and is coming off of a 15s season that saw the club reach the Division I National Championship Final, and Bulldog Rugby out of Connecticut has made strides to compete with the region's best in recent years.

Mid-Atlantic's best ready to rumble at the 37th Monk Vaughan 7s Tournament

7/6/2017

Article by Alex Solomon | Originally published at usarugby.org

Scion at last year's Club 7s Champinoship | Photo by Travis Prior - KLC Fotos

The annual event honors the memory of Monk Vaughan – a standout scrum half for Richmond RFC who has been dearly missed since his life was taken by a drunk driver.

LAFAYETTE, Colo. - Mid-Atlantic teams will look to better position themselves for a place at the Aug. 12-13 USA Rugby Emirates Airline Club 7s National Championship during the July 8 Monk Vaughan 7s Tournament hosted by the Richmond Lions. The Saturday of rugby sevens will see one of the most competitive regions, in both men's and women's sevens, compete at Dorey Park in Henrico, Va., while honoring Monk Vaughan - a respected man in the greater Virginia rugby community.

Most of the tournament's fanfare might be drawn to the supreme skills that will on display in the Men's and Women's Qualifying brackets, but 51 teams representing five states will be at Dorey Park competing in divisions that include a Men's Open, Men's and Women's Social and a High School Boys tournament. The event has shown tremendous growth over the years, and all signs are pointed to the 37th rendition being the very best.

Coming off of a National Championship victory at last August's Club 7s Nationals, Scion started its 2017 summer with a win at June 24's Ruggerama, and most recently took first-place at last weekend's Cape Fear 7s. Given the National Development Academy's proficiency over the past year, the Sirens will be the favorites heading into Monk Vaughan 7s.

Club 7s Weekend Recap - June 24

6/26/2017

Article by Alex Solomon | Originally published at usarugby.org

Dallas Rugby | 2016 Tornado Alley 7s Men's Champions | Photo found on Dallas Rugby Football Club's Facebook page

The sweat-drenched Saturdays over six Competitive Regions put regional standings positions in the balance, with nearly every team competing putting in the training and travel hours in hopes of earning one of 32 places at the Aug. 12-13 USA Rugby Club 7s National Championship in Minneapolis.

LAFAYETTE, Colo. - A busy weekend of Club Championship qualifying tournaments saw many of Nationals' usual suspects raise hardware before the country takes a break from qualifying events during the first weekend of July. The sweat-drenched Saturdays over six Competitive Regions put regional standings positions in the balance, with nearly every team competing putting in the training and travel hours in hopes of earning one of 32 places at the Aug. 12-13 USA Rugby Club 7s National Championship in Minneapolis.

NEWPORT 7S | ATLANTIC NORTH
Mystic River made major inroads in its attempt to qualify for its third consecutive National Championship field by winning Newport 7s. The 2016 Division I National Champions in 15s had two sides competing in the event's top bracket, but it was Mystic's No. 1 squad that posted a 4-0 mark before providing a Cup-winning performance in the Final.

Mystic River coasted to pool wins over Long Island and Village Lions before putting 36 points on both White Plains and 15s National Runner-up New York Athletic Club. The Cup Final pitted last week's winner of Monmouth 7s, Old Blue, against Mystic River. Eager to not allow Old Blue to widen its Atlantic North lead as the region hits its midway point, Mystic River scored a late try to down its rival and post a 17-12 win.

The first-place result draws Mystic River to just two series points behind Old Blue's 41 points with two qualifying tournaments left to play. Behind the two Newport finalist are New York Athletic Club and Bulldog Rugby with 34 and 32 points, respectively.

Next up: July 8 | Hell Gate 7s

Florida Region kicks off national qualifying play with Todd Miller 7s

6/23/2017

Article by Nick Dugan | Originally published at usarugby.org

Photo by Brian Achenbach | KLC Fotos

The tournament was named in 1991 to commemorate UCF rugby player Todd Miller who severely injured his neck and spine and was partially paralyzed in a match in October of that year.

The University of Central Florida Men's Rugby Club will host the 26th annual Todd Miller 7s Tournament on Saturday, June 24 at Emery Hamilton Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. Just minutes from Disney World, the pitch will be packed all day with national qualifier play for both men and women's club teams along with high school, men's, and women's open divisions. With 30 teams in total registered, Todd Miller 7s is shaping up to be one of the largest summer tournaments in the Southern region.

As the summer sevens season heats up in Florida, teams are looking to punch their tickets to the 2017 USA Rugby Emirates Airline Club 7s National Championships this August in Blaine, Minnesota. As the first of two tournaments in the Florida Championship Series, Todd Miller 7s will feature intense competition from Florida's best men's and women's squads. Following the final tournament in the Florida Championship Series, the Men's Southern Conference will hold its National Qualification Tournament on July 22 in Atlanta to determine which teams will advance on to the National Championships. Florida region women's teams can also qualify for the Qualification Tournament in Atlanta with their performances in Todd Miller 7s and Gulf Coast 7s on July 8.