Category: Power Rankings

Week 7-8 Men's Power Rankings

7/19/2018

1. Washington Athletic (Seattle, Washington)
Previous Ranking: 1
Current Standing: Pacific Northwest #1

2. Old Blue of New York (New York, New York) *QUALIFIED FOR NATIONALS*
Previous Ranking: 4
Current Standing: Northeast #1

3. Belmont Shore Rugby (Long Beach, California) *QUALIFIED FOR NATIONALS*
Previous Ranking: 3
Current Standing: Pacific South #1; Western Open Champions

4. Denver Barbarians (Denver, Colorado)
Previous Ranking: 6
Current Standing: Frontier #2

5. Bulldog Rugby (Vail, Colorado; Previously: Hartford, Connecticut)
Previous Ranking: 2
Current Standing: Frontier #1

Comments

Week 7-8 Women's Power Rankings

7/19/2018

Comments

1. Life West Gladiatrix (Hayward, California)
Last Ranked: 1
Current Standing: NCRFU #1

2. New York Rugby (New York, New York) *QUALIFIED FOR NATIONALS*
Last Ranked: 3
Current Standing: Northeast #1

3. San Diego Surfers (San Diego, California) *QUALIFIED FOR NATIONALS*
Last Ranked: 5
Current Standing: Pacific South #1

4. Scion Sirens (Washington, District of Columbia) *QUALIFIED FOR NATIONALS*
Last Ranked: 2
Current Standing: Mid-Atlantic #1

5. American Rugby Pro Blue (Little Rock, Arkansas) *QUALIFIED FOR NATIONALS*
Last Ranked: 4
Current Standing: Red River #1

Comments

Week 6 Men's Power Rankings

7/13/2018

Comments

1. Washington Athletic (Seattle, Washington)
Previous Ranking: 1
Current Standing: Pacific Northwest #1

Buy Club 7s Tickets!

2. Bulldog Rugby (Vail, Colorado; Previously: Hartford, Connecticut)
Previous Ranking: 2
Current Standing: Frontier #1

3. Belmont Shore Rugby (Long Beach, California) *QUALIFIED FOR NATIONALS*
Previous Ranking: 3
Current Standing: Pacific South #1; Western Open Champions

4. Old Blue of New York (New York, New York)
Previous Ranking: 4
Current Standing: Northeast #1

5. Dallas Rugby (Dallas, Texas) *QUALIFIED FOR NATIONALS*
Previous Ranking: 5
Current Standing: Red River #1; Eastern Open Champions

Comments

Week 6 Women's Power Rankings

7/13/2018

Comments

1. Life West Gladiatrix (Hayward, California)
Last Ranked: 2
Current Standing: NCRFU #1

Buy Club 7s Tickets!

2. Scion Sirens (Washington, District of Columbia)
Last Ranked: 3
Current Standing: Mid-Atlantic #1

3. New York Rugby (New York, New York)
Last Ranked: 4
Current Standing: Northeast #1

4. American Rugby Pro Blue (Little Rock, Arkansas)
Last Ranked: 5
Current Standing: Red River #1

5. San Diego Surfers (San Diego, California) *QUALIFIED FOR NATIONALS*
Last Ranked: 6
Current Standing: Pacific South #1

Comments

Week 5 Women's Power Rankings: Mid-Season Review

7/5/2018

Comments

Only one change in this week's women's power rankings, but the half-way point of the year is a good time to reflect on the rankings as they stand and why teams are ranked the way they are. We usually don't see a lot of surprising results in the women's community until Nationals, so don't expect too much movement until the second weekend in August.

1. Washington Athletic (Seattle, Washington)
Last Ranked: 1
Current Standing: N/A (Pacific Northwest qualifiers haven't started)

The corps of players who put on Seattle Atavus jerseys and took home gold last year are looking to do the same in WAC branding this year. Until proven otherwise, we see no reason to knock them out of the top spot, as this is a team featuring a very competitive high-performance environment and a depth of roster rarely challenged.

2. Life West Gladiatrix (Hayward, California)
Last Ranked: 2
Current Standing: NCRFU #1

After winning a bronze medal last year, Life West has reloaded and is looking to make another deep run. They'll certainly be battle-tested, as they play in the nation's toughest women's region, featuring teams such as Berkeley, WAC, and ORSU. The Gladiatrix defeated the All Blues 22-20 in their first encounter and will be looking to repeat that performance at the second NCRFU qualifier before the Pacific North Championship in Tacoma on July 28.

3. Scion Sirens (Washington, District of Columbia)
Last Ranked: 3
Current Standing: Mid-Atlantic #1

Scion finished fourth last year after winning it all in 2016, and draws from a region with more women's players than anywhere else. Joanne Liu's program has come a long way from their last-place performance in 2013, and is now one of the nation's top club academy programs. In their first two qualifiers, Scion has had little trouble winning, and should be a lock for a top seed at Nationals in New York City.

4. New York Rugby (New York, New York)
Last Ranked: 4
Current Standing: Northeast #1

New York may actually be under-rated at the #4 spot. NYRC blew out its competition in Newport (their closest margin of victory was 24 points, and they beat second-place Beantown 41-7), and is coming off a successful 2017 where the club won the Women's Premier League and finished 5th at Club 7s. With a hometown crowd ready to cheer them on in New York City, we'd be shocked if NYRC didn't make the National Semi-Finals this year.

5. American Rugby Pro Blue (Little Rock, Arkansas)
Last Ranked: 5
Current Standing: Red River #1

After years of cruising through qualifiers, ARPTC split into two squads this year (Blue and White) and may well qualify both teams. The 'Blue' squad seems to be the stronger of the two based on Bloodfest 7s results, but we don't have perfect insight as to how the rosters were split. The program, founded by former national team coach Jules McCoy, has turned Little Rock into an annual destination for the top women's players in the country to challenge and improve themsleves each summer.

Comments

Week 5 Men's Power Rankings: Mid-Season Review

7/5/2018

Comments

At the halfway mark of the season, the national picture is starting to settle in and this week's rankings are a little more in-depth. A pair of fantastic men's open tournaments has allowed us to evaluate six of the eight regions against each other, and there have been plenty of pleasant surprises along the way.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is the reemergence of a strong Pacific North competition. In the last 3 years, the second seed from the Pacific North hasn't done much to impress at Nationals, and a low 3-year score ultimately cost the region its guaranteed second berth. Last weekend's Western Open, however, showed that the region is back on track to being strong again, and we'd be surprised if the region didn't reclaim its second seed in 2019.

1. Washington Athletic (Seattle, Washington)
Previous Ranking: 1
Current Standing: N/A (Pacific Northwest qualifiers haven't started)

WAC's form should be evident soon, as the same corps of players who previously played for the Seattle Saracens/Seattle-OPSB are released from the Seattle Seawolves to once again put on a jersey for the Pacific Northwest. They haven't played a qualifier yet, but a strong bronze medal showing in 2017 and a roster loaded with the likes of Palefau, Tiberio, Rasileka, Schirmer, Burke-Combs, Suniula, Turner, and Swiryn (among others) is not one to overlook,

2. Bulldog Rugby (Vail, Colorado; Previously: Hartford, Connecticut)
Previous Ranking: 2
Current Standing: Frontier #1

Bulldog started the season around #4 after a sixth-place showing in 2017. The move west to the Frontier region has been a positive one for the club, as they took down the perennial powerhouse Denver Barbarians in the opening tournament of the Frontier 7s Series. Headed by All-American coach Steve Lewis, and captained by Eagle Tim Stanfill, the Bulldog roster is loaded with high-level college players spending their summer training at altitude. A July 14 test at the Heartland 7s in Kansas City should show just how strong this team is.

3. Belmont Shore Rugby (Long Beach, California) *QUALIFIED FOR NATIONALS*
Previous Ranking: 3
Current Standing: Pacific South #1; Western Open Champions

We were extremely tempted to move Belmont Shore up to #2 after its Western Open championship, but the boys from Long Beach stay at #3 for now. Coached by the legendary Peter Sio, Belmont has looked dominant throughout the early part of the summer, and will be difficult for teams to stop. Riding a strong showing as the PRP Champions and XVs Division I National Runner-Up, Belmont is hoping it's the early 2000s all over again - when they were practically unstoppable in both forms of the game.

4. Old Blue of New York (New York, New York)
Previous Ranking: 4
Current Standing: Northeast #1

Old Blue has yet to hit a speedbump this year, winning both the Newport and Danbury 7s tournaments in the always-competitive Northeast 7s Series. It would have been nice to see a Northeast team at the Eastern Open so the region could be compared against others, but we'll continue to assume its as strong as ever until shown otherwise. With New York City set as the location for Nationals, Old Blue is surely looking to gear up for a deep run in front of its home supporters.

5. Dallas Rugby (Dallas, Texas) *QUALIFIED FOR NATIONALS*
Previous Ranking: 5
Current Standing: Red River #1; Eastern Open Champions

Some people thought we were crazy for pushing the 'Reds' this high in the rankings early in the season, but it appears 7s casuals have been sleeping on Dallas for too long. The 2017 Bowl Champions were arguably the 6th- or 7th-best team at the 2017 tournament, catching an unlucky break by playing in what was retrospectively the 'pool of death' (teams finishing in 3rd, 5th, 9th, and 10th). The Chris Howard-led program was dominant in its opening qualifier (beating its own reserve team in the final) and had no trouble putting away opponents at the 2018 Eastern Open either. Dmontae Noble, Chad Joseph, and Jake Campey lead a roster full of over-looked studs who should definitely be getting a look from national team scouts.