After Rugby World Cup, Cal Eyes New 7s Championship

by RugbyVet on Sep 15, 2011 12:00 AM PDT in California Golden Bears Olympic Sports

The world’s third most-watched sporting event is now underway in New Zealand. Odds are long -- very long -- for the USA Eagles in the Rugby World Cup.

Let’s face it. The Yanks are in a tough pool. Of course, at this level, EVERY pool is tough.

Still, the Americans showed some stiff resolve in their Cup opener against Ireland. Enough so to put worries into the minds of Brian O’Driscoll & Co. about their own prospects against other Pool C opponents Italy, Russia and Australia.

So, the Irish are fretting, the Italians are vulnerable and the Aussies ... well, the Aussies are the freakin' Aussies.

The Eagles’ match against the Russians today [the15th] is critical to US momentum because the Yanks are likely to run into a brick, um, wallaby on the 23rd when they go up against Australia.

Something closer to home for Cal rugby fans is USA Rugby's launch of a new collegiate 7s tournament. USA Rugby is the sport’s sanctioning organization -- the one that sponsors the15s play that’s made Cal famous (26 of USA Rugby’s 31 national championships have been won by the Golden Bears). USA Rugby also sponsors the Eagles national team now competing in the World Cup.

Up ‘til now, USA Rugby hasn’t formally sanctioned 7s play. The new championship is the organization's nod to the 2016 Olympics which will feature seven-a-side rugby for the first time.

The new tournament shouldn't be confused with the 7s contest broadcast from Philadelphia over the summer. The winner of that series, Dartmouth College, took home bragging rights only, not an official standing because it played in a non-sanctioned event run by USASevens, a private for-profit organization not affiliated with USA Rugby.

This is a distinction without much of a difference to most Americans, of course, but it’s important to the rest of the rugby world.

The "selling point" of the new USA Rugby championship will be its timing. Qualifying play will take place after the fifteen-a-side season ends and concludes before spring play resumes. In essence, it means year 'round rugby in the U.S.

The new tourney will debut December 16-17 after rounds of regional qualifying play wrap up. The championship field will consist of 24 men's and 16 women's teams and is open to USA Rugby Division I and College Premier Division programs.

Winners of the qualifying tournaments will earn automatic berths in the championship. The remainder of the field will be named from an at-large pool by a Sevens Championship Selection Committee. Criteria for selection will include performance in the qualifying events.

Qualification events for the men's championship include these college post-season tournaments:

August 28: Big 10 7s; Madison, Wis.

Sept. 3-4: Midwest 7s; Bowling Green, Ohio

Sept. 17-18: Atlantic Coast 7s; Greensboro, N.C.

Sept. 24: SCRC 7s; Knoxville, TN.

Sept. 24: SIRC 7s; Tallahassee, Fla.

Oct. 15: Oklahoma 7s; Norman, Okla.

Oct. 16: Northwest Collegiate Rugby 7s Championships; Seattle, Wash.

Oct. 22: Pacific 7s; Stanford, Calif.

Oct. 22: Mountain 7s; Glendale, Colo.

Oct. 29: Delaware 7s; Newark, Del.

Oct. 29: California 7s; Venue to be determined

Nov. 5: East Coast Rugby Conference 7s; Amesbury, Mass.

Nov. 5-6: Ivy Rugby Conference 7s; Venue to be determined

So far, no broadcast deals have been inked by USA Rugby.

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Comments

As a rugby vet

What’s your opinion of 7s as a spectator sport and in terms of depth of strategy? The brief amount of 7s that I saw in that tournament you mentioned in Philly, the game seem really random. The game seemed so short (time-wise) that random bounces/bad plays seemed to easily decide a game.

I know that the saying with all sports is that “it’s a game of inches” and that a single bounce can decide a game. While true, in football and most other sports, there are enough plays and “bounces” that generally, even though there is one play you can point to as a deciding factor, there are a ton of other plays that contributed to the result as well. 7’s seemed a little more random than that.

Admittedly, it could be my blue-tinted glasses reacting to the fact that Cal didn’t win in a college rugby tournament, for which the only explanation could be that luck is too dominant a factor in that style of rugby.

by jali on Sep 15, 2011 12:33 AM PDT reply actions

Random? Sevens?

You’ll find plenty of folk lined up on either side of the 7s debate. For some, 7s is an inelegant bastardisation of classic rugby union. Others adore the fast-paced action of the short game. A chacun son gout.

Americans have really taken note of rugby because of 7s. The World Series venues in the U.S. have been well-attended because spectators like the open style of play. It’s more like American gridiron. A lot of games, too, can be viewed in a short period of time, a boon for ADD-addled fans.

The flow of the 15s game and the sometimes inscrutable rulings on the pitch befuddle many Americans. In 15s, play is cerebral; in 7s it’s visceral. And more unpredictable. There’s little time to recover from mistakes in 7s.

Strategically, 7s and 15s are different. For one thing, there’s more territory for each player to cover in the short game. Those sweeping offensive phases that characterise Cal’s play in 15s don’t translate to 7s.

Training regimens are different. They have to be.

Cal’s uneven performance in 7s isn’t due to luck. Cal’s system is geared to win 15s because that’s the game that, ‘til now, has counted for standings. Cal doesn’t even begin training for 7s until the College Premier Division championship is decided. That’s left the Bears with only two or three weeks to heal up and prepare for the 7s tournament. By June, Cal’s ruggers are just exhausted.

by RugbyVet on Sep 15, 2011 1:33 AM PDT up reply actions

P.S. The Yanks won.

In Taranaki amid the rain, the USA Eagles outlasted the Russian Bears 13-6.

by RugbyVet on Sep 15, 2011 2:41 AM PDT reply actions

We won the Cold War! Nice

Ursus arctos californicus – California golden bear

by berkeleyboy510 on Sep 15, 2011 9:42 AM PDT up reply actions

whoa

Rugby substitution lines are pretty wicked.

Substitutions:
Scully on for Paterson (38’), Pittman on for Moeakiola – Blood Sub (34’), Moeakiola on for Pittman – Blood Sub (41’), LaValla on for Johnson (67’), Usasz on for Petri (68’)

by daveman on Sep 15, 2011 9:21 AM PDT reply actions

A blood sub is different from the other substitutions. A player subbed out for "blood" -- an injury that draws blood -- can return to the game once the bleeding's controlled. Other subs are permanent.

by RugbyVet on Sep 15, 2011 9:43 AM PDT up reply actions

RugbyVet.

Any chance you could start a rugby blog?

Re: Freakin’ Aussies:

I only saw that highlights, but that was quite some match from Ireland to upset the pool favorites. Unfortunately the Americans just don’t have the scrum strength to replicate what the Irish did, but still great to see.

- FOW

by skandrewj62j on Sep 20, 2011 12:47 PM PDT reply actions

Sorry I missed your post ...

How nice of you to ask. I’m flattered.

Unfortunately, I’m short on time, so I can only pop my head up occasionally to take a swipe at rugby commentating. I couldn’t do justice to a blog with my schedule.

It would be fun, though.

By the way, the Yanks were killed by the Aussies 67-5 tonight.

by RugbyVet on Sep 23, 2011 3:32 AM PDT up reply actions

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