USA Rugby’s College 7s championships have all sorts of questions to answer in the next few weeks, as most of the spots for the four separate brackets remain to be filled.
Who is playing where and why?
First, a note: The CRC is a privately-run invitational for men’s and women’s D1 teams, held June 1-3 in Chester, PA. The USA Rugby College 7s Championships is run by the national governing organization of the sport and is held May 18-20 in Glendale, CO. Neither tournament stops any team from going to both, but teams might opt to choose only one due to finances or other reasons.
Here's where we stand now:
There’s some thought that in future years we’re going to see a D1A-only bracket here. Some might argue that some D1AA teams, or even some NSCRO teams, could compete as the best in the nation. But it could still happen.
We will likely see some change in the qualification format because some qualifiers are held at weird times (you qualify in October for a tournament in May? Seems too much of a gap).
Right now, we’ve got a 16-team bracket with six spots filled:
South Carolina won the Southeastern Conference 7s but will go to the CRC instead.
This weekend, Mount Saint Mary’s will host the Chesapeake Conference finals, where James Madison is one of the favorites. If MSM wins, they will go to the CRC only.
There are four more qualifiers coming up: Heart of America Conference, Mid-Atlantic Conference, Big 10, and Liberty. There is a possibility as many as two of those winners might be going to the CRC instead.
So at least five, and maybe as many as eight teams could get in as at-large bids. Here’s a list of teams we understand have applied as at-larges:
Brown won the Ivy League, but the Ivies did not apply for the tournament to be a qualifier.
Principia won the Gateway qualifier April 14, and Bloomsburg pulled off a men’s and women’s double at the Mid-Atlantic. North Carolina State won the Cardinals Conference. All three are headed to Glendale.
This weekend the Southern Conference finished up in Charlotte, NC.
It’s been a very close race in the SoCon, with UNC Charlotte leading the series with 20 points, just ahead of Furman (18) and Queens University Charlotte in its first serious rugby outing. ECU and Coastal Carolina also look solid.
This could be one of the best D2 7s tournaments in the country.
Rugby Northeast runs a ten-team championship this weekend with two pools of five, which won’t be easy. Norwich, Middlebury, Bentley, Bryant, Southern Connecticut, and UMass Lowell are some of the teams to watch.
The Tri-State, Rocky Mountain, New England Wide, and Deep South are all slated for the weekend of April 28. Upper Midwest and Lone Star are set for May 5.
Watch out for UW-Whitewater in the Midwest, and Hartford in New England Wide.
That’s 11 qualifiers for 12 spots, so there’s one place open for an at-large. A close loser in the Southern or Upper Midwest would have a good shot there. (Might Iowa Central CC make a push? You never know.)
This is the competition that has prompted serious talk about regional qualifiers. Only three tournaments were set as qualifiers, and one of them was won by a select side (which means no qualifier). This eight-team national championship will be an all at-large bracket.
Except for Penn State, which won the Big 10, and the NIRA winner, which is decided this coming weekend.
Expect the likes of Life, Lindenwood, and some teams from the West Coast to augment this list.
The NIRA Finals are this weekend at Bowdoin College in Maine. Pool A is Northeastern, Harvard, Maine, and Army; Pool B is Boston University, Dartmouth, Norwich, and AIC.
Norwich is a former national champion. AIC is always dangerous, and Army has been winning tournaments all spring and should be the favorite.
This is actually called the Women’s Open, and so we might see some lower-level D1 teams here, you never know. Rugby Northeast holds its tournament this weekend and Tri-State is a week later.
Sixteen teams will compete in the Tri-State, and you’ve got to think with that level of enthusiasm, more than one team will end up in Glendale. There looks to be a huge battle in Pool B between Albany and Monroe. Vassar is a solid favorite here.
Eight spots are open for the USA tournament, with many at-large spots available.
Tag(s): Bloomsburg
