Does this mean we are going to have two college rugby 7s seasons? One August to December and one in June with the CRC. http://www.rugbymag.com/index.php?o...nnounced&catid=73:collegiate-sevens&Itemid=91 College 7s Championship Officially Announced BOULDER, Colo. -- The USA Rugby Board of Directors has approved a proposal from the College Management Council for a new sevens national championship for men and women that will debut in December 2011. The USA Rugby Collegiate Rugby Sevens National Championship will be will be held from December 16-17, 2011 at a site that is not yet determined. The championships will consist of 24 men's and 16 women's teams. More than 125 men's college teams will be competing in the qualifying events leading up to the championship. These tournaments will be a mixture of USA Rugby Division I conference championships and regional events that include Division I and College Premier Division programs. The winners of the qualifying tournaments will earn an automatic berth in the championship tournament. The remainder of the field will be selected on an at-large basis by a to-be-seated Sevens Championship Selection Committee. Criteria for selection will include performance in the qualifying event. For 2011, the women's event will be a 16-team open invitational tournament. Women's teams will be invited to submit an application to participate in the event, and the Women's Competition Committee will select the final 16 from the pool of applicants. Qualification Events | Men's Collegiate Rugby Sevens National Championship 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; Palo Alto, Calif. Oct. 22: Mountain 7s; Glendale, Colo. Oct. 29: Delaware 7s; Newark, Del. Oct. 29: California 7s; TBD Nov. 5: East Coast Rugby Conference 7s; Amesbury, Mass. Nov. 5-6: Ivy Rugby Conference 7s; Site TBA
http://www.rugbymag.com/index.php?o...ornia-7s&catid=73:collegiate-sevens&Itemid=91 Exciting Lineup for California 7s Eight teams are set to compete in the Californis Collegiate 7s this weekend at St. Mary’s College in Moraga. This is the latest in the series of qualification tournaments for the new USA Rugby National Championships, and this one holds the promise of some highly competitive matches. In Pool A, hosts St. Mary’s take on UC Davis, Santa Clara University and Loyola Marymount. Cal v St. Mary's Final? Don't Count on It. Mike Geib photo. St. Mary’s won the Cal Poly 7s in San Luis Obispo, and did so impressively, edging Cal Poly in a close final match. While the Gaels have encountered some injuries from that tournament, they still bring back some top talent. Garrett Brewer, Bubba Jones, Chad Clark and Mike Haley are all expected to play. “It's a tough pool,” said St. Mary’s 7s Coach Mark Bass. “The teams are strong and anything can happen in these short periods of play.” Loyola was also at the Cal Poly tournament. They struggled to win a game, but were competitive in all, and certainly have learned something along the way. Davis also played in Cal Poly, and led by Garrett Webb and Eric Swiegert, won the Plate after beating Cal Poyl’s 2nds, Sierra College and Long Beach State. They were shut out, however, by UCLA in pool play. Pool A may be a tough pool, but Pool B seems tougher. University of San Diego can put out a tough side, but they will struggle against Cal, Cal Poly, and San Diego State. Cal Head Coach Jack Clark has spent years crafting a development and play preparation strategy that concentrates on strength and conditioning in the fall and games in the spring. Clark told RUGBYMag.com last week that he has had to make some adjustments to some players’ preparation this fall, but only the select few who will be playing 7s. It’s an adjustment, he said, but not a drastic one. "We acknowledge the difficulty of contesting championships in both forms of the game, but we want the challenge," Clark added in a statement this week. "With the right approach I believe we can be nationally competitive in both sevens in the fall and 15s in the spring. There is really no other choice with so many of our players, now and in the future, wanting to live the Olympic dream." Cal isn’t invincible. They certainly have to be among the favorites, but without warmup tournaments they could come in gold and be upset. Cal Poly is placed well to sneak up on them. The Mustangs lost their own tournament to St. Mary’s by a hair, and under new Head Coach David Burnett hope to bring their physical, blitzing style to 7s. And then there’s San Diego State, which was a top four team in the USA 7s CRC in 2010. They’ve graduated a couple of key players since then, but have USA 7s team captain Matt Hawkins as coach. “We still have a lot to learn about sevens,” said Hawkins. “We have a great mix of youth and experience. I am just really looking to this weekend at an opportunity for some of the guys to step up as leaders and see how they mould together as a team. These guys will all form the core for the 15s season just around the corner and this could be a great opportunity for all of them to buy in and get things figured out early.” California 7s Pools: Pool A: St. Mary's; UC Davis; Santa Clara; Loyola Marymount Pool B: University of San Diego; University of California - Berkeley; Cal Poly; San Diego State