For Immediate Release
August 15, 2009
San Francisco Golden Gate Among the Clubs Still Vying for National Sevens Title
SAN FRANCISCO – The first day of the USA Rugby Men’s Club Sevens National Championships wrapped up Saturday at Rocca Field on Treasure Island, narrowing down the field of competition from 16 teams to eight vying for the National title.
San Francisco Golden Gate (SFGG) Men’s Club may not have advanced to the Cup Quarterfinals in the easiest fashion, but it definitely kept its fans on the edge of their seats. The local sevens team secured their way through pool play by beating Glendale (Colo.) by 45 points. SFGG needed to win by more than 33 points after losing their first match to the Chicago Lions by 21 points and winning their second match against Northern Virginia (NOVA) by just one try, 21-14.
It seemed like a difficult task, but SFGG took it in stride and led by National Sevens Team member Jone Naqica, scored 31 first half points against a stunned Glendale side. Glendale lost all four of the games it played on Saturday, and head into tomorrow as spectators and nothing more along with the likes of Milwaukee, the Chicago Griffins and Tempe, who also lost all of their first day matches. SFGG, on the other hand, will play the reigning champions, Aspen, in the Cup Quarterfinals at 10:40 a.m. on Sunday morning.
Among the 12 elite men’s squads left in the competition only eight of them move into the Cup Quarterfinals (winners bracket) for a chance at the title, while four will continue to compete for the bowl in what is essentially the consolation bracket.
Still among the teams vying for the 2009 title is the Southern California side, Belmont Shore, along with teams from Denver, Old Blue (NY), Life University, Aspen, Chicago Lions, Atlanta, and of course, SFGG.
“I knew this event was going to contain some great competition between clubs, and it hasn’t let me down.” USA Men’s Sevens Coach Al Caravelli said. “The level of player talent is increasingly impressive as they continue to get stronger and fitter and raise the level of play for all athletes.
“So far there haven’t been any big surprises in the teams that have advanced,” Caravelli added, “but some, like SFGG especially, just took a different path to get there.”
With only seven players per team playing seven minute halves on the same size pitch as a 15s match, rugby sevens offers a spectacle of non-stop action where speed, skills, and athleticism rule the day. The sevens version of this sport is gaining in popularity and is one of the two summer sports recommended by the IOC Executive Board for inclusion in the 2016 Olympic Games.
Admission to the event is $10 a day for adults. Children 18 and under are free and there will be a $5 fee for public parking. Youth rugby sides with 10 or more members wearing their team jerseys will be acknowledged on game day so coaches are encouraged to come out with their teams. Rocca Field is located at the corner of California Avenue and Avenue M, Treasure Island, San Francisco.
For more information on USA Rugby’s Men Club Sevens National Championships, visit www.usarugby.org/goto/usar_championships. USA Rugby will also be streaming this event live via the web at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/usa-rugby.
Media interested in attending the event should contact Sara John by email at sjohn@usarugby.org or by phone at 719-310-2606.
Men’s Club Sevens
Saturday Results
Pool A
Denver 14, Life University 10
Schuylkill River 35, Tempe 0
Denver 29, Tempe 7
Life University 22, Schuylkill River 7
Denver 24, Schuylkill River 0
Life University 24, Tempe 5
Pool D
Atlanta Old White 29, Milwaukee 14
Aspen 19, Boston 7
Atlanta Old White 17, Boston 5
Aspen 42, Milwaukee 0
Aspen 26, Atlanta Old White 5
Boston 45, Milwaukee 7
Pool C
NOVA 24, Glendale 0
Chicago Lions 21, San Francisco GG 0
San Francisco GG 21, NOVA 14
Chicago Lions 26, Glendale 0
NOVA 21, Chicago Lions 19
San Francisco GG 45, Glendale 0
Pool B
Old Blue 19, OMBAC 10
Belmont Shore 40, Chicago Griffins 0
Belmont Shore 14, Old Blue 0
OMBAC 38, Chicago Griffins 7
Old Blue 35, Chicago Griffins 12
Belmont Shore 17, OMBAC 7
Bowl Quarterfinals
Boston 26, Glendale 14
NOVA 42, Milwaukee 7
Schuylkill River 35, Chicago Griffins 12
OMBAC 47, Tempe 0
Sunday Match Schedule
Sunday Time (Tentative) Team 1 Team 2
29 10:20 Denver Old Blue Cup Quarters
30 10:40 San Fran GG Aspen Cup Quarters
31 11:00 Chicago Lions Atlanta OW Cup Quarters
32 11:20 Life University Belmont Shore Cup Quarters
33 12:40 Boston NOVA Bowl Semi
34 1:00 Schuylkill River OMBAC Bowl Semi
35 1:30 Loser 29 Loser 30 Plate Semi
36 1:50 Loser 31 Loser 32 Plate Semi
37 2:10 Winner 29 Winner 30 Cup Semi
38 2:30 Winner 31 Winner 32 Cup Semi
39 3:20 Winner 33 Winner 34 Bowl Final
40 3:40 Winner 35 Winner 36 Plate Final
41 4:00 Loser 37 Loser 38 Cup Consolation Final
42 4:30 Winner 37 Winner 38 Cup Championship
Inspiring America to fall in love with Rugby
Sara John | Director of Communications | USA Rugby
2500 Arapahoe Avenue, Suite 200 | Boulder CO 80302
W: 303.539.0300 x101 | C: 719.310.2606 | Fax: 303-539-0311