One of the highlights of the fall rugby calendar on the East Coast is the New York Sevens which takes place this weekend. When most 7s tournaments take a break in the fall and spring the New York 7s offers top team a chance to get in a tournament when they normally might not. This year is no exception with a host of recognizable teams set to compete in the men's and women's Premier brackets.
Top among those teams in the men's Premier bracket is the Northeast ODA, which will be sending three teams. The main core of the program will be divided into Empire (New York) and New England (Boston) sides. The Empire side will have Derek Lipscomb, who was recently invited to Eagles 7s camp, Nate Brakeley, Marcus Henderson, and guest players Eric Deuchle and Ty Elkins. The New England team will have former Eagles residency player Pono Haitsuka, Eagles camp invitee Sean Rafferty, and standouts Vini Daley and Duran Vota. The third Northeast team will most be made up of college players. Unfortunately for the Northeast, Luke Hume and Nate Augspurger are still out with injuries.
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Even with the Northeast sending strong teams the team to watch could be Bulldog Rugby, powered by Serevi. With players like Kellen Gordon, William Rasileka, Elliot Wangaard, and Isimeli Daveta on the roster they have the talent to play with nearly any team in the country. A lack of time together to prepare could be their undoing, however. Other teams in the bracket include the Schuylkill River Exiles, Team Quebec, and the Upright Rugby Rogues from Ontario. The Exiles have played some strong 7s in the past while Canadian teams typically bring the best players from their respective provinces.
On the women's side, national runners-up Old Blue have to be considered one of the favorites. They used a lot of New York based college stars in the summer so their biggest challenge may be having time together before the tournament to prepare. Aptoella showed well at the Las Vegas Invitational, making it to the final. However, they may not be drawing from the same pool of players. That could leave room for the other teams in the bracket--New York Rugby Club, W1823, Les Bleues, and Scion Sirens--to make some noise. Like the men's the women will get $1000 in prize money for winning the tournament with $500 for second place.
Although the Premier brackets may get the bulk of the coverage, the heart of the tournament is in the other divisions. 12 teams will be competing in the men's club division, including teams from Canada and around the New York area. The men's collegiate division will have 12 teams as well, including two teams from Empire powerhouse Stony Brook. Between the men's and women's brackets the social divisions will have fifty five teams participating. There is also boy's and girl's high school brackets.