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It's always hard to know who is going to be on one of the armed services sides. To play for one of the teams is a huge honor and something that soldiers, sailors, and airmen from all over the world fight to do. Sometimes you get players that have a lot of experience. For example, Eric Duechle is a member of the U.S. Air Force and attended the Air Force Academy. Ben Leatigaga was a standout for Army at the CRC and has since been invited to try out for the Eagles 7's. At the same time, due to commitments and other factors the armed services teams typically don't have as much depth as other teams. Ultimately that is their downfall.
A characteristic that all these teams share is their fitness. As part of their daily duties these players need to be at peak fitness, especially endurance fitness. That could pose a problem for some of the teams at the tournament that aren't accustomed to playing over two days.
Last year the Marines, under the guidance of now Eagles head coach Matt Hawkins, won the tournament. They defeated the Air Force, which had been the traditional winners of the tournament, in the final 33-31. It was a bit of an upset for the Marines as they haven't always been the strongest of the teams. The Air Force, Army, and Combined Sea Services participated in the Elite Division of the Las Vegas Invitational this last year to mixed results. The Army wasn't able to pick up a win, while the Combined Sea Services and Air Force picked up a win each. They both also advanced to the Bowl semi-finals while the Army made it to the Shield semi-finals.
While the armed services teams may not be thought of as some of the elite teams in the country, their potential role in generating athletes for our national teams cannot be understated. The World Class Athlete Program has the potential of adding to the U.S. 7's player pool without cost U.S.A. Rugby any money. The program is set up so that any athlete with a chance of playing in the Olympics or at a high-level can be stationed near where they have the ability to train. For members of the armed services that would be San Diego. Some of the potential players in the pipeline include Will Holder, who has already been capped by the Eagles, Jack Bristol from Air Force, and Ricky Neel-Feller and Jack McAuliffe from Navy. Having more players in the playing pool is going to vital going forward and needs to be exploited. Opportunities like this weekend will only help.
Prediction: We don't really know enough about each team to make a solid prediction, but here goes. We think that Navy and Air Force will take the top two spots with the Navy winning it all.