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Written by Pat Clifton
Sunday, 07 August 2011 00:06 |
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Exiles Escape Day One Unbeaten |
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Sevens -
Club Sevens
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| Exiles with ball. Dobson Images
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| Atlanta Old White in black. Dobson Images
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| Middlesex ballcarrier looking for support. Dobson Images
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The Woodlands Exiles traveled to San Francisco with just nine players, having to leave several at home because of eligibility considerations. They knew they could win their pool, but fatigue was the x-factor.
As it turned out, the Exiles did win their pool, and fatigue was evident.
The Houston club overpowered Pittsburgh 19-5 in their opener and Middlesex 22-5 in the second game. Atlanta Old White, who was pounded 33-7 by Middlesex earlier in the day, proved to be a much tougher out, and the Exiles played them to a 24-24 draw in their day-one finale.
However, tell Exiles captain Phil Mack the tie with Old White was due to being tired, and he’ll disagree.
“I don’t think so,” he said. “You’re only allowed to make three subs a game anyway. I think at the end of the day, if you’re have the right nine guys, its as good as 12.”
Is playing shorthanded a motivating factor?
“I think so, but this is the National Championships,” he said. “There’s not a lot of motivation needed. We put in a lot of work this summer, and we’re just happy to be here.”
Old White, because of that poor first match, was playing for their tournament lives against the Exiles. The South champs came out completely flat against the Savages, and they never got into the game, in which Middlesex captain Jared Collinson excelled, putting in two momentum-securing tries.
Atlanta’s second match, against Pittsburgh, was a stark difference. They scored early and often pouring 38 points on Pittsburgh, 31 of which came in the first half. Had Old White pulled out a victory over the Exiles, they would have forced a three-way logjam atop the pool, but the tie left them 1-1-1 and on the outside looking in.
The Exiles draw Youngbloodz in their quarterfinal, while Middlesex faces MARFU champ Schuylkill River.
Pool scores
Exiles 19-5 Pittsburgh
Middlesex 33-7 Atlanta
Exiles 22-5 Middlesex
Atlanta 38-7 Pittsburgh
Middlesex 17-7 Pittsburgh
Exiles 24-24 Atlanta
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Written by Pat Clifton
Saturday, 06 August 2011 22:47 |
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Belmont Cruises Through Pool B |
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Sevens -
Club Sevens
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All photos by Dobson Images
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| Shalom Suniula for Belmont
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| Marist in green with ball
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| Boston being defended by NOLA
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Belmont Shore didn’t just win Pool B, they dominated it from start to finish, outscoring their three opponents by a combined score of 115-14. The only team to keep pace at all was Marist out of Hawaii, but even that game was never in doubt.
“Mission accomplished for day one, but like I keep telling the boys, it doesn’t mean anything,” said Belmont Shore coach James Walker. “We expected to go through. We thought some of the games would be a little bit tighter, but we just clicked and the result was the result, but it doesn’t mean anything.”
The leading try scorer for Belmont Saturday was wing Alex Ross with five. The former San Diego State All American is a capped Eagle, and he showed why Saturday, leaving many opposing wings in his wake en route to pay dirt.
“It was more so the playmakers playing inside me just kind of putting me into space and making my job easy,” he said. “I think any wing in 7s, you’re on the field to score tries. My teammates made that pretty easy for me today.”
Walker says Ross had a hand in his handful of tries, too.
“I think Alex is a confident player, and I think he’s been playing in our system for the summer and he’s just gotten better and better. He’s definitely got the talent, and now that his confidence is coming back, the sky’s the limit. He’s got serious gas.”
Finishing second in Pool B was Marist, who is Hawaii’s first representative at Nationals. Marist gave Belmont its toughest pool game, and then dispatched of pesky New Orleans 17-12. The Hawaii club’s scoreline against Belmont, versus that of the pool’s other contender, would prove to be the difference in who moved on.
Like Marist, Boston lost to Belmont and beat New Orleans. But unlike Marist, Boston lost big to Belmont, 48-7. And when Marist scored a centered try at the death of day one’s final match, which converted forced a 17-17 tie, the Hawaiians’ point differential is what pushed them into the Cup Quarterfinals. Pool scores
Belmont 24-7 Marist
Boston 19-7 New Orleans
Belmont 48-7 Boston
Marist 17-12 New Orleans
Belmont 43-0 New Orleans
Boston 17-17 Marist
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Written by Pat Clifton
Saturday, 06 August 2011 23:57 |
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Utah Wins Pool of Death, Controversy |
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Sevens -
Club Sevens
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| Utah's Mike Palefau. Dobson Images
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| Peter Tiberio going to ground. Dobson Images
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| JP Eloff wrangling in an SFGG ballcarrier
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Pool A, better known as the Pool of Death, was highly competitive. Glendale, a well-respected team with a lot of talent and some friendly scalps in their pouch from this summer, went 0-3. And if it weren’t for a forfeit, the pool would have been decided by a three-way tie.
Chicago scored the first big win of the day when they sacked SFGG 26-12. The Lions’ trio of college all stars proved too much. Rocco Mauer, who graduated from Bowling Green in the spring, scored Chicago’s first two tries and Arizona’s Peter Tiberio the last two. JP Eloff of Davenport was integral in the effort at flyhalf.
In the second round of games, Utah, who had handled Glendale easily earlier, faced SFGG in a rematch of the Pacific Coast championships. The hosts won a thrilling contest when Mose Timoteo slammed down the game-winner at the death. But, as it turned out, SFGG would forfeit.
An SFGG player who started the game and subbed out came back on the pitch in the final moments. He did not check in with the fourth official, which is protocol, and the head referee permitted the substitution. There was no blood, so the move was illegal, as pointed out after the match, resulting in a 5-0 win for Utah.
Had the original score held true, SFGG would have still had something to play for in the final round of games. If their loss held, Utah would have needed a win over the Chicago Lions. Despite having already advanced, the Warriors bagged that win, utilizing their superior physicality.
“Chicago’s one of the best teams in the country about staying on their feet in contact. We knew how good they were on their feet,” said Utah player/coach Jason Pye. “We do have a trademark in being physical, and we knew we had to bring that, and I’m glad the guys did bring that to the game.”
If SFGG hadn’t forfeited, they would have needed a big win over Glendale to overcome Utah via point differentia. They got a big win, 29-7, but it wouldn’t have been big enough. Of course, there’s nothing saying SFGG wouldn’t have put the necessary 16 more points on Glendale if it would have meant advancement.
In the end, SFGG did forfeit, and Utah did beat Chicago, taking the Pool of Death. Pye says that more than validation, the win over Chicago gave them confidence.
“It went a long way for us on morale…The guys just hadn’t played well yet all tournament, and we just needed to play well. I was just happy that the boys came out and started from minute one and played a full game of rugby.”
For winning the pool, Utah is rewarded with a quarterfinal match against Marist. Chicago draws Belmont Shore.
Pool scores
Utah 28-5 Glendale
Lions 26-12 SFGG
Utah 5-0 SFGG fft. (original score was SFGG 22-19)
Lions 31-7 Glendale
Utah 12-5 Lions
SFGG 29-7 Glendale
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Written by Alex Goff
Saturday, 06 August 2011 22:23 |
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Eagle Eye: A Close Loss Pros and Cons |
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RUGBYmag Premier -
Columns and Opinions
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Alex Goff examines the USA v. Canada match, and what he'd think if he was writing about Canada, and also what he thinks about the Eagles.
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