Editor's note: This is Shalom Suniula's latest column in his series of RUGBYMag.com The USA 7s team's most-capped player will be updating readers on life in the 7s team, the players, the coaching, and notes from the IRB World Series. This column is now available to RUGBYMag.com Premier Subscribers. - AG

Santa Monica's 46-28 defeat of OMBAC puts some distance between the Dolphins and every other team in Southern California chasing undefeated Belmont Shore.

Last month I had the honor of presenting at the USA Rugby National Development Summit to an enthusiastic and engaged group of youth rugby administrators and coaches. Everyone was passionate about learning how they could help their groups create pathways to college.

Attorney, former rugby player, current rugby coach, and sports agent Jon Velie brings the first of his series of columns on working with international issues and laws and how they affect rugby clubs.

Some notes about USA Men's National Team players from this weekend:

New IRB CEO Brett Gosper was in Las Vegas for the USA 7s this weekend.

Breaking news on the USA 7s team

The USA looks to ride the physicality train in the USA 7s, with the changes of the lineup for the start of the USA 7s.

Head Coach Alex Magleby has brought in Blaine Scully in place of Nick Edwards, and put essentially five players who can play forward on the field at one time - Matt Hawkins, Zack Test, Jack Halalilo, Blaine Scully, and Colin Hawley.

Clearly Magleby wants to soften up defense and them pummel them with pace in the second half.

Scully getting a start is an indication that  Magleby is happy with the former Cal star's play, especially on defense, and his linking up with former Cal teammate Colin Hawley will reunite two players who know each other well.

But it's clear Magleby wants power and defense, and reasons that Scully will be the equal of Edwards in the first category, and probably an improvement in the latter.

In a pre-tournament interview leading into the USA 7s, United States Head Coach Alex Magleby revealed that he has been receiving a flood of emails insisting he play Carlin Isles more.

Those who work in Junior and U20s rugby know the challenges of having to constantly find new players to replace those who have outgrown their grade and rebuild a team each season.

At least one USA player will be replaced when the squad plays in the USA 7s in Las Vegas this weekend.

Why did the USA men go winless in Wellington? We have a thought.

The USA men’s 7s team fans saw on Day One of the Hertz 7s in Wellington was a frustrating team.

After not playing in their opening two league matches, the Olympic Club takes the field this weekend, facing the East Palo Alto Razorbacks at Treasure Island Saturday afternoon.

Former USA 7s national team coach Al Caravelli, in his first column for RUGBYMag.com, explores why there have been so many penalties at the rucks in the Sevens World Series.

USA Women 7s coach Ric Suggitt has named his squads for this weekend’s Houston 7s as well as the following weekend’s Las Vegas Invitational.

The Houston 7s, due to kick off this Friday, marks the second leg of the inaugural IRB Women’s Sevens World Series. It’s a hallmark event for the USA, and the host nation plans to make their best impression, staffing the 12-player roster with full-time athletes. It’s the first time since the USA professionalized 7s that the entire roster was composed of athletes training at the OTC full-time.

Half of the players in Houston represent the “original eight”: Katie Dowty, Kelly Griffin, Vanesha McGee, Deven Owsiany, Jill Potter and Kimber Rozier. Nathalie Marchino and Christy Ringgenberg, who were signed in the fall, are also making the trip to Texas. And from the most recently signed athletes, Emilie Bydwell (full-time athlete, not contracted), Ryan Carlyle, Lauren Doyle and Vix Folayan round out the roster.

Those 12 athletes will look to improve upon the USA's current 9th place ranking, earned after winning the Bowl in Dubai 7s, the first leg of the series. The Eagles will have their work cut out for them, taking on Canada, South Africa and Argentina during pool play.

The players will have little time to recover, as the following weekend (February 8-10) the USA will enter two sides into the Las Vegas Invitational’s Women’s Elite division. There they will be joined by two of Canada’s teams, Argentina, Trinidad & Tobago, Japan, and a handful of domestic and international all-star teams.

The residents are split between the USA Stars, coached by Jo Kos, and the USA Stripes, coached by Julie McCoy. The Stars have Griffin, Owsiany, Ringgenberg, Doyle and the newly contracted Sadie Anderson and Jane Paar. They’ll be anchored by the experience of Beth Black, Lauren Hoeck, and Meya Bizer, who played 15s and 7s for the USA last year. Getting their first taste of international 7s are Hannah Lopez, also a full-time athlete, Katie O’Malley and Sherri Villa.

Former USA 7s coach Julie McCoy gets the eight remaining OTC campers for The Stripes: Bydwell, Carlyle, Folayan, Dowty, Marchino, McGee, Potter and Rozier. CJ Hildreth and Irene Gardner boost the pool of experience, while Amanda Street and Natalie Kosko play in their first games with the 7s outfit.

Rosters are still subject to change, but below are the most recent lineups:

Houston 7s Roster (Feb. 1-2)

1. Kelly Griffin

2. Deven Owsiany

3. Christy Ringgenberg

4. Lauren Doyle

5. Jillion Potter

6. Ryan Carlyle

7. Vix Folayan

8. Katie Dowty

9. Kimber Rozier

10. Nathalie Marchino

11. Vanesha McGee

12. Emilie Bydwell

LVI – Women’s Elite 7s (Feb. 8-10)

USA Stars

Coach: Jo Kos

1. Kelly Griffin

2. Deven Owsiany

3. Jane Paar

4. Sadie Anderson

5. Beth Black

6. Christie Ringgenberg

7. Lauren Doyle

8. Hannah Lopez

9. Katie O'Malley

10. Meya Bizer

11. Sherri Villa

12. Lauren Hoeck

USA Stripes

Coach: Julie McCoy

1. Jillion Potter

2. Ryan Carlyle

3. Vix Folayan

4. Katie Dowty

5. Kimber Rozier

6. Nathalie Marchino

7. Vanesha McGee

8. Emilie Bydwell

9. Irene Gardner

10. Natalier Kosko

11. Amanda Street

12. CJ Hildreth

The USA 7s tournament in Las Vegas is now only two weeks away, and with it comes an important time for the USA men’s national 7s team.

The South DI league gets started again in nine days when the Atlanta Renegades visit New Orleans.

In a previous article, Eamonn stressed the point that the warm up is the least attended to part of the training session. He surmised that many coaches allow the players to complete a warm up of their own which is unimaginative or does not prepare the athlete for the session they are about to complete, therefore contributing to the coaches inability to meet whatever the outcome of that session is. Following much discussion on the subject here at Rugbymag.com, we have asked Eamonn to follow up his article and give a little more guidance as to what basic ideas a coach could have regarding their planning of the warm up

Shalom Suniula has been a regular with the USA National 7s team since late 2008, appearing in the 2009 7s World Cup, and playing in more than 30 IRB World Series tournaments, captaining the team on numerous occasions during that time.

Editor's note: This is Shalom Suniula's latest column in his series of RUGBYMag.com The USA 7s team's most-capped player will be updating readers on life in the 7s team, the players, the coaching, and notes from the IRB World Series. This column is now available to RUGBYMag.com Premier Subscribers. - AG

Pila Taufa, the former U19 flyer, is the only extended camp member to be retained at the Olympic Training Center longer than previously scheduled. Gabe Adler and Madison Hughes also remain in Chula Vista, but are scheduled to leave at the end of January.

Taufa, 23 years old, will stick around until at least through the USA Sevens. He will be playing in Las Vegas next month, whether it’s with the Eagles in the IRB 7s World Series or in the LVI with the USA Falcons or another developmental team. His stay at the OTC could be extended further after Vegas.

A teammate of contracted Eagle Tai Enosa on the USA U19s, Taufa has been on the radar of Team USA coaches for years. He played a little with Eagles assistant Andy Katoa in Aspen several years ago, played League in Australia, and he’s most recently been playing with the Tama Laie Lions in Hawaii while working and supporting his parents.

Taufa is fast, really fast. He actually timed faster 10-meter and 40-meter sprints than Carlin Isles last week. (Isles casually clocked a 4.18 40-yard dash for fun between training sessions Monday). Taufa is also a little bigger than Maka Unufe, and could easily be confused for Jack Halalilo. But, he has little high level experience and improvements to make.

The book on Taufa in the past has been that he’s not committed to rugby, which is understandable considering he is financially supporting his parents. But this time, Taufa appears to be all in.

Blaine Scully and Andrew Durutalo are back training with the 7s Eagles, ahead of schedule, following bad injuries. They’re participating in every drill and available for selection for the Wellington and Las Vegas stretch of the IRB 7s World Series.

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