USA Rugby will likely be taking some actions this year to protect the term “National Championship.” It’s unclear whether USA Rugby can actually do this, but they are looking at ways to prevent other competitions (highest profile being the Collegiate Rugby Championship - CRC - and the Varsity Cup) from calling themselves a National Championship. The CRC used to be called the CCI (Collegiate Championship Invitational), and it is, by all measurements, an invitational. USA Rugby has moved its 7s national championship to the spring for 2014-15, an acknowledgement that the CRC is higher-profile, won’t change dates, and has staked out late May and June as college 7s time. But several in USA Rugby have been pushing the image of their 7s championships as one where you need to qualify to play, while the CRC is an invitational, and should be called as such. Teams and tournament organizers may well ind themselves reminded not to call it a national championship. Same goes for the Varsity Cup, which is an invitational post-season 15s competition. The Varsity Cup is exciting and compelling, and the teams that made the final in 2014 and in 2013, Cal and BYU both times, are among the best in the country. But, say USA Rugby representatives, the Varsity Cup is not a National Championship, and should not bill it as such.