Rugby NJ recently completed its first Fall Rugby Sevens Series. The 4 Tournament series brought together HS 7’s teams from around the New Jersey/New York metro area. “It was a way for players to continue the 7’s they had played over the summer, and to build on the skills they’ll use in the Spring 15’s season. It also helped some new programs get going because its easier to start with 7’s than 15’s, so it was a success all around”, said Tom Feury, Director of Rugby for Rugby NJ, which is the Youth SBRO for New Jersey.

The Series came about from a discussion between Christian Brothers Academy (CBA) coach Pat Moroney, and the schools Athletic Director Vito Chiaravalloti. Both were anxious to get more opportunities for rugby players and the fall season seemed like a good fit for 7s. Feury was brought in to the discussion and they agree to email the various programs to gage interest. Within two days they had more than twelve teams expressing interest.

The Series was held on every other Sunday morning starting in late September, and was alternately hosted by in the north by Morris Rugby in Denville, and in central Jersey by the CBA in Lincroft. Both facilities had two full size grass fields which allowed continuous action and guaranteed 3-4 games per team each day.

16 teams in total participated, 6 girls teams and 10 boys teams. Each event was scheduled to allow a complete ranking of all teams at each event. Teams were then awarded Series points based on that days ranking. The points were eventually totaled to determine the overall series winners.

“It made for some complex scheduling, but the Players and Coaches really appreciated that they were playing for something new each day. They had the opportunity to advance their ranking with every game”, said Mike Stumpf, Series Coordinator.

On the Boys side, Play Rugby Academy took top series honors with 31 points, edging early favorite NJ Blaze with 28 Points. New York Rugby Club was 3ed with 26 points and CBA-1 and Pelham-2 shared 4th place honors with 24 points.

The Play Rugby Academy squad was lead by Juniors Ryan Hercules and Kamari Charles, both who took part in the Cal Berkeley Rugby Camp last summer. ”It was great not having to wait all winter to try out some of the skills we pickup at camp”, said Hercules. Academy coach Rys Chadwick added, “It was such a good atmosphere and sharing of the culture. The kids really enjoyed every tournament.”

Also participating on the Boys Division were St. Peters Prep, St. Augustine’s High School, Keio Academy, Pelham-1 and CBA-2.

On the Girls side, top honors went to Morris-1, lead by USA Rugby Junior Olympian Kat Ramage, and top try scorers Demi Pretorius and Delia Hellander. Morris-1 accumulated 23 Series points, edging the strong Play Rugby Academy Girls with 18 points, Union Rugby Girls with 15, and New York with 14. The division was rounded out with Morris-2, and a new team of all first time players, Monmouth.

New York Girls coach Marta Tartar said “Our girls improvement over the series could only be called dramatic. They went from struggling in the first tournament to reaching a cup final in the last. Their growth over the course of the series was incredible. I credit Rugby NJ for putting together a series that gave the girls a lot of playing time, keeping them sharp and focused. “

Sophomore standout Luke Persanis from Pelham Rugby added, “It was fun to test yourself against the other teams week after week. We all got to know some of the players on the other teams as well, which is something I love about Rugby.”

New York Boys coach Joey Rasmus stated it was all about momentum for his boys. “It was a great way to keep the momentum from Summer 7’s on through to the big New York Thanksgiving tournament. For players like Royaal Jones and Helios Ruiz, who are making a real commitment to the game, this opportunity for competitive play in the fall was important. Colleges are looking at these kids and the more opportunity we have to develop their talent, the better.“

“The fall 7’s has really worked well in raising the profile of Rugby at CBA” said Maroney. “It is officially now within the Athletic Department and within the culture of the School”. He went on to proudly add that Christian Brothers Academy has awarded 27 Varsity Letters for rugby in 2014.

Rugby NJ was pleased with the success of this inaugural series and is already planning to continue and possibly expand it next year. “ It will come down to resources, as usual” says Feury. “ We want to give a many kids as possible as much playing time as possible, but field space and referees are always an issue. But this first Series went well so we’re off to a good start”.