The SacAIR Islands stormed through the NAI 7s to win the Boys U18 Elite, and not that long ago they weren’t even sure they’d be competing.
“We didn’t really make the decision until about a month before the tournament,” said Head Coach Wayne Koi. “That was went we put in the request to take a U18 team.”
OK, sure, take a U18 team, but targeting the Elite bracket showed that they weren’t afraid of a little competition. Koi had assembled a team made up mostly of players from the SacAIR Islanders 15s team, plus a couple of Carmichael Hawks. Koi already had sons Wayne Jr. and Isaac on the team, with son Jaylen as an injury reserve. So when his oldest, Masi, who made the NAI 7s final for the Next Phase Rugby team in 2023 and starred for Cal as a freshman this past season, became available, it all seemed to fall into place. All, as long as he had the commitment.
“It helped that Masi was within the cutoff date,” said Coach Koi. “I asked if he wouldn’t mind playing with his brothers and this team of young boys; his leadership was going to be huge. But he was coming off a national championship and if he needed the time off, I understood.”
Masi had passed up other playing opportunities to take a break, so he was primed for this opportunity. So the final piece was to get everyone to take it seriously.
“Once we made it official and the boys were committed, we started to go to work,” said Koi. “I told them, when we practice, it’s nothing but rugby. I don’t want to hear about dating or any roadblocks or distractions; we’re focused from 6-830. And that meant at six o’clock we’re suited and booted and ready to go.”
Preparation
They trained Mondays and Wednesdays, with Fridays set aside for rugby IQ sessions and team bonding. The team-building sessions were hugely important, said Koi.
They worked a deal with Crossfit Kaiwai in Sacramento, where Head Coach Jaws ran them through their paces and also worked with the players about their nutrition, physical preparation, and mental fitness.
“He did an amazing job and we learned a lot from him,” said Koi.
They also played tournaments, but used those as ways to figure out what worked and what didn’t. The SacAIR team didn’t even win their Northern California championship, but Koi said that wasn’t the goal. The goal was to peak in Utah.
“As we went on I stepped back as coach, especially on the field,” said Koi. “Masi and his leadership and experience helped tremendously. I wanted them to buy in and have this a player-led team. I asked for the commitment, and the sacrifice, and then they just took it on.”
As the NAI 7s the Islanders swept through pool opponents San Mateo Wolverines, Provo Steelers, and Serevi International Academy scoring 96 points and allowing just one try. Knowing he had something good, Koi studied potential opponents, zeroing in on three-time champs Rebel Rugby Academy. Rebel also went 3-0, outscoring opponents 100-17.
“Ethan [Pougnet] and the Rebel boys, they’re a phenomenal team,” Koi said. “I watched their pool play and defensively they were really strong. I told the boys, it’s not so much watching the team that scored a lot of points, it’s the team that doesn’t let teams score against them. That’s the team to watch out for.”
Of course, things were clicking for SacAIR by this time. They recovered well overnight (thanks once again to advice from Jaws at Crossfit Kaiwai) and shut out Gorilla Rugby 38-0 in the quarterfinals.
“We knew from the backline we had what setup we had,” said Koi. “As a coach, I’ve been around a lot of High Performance teams and seeing their preparation and those little details make a difference. I ask people, what do you east on Day 1, Day 2. Our administration and parents and the support we got from them was huge. I’d say we need this for a meal, and we need to stay in a hotel, not an AirBnB, and they did it for us.”
With the attack and the defensive organization running through Masi Koi, they looked poised to make the final as they faced a San Mateo team they had shut out on Day One.
Masi Koi's leadership could hardly be overstated. Photo NAI 7s.
