Both USA Club 7s finals were won on the final play of the game.
Both champions needed to come back to take their titles.
It was a tournament that was entertaining, dramatic, and full of key tactical decisions thanks in large part to the rain that hit on late Saturday and early Sunday. In the women's bracket it seemed like the more experienced teams would hold sway over those that went heavily for college talent.
And when Chicago North Shore took a 10-0 lead over the Chicago Lions—yes, an all-Windy City final—in the first half of the championship match, that all seemed to be panning out. North Shore was made up of more seasoned club players, with a bit more savvy and plenty of toughness as well as game understanding.
But it was the Lions, with a roster built heavily around current and recent collegiate players, that ended up winning.
In the men's final, the Chicago Lions were also there, playing hard-luck NOVA, always in the hunt but (almost) never taking home the title. But down 14-0 at halftime captain John Lefevre basically said to the players, we're down 14-0 so, what the f#%k, let's just play rugby. It worked.
Final Placements:
Women's Club 7s
1st Chicago Lions
2nd Chicago North Shore
3rd Scion Sirens
4th Berkeley All Blues
5th Washington Athletic Club
6th Boston
7th Life West
8th San Diego Surfers
9th Oregon Sharks
10th HEB Hurricanes
11th Philadelphia / Atlanta 2.0
13th Phoenix
14th Phoenixville
15th Colorado Grey Wolves / Dallas Harlequins
Men's Club 7s
1st NOVA
2nd Chicago Lions
3rd NY Old Blue
4th Mystic River
5th Belmont Shore
6th Detroit Tradesmen
7th St. Louis Bombers
8th Beltway Elite
9th Denver Barbarians
10th Life West
11th Dallas Harlequins / Schuylkill River
13th Eagle Rock
14th Washington Athletic Club
15th Austin Huns / Life University
All Chicago
The rain made tactics and scoring tough for the women, as the wetter going slowed runners trying to relieve defensive and territorial pressure. Overall that probably cost each game a try. It also helped teams that could defend well, and who could kick.
Dropped balls that players fell on didn't necessarily turn into tries. But toe it ahead and chase? Yes, you could make something of that.
For Chicago North Shore captain Nicole Fisch was a key playmaker and setup woman, while Emily Krahn scored four tries in leading her side to the championship match. This included a difficult 12-0 shutout in the semifinals.
For the Lions, while Sacred Heart's Prumsack Award winner Aly Cunningham's play wasn't a surprise, and the always attentive Ashley Cowdrey who was a star for Davenport before being called up to the USA, was pouncing on every opportunity, University of New Haven's Sereana Vulaono was a revelation. Players who excel in college, especially in the lower divisions, can perform at the senior level ... or not. Vulaono's positioning, patience, and a ability to wait for her moment put her in a position to score tries.
In the Cup Quarterfinals Cunningham scored all three of her team's tries and converted two for a 19-0 win. Her long stride and her ability to kick helped her throughout the weekend. Volaono scored at least seven tries on the weekend. In the final, Vulaono zipped through early as the Lions pinned North Shore back and moved the ball well. It was good ball movement once again that put Cunningham over for her 5th of the tournament and what seemed a fairly strong 10-0 lead. But Krahn and Fisch helped lead a North Shore response. Lions penalties were punished and Fisch scored to make it 10-5. Then early in the second half Marcaya Bailous burned the Lions for a long run and North Shore had tied it up.
The Lions' discipline folded badly after that. They seemed to get frustrated, and were very lucky to not to give up a couple of tries. However, North Shore persevered and they set up Nicoleta Mesina for the go-ahead try.
The Lions seemed to have no response. But a long run from Cowdrey got them into North Shore territory, and some discipline problems for NS saw them get a yellow card. North Shore tackled and tackled, but finally, with time up, the Lions had space. They kept it simple. A smart draw and pass from Brown University's Julia Murray sent it to Cunningham.
Here was a key moment, at the end of the tournament. Too often in this championship, when a player had numbers outside her, the player would pass up a quick catch-pass and instead tuck it and cut back into traffic. It was the safe move, but didn't open up the field. At this moment, with the championship on the line, Cunningham took one step, drew the final defender, and passed to Vulaono for the game-tying score. Nothing else would have done it.
Cowdrey slotted the clutch kick, and the Lions had their championship. Heartbreak for North Shore, who had done just about everything they could.
Volaono was named tournament MVP, although it was certainly a group effort.
Worth a mention is Scion captain Camille Tong, who matched Vulaono with seven tries and added 21 conversions for a tournament-wide total of 77, easily the most in the women's championship and a key reasons Scion took 3rd.
