Women and Girls Bracket Roundup at Tropical 7s
Women and Girls Bracket Roundup at Tropical 7s
Here's a look at the Girls and Women brackets at the Tropical 7s and how they panned out.
U18 Elite
There is always the question of whether an existing club or a pieced-together select side can play the best together as a unit. We saw both in this bracket. The All-Midwest Thunderbirds produced an excellent combination of power and speed, and they were very, very good at staying out of unnecessary contact. In their quarterfinal they didn't set a single offensive ruck—they didn't need to.
Majestics plays together in Utah and were very physical. Strong in contact they knew how to turn that contact work into space out wide. With pace and teamwork they got past a quick and effective The Rugby Advantage side to make the final.
In the final the Majestics teamwork and intensity carried them to victory 36-21.
U16 Open
Hawkeyes brought players from the USA, Canada, Ireland, Samoa, and Philippines into a cohesive unit that played an attractive team game, and won impressively 29-5.
U18 Open
The Oshawa Vikings was another stand-alone team that won, taking the final 14-5 over USA Rugby South. The Panthers had beaten Tsunami Canada Misfits 20-19 in the semi, and Oshawa edged Riverdale 21-17 in the other semi, showing how close this top four was.
U23 Open
Davenport University dispatched Clemson 31-0 in a shutout and the held off Hawkeyes 29-17 in the semis.
That set up a showdown with Dartmouth's Open bracket squad. It was perhaps a bridge too far for Dartmouth as Davenport cruised 31-7.
U23 Elite
The semifinal showdowns were interesting. Dartmouth had gone 3-0 on Day One and Harvard 201, and yet beat Dartmouth 19-7 in the semifinal. Their team play was a little better and just the time together seemed to help the Crimson. Dartmouth skipper Sophie Ragg said her team played well, and learned much.
In the other semi, Lindenwood was 3-0 on Day One and Life 2-1, and yet it was Life that won the semi, taking down Lindenwood 19-7. Essentially, said Life Head Coach Ryschard Chadwick, the Running Eagles started to follow their game plan better and played a more unified game.
It worked. And in an entertaining and back-and-forth final, it was three tries apiece. Life, led by Saher Hamden and with Alex Wantlin's accurate kicking, converted all three and won 21-17. It could have gone either way. Lindenwood beat Dartmouth 26-21 for third and it's clear these four are very strong 7s programs.
