The Rugby Oregon select side program will enter two boys teams in the Serevi Cup this weekend in conjunction with the USA Rugby National Club 7s at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash.

The Serevi Cup tournament has become almost exclusively a select-side event, even though any HS teams are invited, and that’s partly due to the time of year - in August the players that want to play 7s really, really want to play, but they are often a scattered group.

“This is the first time we’ve put together a 7s team,” said coach Troy Hall. “We picked the team based on form from our 7s series here in Oregon, and it’s the first step, I think, to developing a real high performance 7s program.”

Hall, who was a major star for the NYAC team during multiple Super League championships and has been capped by the USA in both 7s and 15s, relocated to Oregon for work a couple of years ago and has been a welcome addition to the Rugby Oregon coaching lineup. He will, in fact, be playing for NYAC in the Club 7s Championships during the weekend.

“We’re taking a lot of young guys along with a couple of graduate kids, but really we’re looking toward the future,” Hall said. “We’ve played 7s the last three summers and the numbers are increasing every summer. It’s still new to a lot of the players but some have already played a couple of years, and they’ve grasped the concept so we’re not playing 15s on a 7s field.”

Hall said the players have speed, athleticism, and potential, but he demurred when asked for specific names because he hasn’t seen them in a higher-level tournament such as the Serevi Cup.

“There are a couple of players you’ll want to watch out for, though, that’s for sure,” added Hall. “Some of them are playing year-round rugby, which is great for their development, but we’re also getting athletes who are new to the game, and we want to work with them, as well,” said Hall. “We weren’t sure if we were going to play [in the Serevi Cup] before this year’s league started, but when we mentioned it to the players, they were really up for it. It’s worked out perfectly.”

The players, though, are developing, said Hall. The summer 7s series in Oregon has given many of the players a grounding. Now is a good time to see if the more accomplished athletes can raise their game once more.

Oregon takes two teams to the Serevi Cup Boys Bracket, with Washington also fielding two teams. Rose City 7s out of Oregon, Prairie Mustangs out of Yelm, Wash., the NW Nomads, and the Eastside Lions (the East Side of Seattle) round out the field of boys teams.