NAI 7s Set to Kick Off This Week
NAI 7s Set to Kick Off This Week
The NAI 7s kicks off Friday with a few changes and some wrinkles.
Last year's event was marred by some significant trouble surrounding the U14 competitions, and it was a cose-run thing whether U14s would even return. As it turned out, the U14 brackets are invitation only now, with some closer vetting going on for those teams.
The other major change is a shift in what fields are used. The Regional Athletic Complex has actually seen trouble in the one four-field quad of playing space for sports other than rugby. The fields are team tent areas are all very close, and t can lead to conflict. So those fields won't be used. The tournament is instead spreading out to using more fields to the South.
Tournament Director Mike Cressler also limited the event to 124 teams, backing off from pushing for extra teams that might, in the end, be negative additions.
Wrinkles
The main wrinkle comes in the U18 Girls competitions. With only five teams competing in Girls Elite, and 19 in Girls Open, the two groups are combined for pool play.
Six pools of four will have five pools in which a Girls Elite team plays—Southwest Rugby out of Canada, The Rugby Advantage, Majestics, Belmont Shore, and TOA. The only pool without a Girls Elite team is Pool F with North Carolina All Stars, Eastside Lions, Toa's Open side, and Sac AIR Amazon.
The way this will work is if you finish 2nd to a Girls Elite team, it's as if you won the pool and you will be treated as such.
However, we at GRR think that there will be Open teams that either beat Elite teams, or come close, and will conclude that maybe they should have been in the Elite bracket from the beginning.
Boys U18 Elite
This bracket is often the most followed and repeat champs Rebel Rugby Academy are back again. Rebel does a good job ensuring the players work together and develop together, rather than simply assembling players.
Who else to watch out for? Belmont Shore and TOA should battle it out in Pool A, San Mateo could be an exciting team in Pool B, and Rebel White (their 1st team) will have some work to do to get out of Pool C against Kahuku, Team Related, and Kaji.
U16s
Atlantis isn't flooding this tournament but their U16 girls are in with a good shot at winning. Keep an eye on Belmont Shore as well.
Belmont Shore, Rebel, and Utah Cannibals will all push in U16 Boys Tier I. There would be a dark horse, too. Maybe San Mateo?