GRR: Youth 7s
Quick notes from National Youth 7s and a lot of interviews.
Overall we have to say the standard of play was excellent—kids knew what they needed to do; they could pass and catch and tackle; they were smart and exciting to watch. In some respects, such as the girls goalkicking, and teamwork in all brackets, the standard was better than college 7s we have seen.
The National 7s Youth Championships will return for its third year June 9-11, 2023 in an expanded form.
Held in Cleveland, Ohio, the tournament has, in its first two years, seen top U15 7s teams facing off over two days.
In 2022 Belmont Shore took the Girls Championship, while Tribe Rugby took the Boys Championship. The Tier II Boys was won by the Celina Legion.
For those who think the major, high-profile academies make major tournaments a fait accompli, consider the National Sevens Youth Rugby Championships.
Eagle Impact Rugby Academy and Rhinos did not dominate—they played well to be sure, but the trophies went elsewhere.
LA Tribe and USA South were perhaps the story of Day One in the Boys Tier I division of the National Sevens Youth Rugby Championships.
Played on the campus of St. Ignatius HS in Cleveland, Ohio (thanks to SIHS students for help in reporting on this tournament), six excellent programs clashed.
Ohio's own Westpark looked very good in a highly competition Boys Tier II division of the National Sevens Youth Rugby Championships n Cleveland, Ohio.
Here's a look at the games on Day One: