Fiji 7s winners Orlando in solidarity with the Orlando shooting victims. •
When USA Rugby adopted the women’s club 7s national championship in 2011, few regions had legitimate, well supported qualification systems in place. The Mid-Atlantic was the exception and had been running a 7s series and naming champions for years, and those finalists needed little convincing in representing their region at nationals. As the women’s championship moves into its sixth official year, most regions have found a structure that meets – and ideally promotes – demand.
Evan Haigh has witnessed the evolution of women’s 7s in opposite corners of the country. Before moving to Florida, one of Haigh’s coaching posts placed him with the Seattle Breakers during the summer 7s season.
“There are a lot of parallels from when Jesenia [Torres] and I were in Seattle,” Haigh compared the Pacific Northwest 7s scene to the South’s evolution. “The first years I was with them, it was whoever could make it [to nationals]. You’d play a one-off game, and it was usually us or the Mudhens. But then more competition developed and we could have a proper series. That’s where we are in the South now.”
Haigh knows development. He’s involved at the base as Florida Youth Rugby’s executive director, and the peak as Florida High Performance (HP) Women’s 7s coach, among other posts. To grow the regional club 7s competition, Florida needed to formalize its own meaningful competition and provide players opportunities to grow. When Orlando made its first trip to the club 7s championship in 2015 – replacing typical rep Atlanta – and the HP 7s team competed against national teams at the LVI 7s, more interest brewed throughout the state. Haigh and Florida 7s Director Steve Braunstein then launched a state-based circuit that names a champion and flows into the South championship, and they use that series to continually scout for HP 7s prospects.
“We’re trying really hard as a union to improve the quality of 7s, and that in turn helps clubs like us,” said Haigh, who also co-coaches Orlando’s 7s team with Raoul Besse. “More competition, more structure – that builds a better standard.”
For Orlando, a version of that formula has existed for years. Besse coaches both the Orlando 15s team and the University of Central Florida, and the two entities combine in the summer. So college players have had the opportunity to play up.
It’s the same set-up this year. UCF standouts like Jessica Warner, Cortney Keuhl and Jackie Edge pair with senior leaders like captain Torres, Zoe Sanchez and Eagle 7s prospect Stephanie Browne. Promising newcomers like 18-year-old Jennifer Fasano is benefitting the most from this relationship. She’s surrounded by peers and veterans, all while absorbing – and excelling at – everything the coaching staff is throwing at her.
“They’ve all gone through the same evolution in 7s, with the exception of experienced players like Zoe and Jesenia, who have been around a while,” Haigh spoke to the group’s cohesion. “There’s such a close connection. They’re all driving together at 5 a.m. to get to a tournament at 8 a.m. You get home at 11 p.m. – that’s a lot of time together. It’s a high level of commitment and they develop a close bond. It shows on the field. There’s no massive difference between who is who.”
Orlando’s three practices per week average 20 players in attendance, and the squad has entered two teams in each of the three lead-up tournaments. Last weekend, the reigning South champ entered one team into the first of three Florida qualifiers, Fiji 7s, and beat rival Fort Miami in the final.
“It’s the same teams from the social tournaments to the qualifiers, except everyone’s in 7s mode now,” Haigh spoke to the field’s current level of play. “We’re actually at the midway point in our season. We have our systems in place, so now we want to perform.”
Orlando will continue to test itself at the remaining qualifiers: Todd Miller 7s (June 25) and Invasion 7s (July 9). The top two teams in the standings will then advance to the Carolinas-hosted South championship (July 23).
“We have a nice group,” added Haigh. “It’s the third year that they’re playing together and we really worked hard together to build it out. They all understand 7s, some have played on the Florida All-Star 7s team, and they have a burning desire to go back to nationals and perform.”