Life West won the Women’s DI Club National Championship in early June, and then took the rest of the month off before rededicating itself to 7s. It was a lot of pressure – to get nationals-ready in six weeks – but the recouping period paid off and the Gladiatrix finished second at the Pacific North Club 7s Championship. The NorCal side will compete in Pool A during this weekend’s national championship, which has been dubbed the Emil Signes Cup this year. [Photos: Wyland Luke]
RELATED: USA Rugby Club 7s National Championship • Atavus Wins Pacific North Title • Life West is the DI National Champion
Fortunately, the team retained players who helped Life West at 7s nationals in 2015, the last time the team appeared in the championship. Co-captains Jenn Sever and Nikki Kenyon, Morgan Rovetti, Amy Naber, Emily Roskopf, Cameo Motley and Mirelle Raza have remained with the Gladiatrix.
“We’ve been fortunate enough to have Bitsy Cairns come back from the national group,” Life West 7s coach Adriaan Ferris added. “We felt for her not making the World Cup selection. She’s very disappointed but she’s refocused herself and is enjoying what we’re doing in the program. Having her gives us a little extra up front, and she combines well with Jenn Sever, who understands the game well.
Nikki Kenyon on the attack /// Photo: Wyland Luke
“Nikki Kenyon has been playing well this summer and is certainly a player who assists our attack and defense in terms of communication and work rate. She’s really improved from when we were first introduced to her two years ago,” Ferris said. “Hali Deters and Amy Naber are a great combo in both 15s and 7s and work really well together. They have a bit of intuition of where they need to be and communicate really well.”
Rovetti and Motley are the speed on the sideline as well as sure defenders. The team is also happy to add Colombia 7s player Catalina Talero, who is with the Gladiatrix for the summer and 15s seasons. Life West is missing a few key players – Women’s Rugby World Cup Eagles Catie Benson and Jordan Gray, and USA 7s Eagle Mata Hingano, who is still recovering from an injury incurred in France – but the team has been without these players all summer and has adjusted.
Cameo Motley /// Photo: Wyland Luke
For regular-season preparation, Ferris praised the competitiveness of the local 7s league, in particular Berkeley and San Francisco Golden Gate (SFGG).
“They have made huge improvements to their program,” Ferris said of SFGG. “And we lost to the All Blues at the second [NorCal 7s qualifier] tournament in San Jose. … When we dropped that game to them, it was a real catalyst to look at ourselves and see where we were lacking.”
Life West focused on 7s fitness and 7s mindset, and felt better by the time it traveled north to the regional championship in Tacoma, Wash. It was a five-team affair – three from NorCal, two from the Pacific Northwest – that took a round robin format followed by a final placing match. First up was ORSU, which had finished fourth at last year’s nationals.
Hali Deters /// Photo: Wyland Luke
“ORSU is a very physical side that likes to play close to the ruck. We ID’ed that and tried to stretch them across the field and exhaust them. That tactic worked and we won that first game pretty convincingly,” Ferris recapped the 27-5 opening win.
Life West followed with a 12-10 loss to Atavus Seattle before defeating SFGG and Berkeley en route to the final. The local side pulled through for a more comprehensive win in the rematch, but Life West earned the region’s second seed to nationals.
“In the final we had a couple of injuries to key players that kept us out of it, but that didn’t really bother us,” Ferris said. “You’re going to get injuries at nationals and need to learn to deal with it. Players were in different roles that they weren’t as comfortable in. The last two weeks, we’ve focused on how we can deal with some adversity or if something unusual happens.”
Jenn Sever with Amy Naber in support /// Photo: Wyland Luke
Life West doesn’t know much about its Pool A competition – Scion Rugby Academy, Glendale Merlins, Tempe Ninjas – but expects tough games, especially against reigning national champion.
“There’s a lot of excitement now. Certainly a lot of determination,” Ferris said of the team’s current mood. “We felt like we let ourselves down in Seattle against Atavus. We expect more from ourselves – not necessarily in outcome but the effort and process that it involves.”
The USA Rugby Club 7s National Championship occurs Aug. 12-13 in Minneapolis. Visit www.usaclub7s.com for more info.