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Photos courtesy Phoenix Rugby 7s
The South switched up its 7s qualifying for women’s clubs this year, and as a result, the Atlanta Harlequins and Phoenix have already secured their spots to the Club 7s National Championship in August.
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Last year, the South contested a championship for the geographic unions’ top teams in late July. In the end, six of the eight teams were eligible for nationals and True South was absent. This year, the South moved away from a single championship and held two qualifiers on back-to-back weekends in June, so that the top-two teams would emerge through the standings.
“It’s nice because you know if you’re going to nationals now,” Phoenix head coach Eyal Hakim said. “But it could also be a detriment to the competitiveness of the rest of the summer. It could go social now that other teams know they’re not going to nationals.”
Phoenix initially began when Hakim, then coaching Florida Atlantic University and within the Florida High Performance Program, interacted with collegians who wanted to play 7s but didn’t have teams with which to compete. The team has since evolved to include senior players, and this year’s team includes reps from Ft. Miami, where Hakim now coaches, Nashville, Gainesville as well as Canada star Magali Harvey and younger sister Elizabeth, a current student at American International College. Magali Harvey has agreed to help develop Phoenix’s players while also raising the on-field performance during the qualifiers and nationals.
The first South qualifier occurred on June 9 at Music City 7s in Nashville, and it marked the first time the squad played together. Phoenix went 3-0 in pool play, including a 21-14 win over Atlanta, defeated Charlotte 24-12 in the semifinals and then dropped a 19-17 decision to the Harlequins in the final. A similar scenario evolved this previous weekend at the Georgia State Games, with three pool play wins, a 17-0 semifinal win over Charlotte, and then a loss to Atlanta in the final.
“We definitely have work to be done, but they gelled pretty quickly, which was nice,” Hakim said. “Between [captain] Kris [Hall] and Magali, the leadership was there. They played together in Dubai [for the Ravens] so they had a report with each other, and the players built off that. There’s also a report with the Fort Miami players.”
June 9 Phoenix squad
Phoenix last competed at 7s nationals in 2016, and Hall is the only remaining member from that squad. In addition to the Harvey sisters (Elizabeth was one of AIC’s leading scorers this past spring 7s season), watch for Morgan Freeman. She’s a Girls High School All-American and is heading to Lindenwood University in the fall. Hakim singled her out as a difference-maker on the pitch as well.
Fortunately there are two months to build chemistry, but Phoenix will not be solely focused on readying for nationals. Hakim opens up the Florida circuit to any player who wants to suit up, allowing the program to field multiple sides.
“We don’t just have a collegiate side or a senior side; we mix in everybody,” Hakim said of the non-qualifier squads. “Everyone gets experience with everyone so they get used to different styles of play, and they get better that way. If you have A, B and C teams, the players will stay where they’re at instead of being able to elevate their game.”
That said, Phoenix needs to be able to play tough competition in the build to nationals, and is considering coordinating some scrimmages with Atlanta at a midway location. Again, it all depends on how the traditionally stronger teams in Florida treat the rest of the summer now that they know they’re not heading to nationals.
At present, the location for the USA Rugby Club 7s National Championship has not been announced, but it occurs Aug. 11-12.
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