The Pacific North receives three seeds to the USA Rugby Club 7s National Championship, and four of those candidates have substantial histories at the August fixture. Last year, Berkeley missed out on its first 7s nationals since 2011 (when USA Rugby officially added the championship) and thus has some extra motivation this summer.
Irene Gardner and Lucy Croy have aided the Berkeley 7s program in the past, but this year they accepted co-head coaching roles. Training sessions draw anywhere from 20-30 players, affording the option of second teams in local tournaments and more playing time for everyone. Katie Chou and Alex Boskovich help guide the developmental side, which features a handful of summer collegians who’ve elevated their play in the course of a month.
Christina Ramos and Evan Hoese serve as captains on the nationals-focused team. Ramos distinguished herself at flanker during her first WPL season last fall, and Hoese is back on the pitch after battling injuries and coaching the Division II team. Gardner indicated that while some players have extensive experience, she’d consider Madison Taylor as the only veteran of All Blues 7s.
“I’m excited. We’re working with great athletes,” former USA 7s Eagle Gardner said. “It makes our job a little more difficult in terms of selections, because this group is extremely hard-working and very positive. And they’re learners. They want to learn and get better and grow, and they support each other in it.”
There are only two NorCal qualifiers before the Pacific North championship on July 28 in Tacoma, Wash., and so Berkeley had to build out its calendar with fixtures for its two teams. Last weekend, the All Blues crossed the country and landed on North Carolina’s shores for the Cape Fear 7s. Berkeley fielded a team in the Elite division and also place three players into the social division.
“We wanted to go for the competition but also the two-day tournament format,” Gardner said. “It’s the closest thing to mimicking nationals, with pool play on the first day and then quarterfinals, semifinals and the final on day two. It’s a great set-up and a good opportunity to have players understand how to take care of their bodies over the weekend – especially with the flight, now that we know nationals is in New York City.”
Berkeley went 3-0 in pool play, defeating Scion’s second side 43-0, NOVA 33-7 and ARPTC Blue 17-12. On day two, the All Blues topped Atlanta 24-19 in the quarterfinals and Atlantis U23 24-5 in the semifinals. In the title match, Berkeley dropped a 22-7 decision to Scion Woo, the National Development Academy’s first team. (see full Cape Fear results)
“The team was disappointed to lose in the final, which is very natural, but I had nothing but wonderful things to pull from the weekend in terms of what we need to improve on and how we stack up against other competition building toward nationals,” Gardner said. “We saw different styles of play from different teams – some classic styles, others more forward-oriented – and it was good to see how we adapted.”
And there’s still a month of rugby to be played before nationals. This weekend in San Jose is the second and final NorCal qualifier, and then the Pacific North championship occurs the weekend after the Rugby World Cup Sevens in San Francisco. Life West, ORSU and Washington Athletic will presumably be present.
“We have our sights set on returning to nationals, and we’ll have to overcome tough competition to get there. It’s definitely going to require focus and execution,” Gardner concluded. “We’re definitely focused on one step at a time, and that’s important to teach and understand as a player. That’s what a 7s tournament is about – focus on each match individually and don’t think past pool play or a team you assume you’re going to beat. Focus on what’s next.”
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