Eighty-two squads have filled out the girls’ and women’s divisions at Tropical 7s, which occurs April 7-8 at the Tampa SportsPlex. The tournament offers Elite and Open competitions in U23/college, U18, U16 and U14 brackets for a whole lot of Easter Weekend rugby. For a little extra, head to the athlete combine, and be on the lookout for loads of USA and college scouts.
Starting with the most senior bracket, the U23/College divisions feature 20 teams. In the eight-team Elite, four teams are Division I NCAA varsity programs, and four are from DI Elite leaders Life and Lindenwood. The competition will be a nice preview for the CRAA 7s championship.
U23/Univ Women’s Elite (8)
Army West Point
Dartmouth
Harvard Univ
Life Univ x 2
Lindenwood Univ x 2
Long Island Univ
The U23/College Open is 12 teams. Six hail from NCAA programs (*), there’s one Canadian team, and the remainder are southeastern schools from NCR and CRAA. The Hawkeyes is a select side.
U23/Univ Women’s Open (12)
Clemson Univ
Coastal Carolina Univ
Dartmouth*
Davenport Univ*
Durham College Lords (CAN)
Florida International Univ
Florida State Univ
Harvard Univ*
Hawkeyes
Lander Univ*
Queens Univ x 2*
The U18 Elite division is looking good. In the 12-team division, three teams hail from Canada, and all but Utah’s Majestics are select sides. There’s solid nationwide coverage, too. The Rugby Advantage pulls from across the country, as does Atlantis, but with a traditionally east-coast concentration. The Thunderbirds and Badger Rugby Academy (Wisc.) represent the Midwest, and Hawkeyes and Utah Cannibals speak to the West.
U18 Girls Elite (12)
Atlantis
Badger Rugby Academy
Hawkeyes
MacDowell (CAN)
Majestics
Midwest Thunderbirds (roster)
NRU Thunder (CAN)
The Rugby Advantage x 3
Tsunami Toronto Reds (CAN)
Utah Cannibals
The U18 Open is the largest of the girls’ competitions. Ten of the 24 teams are from Canada. Hawkeyes Rugby (3) and USA South Panther Academy (2) are representative teams, and they’re bringing multiple sides. Rugby Colorado is a state all-star team. There’s good representation from stand-alone teams as well, hailing from Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, NorCal, Tennessee and Texas.
U18 Girls Open (24)
Hawkeyes x 3
Hillfield Strathallan College (CAN)
Lady Rebels (Ga.)
MacDowell (CAN)
Nashville Nighthawks (Tenn.)
New Brunswick Spruce (CAN)
Oshawa Vikings (CAN)
Pleasanton (NorCal)
Raleigh Redhawks (N.C.)
Riverdale (Tenn.)
Rock and Roll (CAN)
Rugby Colorado Academy
Sahuarita (Ariz.)
Saint John Trojans (CAN)
Shawnigan Lake School (CAN)
Sparta Rockford (Mich.)
The Bruce (CAN)
Tsunami Canada Misfits (CAN)
Upright Rugby Rogues (CAN)
USA South Panther Academy x 2
Woodlands (Texas)
Like the U18 Open, Hawkeyes and USA South Panther Academy have multiple sides, as does Canada’s Tsunami Misfits, which is one of nine Canadian outfits in this competition. Atlantis recruits across the U.S., while Pioneer and USA West pull primarily from Utah and Colorado, respectively. The Lady Rebels out of Georgia and Michigan’s Sparta-Rockford are the stand-alone sides.
U16 Girls Open (20)
Atlantis
EORU (CAN)
Halifax (CAN)
Hawkeyes x 3
Lady Rebels (Ga.)
MacDowell (CAN)
NL Rock (CAN)
NRU Thunder 7s (CAN)
Oshawa Vikings (CAN)
Pioneer Select (Utah)
Saint John Trojans (CAN)
Sparta Rockford (Mich.)
Tsunami Canada Misfits (CAN) x 2
Upright Rogues (CAN)
USA South Panther x 2
USA West (Colo.)
There are just six U14 Girls Open teams, but none of them are on their own. They accompany U16 and/or U18 teams, making for bigger touring parties. Two are Canadian sides, three are select sides, and Texas holds strong with the Woodlands.
U14 Girls Open (6)
The Rugby Advantage
Tsunami Misfits (CAN)
Upright Rogues (CAN)
USA South Panther Academy
USA West (Colo.)
Woodlands (Texas)
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