Henrich, seen here over the summer with the All-Americans, has experience with and against Canada. /// Photo: Dave Ramage •
Nearly 140 teams booted up for the 58th annual New York 7s last Saturday, and 12 divisions crowned champions. Canadian sides claimed five of six women’s titles (New York’s Olde Love won the social division), and the U.S.’s border rival accounted for nine of 12 finalists. But there was one recognizable American making an impact in the High School Girls Premier division: Canterbury Player of the Week Emily Henrich helped the Niagara Rugby Union (NRU) Elite to the championship match, capping a big year for the Western New York all-star.
Henrich has many rugby roots – they connect with her parents, cross the border, and include high-level 7s and 15s. The Orchard Park, N.Y., junior was last seen captaining the Girls High School All-Americans against the Quebec U18s in July, but the rest of her summer was spent with the NRU. The Canadian union is right over the border from Buffalo, and the rugby there is good.
“There aren’t a ton of other high school 7s opportunities,” Henrich explained her alignment for the summer. “I find that the basic skill level in Canada is better, which may be due to rugby being a varsity sport for high schools in Canada. There’s definitely a difference in the play [between Canadians and Americans] but it’s hard to put into words.”
Henrich had received invites from other select sides for the New York 7s, but opted to represent her summer 7s team. That meant that she lined up against several former teammates, many of which were concentrated on Atlantis and the Community Olympic Development Program.
“I had to play against Atlantis in the semifinals. It was hard because I’ll be playing with these same girls at Vegas and [NAI] 7s,” Henrich remembered the 19-5 win. “I’ve played with or against seven of the eight teams in the high school elite bracket through opportunities with NRU and within the U.S. It’s so great being in such a close-knit rugby community.”
Atlantis finished fourth to Upright Rugby, and Henrich will finish out the 2017 7s cycle with the Emil Signes-founded team now that she’s aged out of the NRU U16 program. The Thunder fell 34-7 to Eastern Ontario in the New York 7s Premier final, and the match-up (and result) was replicated in the High School Club bracket. Click here for the full results.
After the Premier final, the NRU received its second-place trophy and took pictures, and then Henrich migrated to the Women’s Club Social championship, where her mother, Lisa, was helping Olde Love over New Haven. Mrs. Henrich has a long playing and coaching history, and is well versed in the competitive opportunities for high school girls. She’s a very good resource, among other things, and has helped her talented daughter prioritize the array of elite 7s and 15s teams and competitions.”I did get to cheer my mom on for most of her finals match. … Not many girls can say they watched their mom score in a finals match in rugby,” Henrich concluded.
Henrich is the final Canterbury Player of the Week for November, and is one of five candidates for Player of the Month. Readers will vote and name the victor, and Canterbury North America will honor the award recipient with a curated gift package. Stay tuned.