This Saturday will mark the midway point of the Florida Rugby Union’s summer 7s season, which began June 5 and will culminate on Aug. 7. There will be no South club 7s championship this year, but like the 15s season, Florida clubs will have the opportunity to win a state title.
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The spring 15s season ended with a thrilling three-point battle between eventual champion Orlando and runner-up Tampa Bay. Unsurprisingly, these teams have split the first two of five 7s tournaments, with the Krewe winning Surfin’ 7s in early June, and the Griffins winning Rusted Knights 7s two weeks later. Orlando player-coach Jamie Vance explained that there are five teams total competing in the state series, three of which are more social in nature.
“After winning Florida state championships, Orlando Women’s Rugby is even more excited to play 7s,” Vance noted the spring’s impact.
“It’s been a lot of fun playing all the teams but Tampa Krewe has been our top competitor,” the player-coach added. “It’s been a back-and-forth fun battle with Tampa. They have a lot of skilled players and keeps us on our toes.”
Orlando got most of its players back from the 15s season, although some are still new to the 7s game.
“I see improvement in each game and some players are really starting shine,” Vance praised the group. “We have speed with Agnes Furst, Ana Dovali and Julia Mortellaro. Lindsey Perkins is showing off her speed and amazing 1v1 tackling skills. China Davis and Christina Norman are powerhouses during 15s and continue to show off their strength during 7s. Jennifer Fasano is our smart play creator. Overall we have well rounded 7s team.”
Orlando has good numbers this summer, enough to field a stand-alone team and support the opposition.
“We have a competitive 7s team and have been helping out other Florida clubs like Indian River with players,” Vance explained. “USA Rugby is now offering weekend CIPPs for tournaments, which is allowing some of our retired players, including myself, to come back and have some fun for a weekend socially with Indian River.”
The Florida club 7s champion will be named at the end of the series in August, but the GU will not flow into a South regional or any other competition.
“I think it’s great USA Rugby is hosting a club 7s national championship this year,” Vance concluded. “Orlando Women’s Rugby has played in the tournament before and the competition is fierce and is always a great experience especially for a competitive DII team. It’s a big commitment in time and money for travel. This year, I believe we are just going to focus on the Florida Summer 7s Series and help grow the game in Florida.”