(NEW YORK, March 2, 2023) Premier Rugby Sevens (PR7s) announced their 2023 coaches for the league’s 16 teams that will battle for the 2023 PR7s Championships. In addition to planning and executing strategies on the field, the coaches will also identify protected players and select talent through the 2023 PR7s Expansion Draft. PR7s doubled the number of teams this year, including the addition of expansion franchises in the Bay Area and Pittsburgh.
The following coaches have been confirmed, according to PR7s General Manager Mike Tolkin:
EASTERN CONFERENCE COACHES
NEW YORK LOCALS
Tui Osborne, men’s head coach
Ethan Pougnet, men’s assistant coach
Tiff Fa’aee, women’s head coach
T Fletcher, women’s assistant coach
PITTSBURGH STEELTOES
Jason Kelly, men’s head coach
Steve LaPorta, men’s assistant coach
Josie Ziluca, women’s head coach
Emily Record, women’s assistant coach
SOUTHERN HEADLINERS
Tim Stanfill, men’s head coach
DTH Van der Merwe, men’s assistant coach
Andrew Locke, women’s head coach
Lauren Barber, women’s assistant coach
TEXAS TEAM
Troy Hall, men’s head coach
Kurt Morath, men’s assistant coach
Lauren Trout, women’s head coach
John Coumbe-Lilley, women’s assistant coach
WESTERN CONFERENCE COACHES
GOLDEN STATE RETRIEVERS
Peter Sio, men’s head coach
Jone Naqica, men’s assistant coach
Kelly Griffin, women’s head coach
Mere Baker, women’s assistant coach
LOONIES
Matt Wagner, men’s head coach
David Fee, men’s assistant coach
Robin MacDowell, women’s head coach
Bret Kannenberg, women’s assistant coach
ROCKY MOUNTAIN EXPERTS
JK Anderson, men’s head coach
Emil Walton, men’s assistant coach
Irene Gardner, women’s head coach
Ros Chou, women’s assistant coach
SOCAL LOGGERHEADS
Frankie Horne, men’s head coach
Waisale Serevi, men’s assistant coach
Anna Lena Swartz, women’s head coach
Cecil Afrika, women’s assistant coach
“This year’s roster of coaches is outstanding and will bring experience from the highest levels of our sport to PR7s,” said Tolkin. “We have former Olympians, Hall of Famers, and many of the most respected minds in rugby sevens. They will ensure the highest level of competition as their teams battle to bring home a championship to their respective regions.”
PR7s tournaments will bring the famous rugby sevens festival experience this summer to Austin at Q2 Stadium (Saturday, June 17), Minneapolis at TCO Stadium (June 24, 2023), San Jose at PayPal Park (Saturday, July 15), and Pittsburgh at Highmark Stadium (Sunday, July 23). The top teams from each conference will qualify for the 2023 Championship tournament, which will take place in August. The championship venue will be announced in the coming weeks. Tickets for each event are available at PRSevens.com/tickets.
The PR7s 2022 season included over 30 matches nationwide. The Southern Headliners took home the first United Championship, led by Team USA Olympic co-captain Abby Gustaitis for the Headliners women and U.S. national team player Adam Channel on the men’s side. The Headliners also won the Kathy Flores Cup for women’s top prize, while the SoCal Loggerheads earned the A. Jon Prusmack Cup as the men’s champion, led by U.S. Olympians Martin Iosefo and Matai Leuta.