McGrath scores against WAC / Photo: Alex Ho
Scion and Life West have advanced to the USA Club 7s National Championship title match, which will air at 5 p.m. Pacific on The Rugby Network. ARPTC and Washington Athletic Club (WAC) will contest third place at 4 p.m. in the stadium.
The final four round started with Scion and WAC, and both were undefeated heading into round five.
“Going into that game we were really focused on our defensive line knowing that if we could put some pressure on them we’d really get ourselves on the front foot,” Scion co-captain Jade McGrath said of points of focus. “And energy. Second day, that second game, especially in the heat – energy really trumps all. So getting our energy right was really important to us.”
For the most part, Scion went long on the kickoffs and restarts, and then unloaded on the defensive pressure. WAC struggled to problem-solve its way out of its 22 and that led to some dicey passing close to the try line and balls on the ground. Jess Lu picked up a dropped pass 30 seconds after kickoff and dotted it down for the opening points, 7-0 with Kimber Rozier’s conversion.
Jess Lu carries into the try zone / Photo: Alex Ho
Approximately two minutes later, Scion drove a WAC scrum back toward its line and then swallowed up attempts to move the ball, eventually driving Nikki Kenyon into the try zone. Camille Johnson scored shortly afterward, 12-0. The final try of the half came after sustained sideline-to-sideline work, and while WAC did a great job defending, Rozier eventually took a wider pass away from the crowd to score: 17-0.
“We love playing good teams so we were really, really excited that we got to play WAC in that semifinal,” McGrath confirmed that WAC made Scion play better. “They’re physical, they’re fast and they’re great sportsmen. We love playing them and it’s always fun.”
McGrath scored approximately a minute after the break, and then lots of penalties helped Scion get into position for a Jess Lu try. Lauren Rhode kicked the conversion, and Scion led 29-0 with little time left. Nevertheless, WAC kept working and saw Kenyon break free from her own 22 and beat the cover for a try that Megan Sanders converted. Scion kept the restart and the ball moved to Emily Fulbrook, who pushed into touch. The lineout ball worked to the opposite sideline, where Sanders beat the final defender for another long try: 29-12 the final.
“No, I wouldn’t say that,” McGrath dispelled the notion that Scion let off mentally. “We got a little bit tired in the end and WAC didn’t stop playing. They kept pushing until the end and I will give them those tries. They worked for them and they earned them.
“Definitely,” McGrath said of “finishing” being a focus for the final. “We’ve got to do the same. We’ve got to keep pushing to the end. We can’t drop off.”
Scion sat on the shady knoll behind the try zone to watch Life West play ARPTC in the second semifinal. And the game was similar to Scion’s in that Life West frustrated ARPTC with its pressure play. ARPTC did kick several times to relieve some stress but play essentially stayed in one half of the pitch.
Two-and-a-half minutes in, Hope Rogers-Dellermann got the ball on the wing from 10 meters out. The defense went high, and the Eagle powered over for the try, 5-0. Not long afterward, Nene Persinger was helped off the pitch, and that’s a big loss in speed, sweeping and kicking.
Play loosened a bit as ballcarriers attempted to offload out of contact, but the connections missed and passes weren’t going to hand. Near the six-minute mark, ARPTC put two players into a ruck, isolating Autumn Locicero on the wing and giving Angela Paau the room to dive over, 10-0 into the break.
Not much changed in the second half. ARPTC lost possession after a scrum in its end and after a some line-pummeling, Rogers-Dellermann scored again. The game ended with another Life West assault, and Leila Opeti capitalized in the corner.
“We expect it to be a physical game,” McGrath said after watching Life West win. “We’ve got to be be strong in contact, make out hits, and use our speed on the outside and our skills on the inside.”