Every morning I wake up, pull out my phone, and scroll through the rugby world news feed. Ten minutes later, I pull the covers over my head because there is no way I can cover all of the newsworthy items happening in the U.S. without forsaking daylight, meals and my very needy cat, Matty. It’s a good problem, I suppose, because it means the rugby world is churning. To assuage my guilt, I’ll try to keep up this weekly exercise of “quick hits,” which include links for any reader who might want to do their own follow-up. That said, a handful of the following will develop into features. This first edition looks at last weekend’s rugby, interviews in the works, some calendar adds and favorite photos. (lead photo c/o Hawaii Youth Rugby)
LAST WEEKEND
The USA finished 8th at the Vancouver 7s. It was Tessa Hann’s debut tournament and the Colorado native > Central Washington University grad > USA 15s Eagle scored two tries against Ireland. Also: Pre-tournament presser with Bydwell, Kirshe and Sedrick.
The below photo is a nice full-circle moment. Glendale used to host a stop on the HSBC SVNS series, and exhibition matches were sprinkled throughout the schedule. So Hann played on the same pitch as the international 7s stars while in high school, and then 6.5 years later joined them.
Hann’s first interaction with international 7s / Photo: Jackie Finlan
Also in Canada last weekend, the Pacific Northwest U18 Loggers represented the USA at the Vancouver Invitational 7s and did not waste the opportunity, going 5-1 against an all-Canadian lineup. Angela Veetutu of TripleShotPhoto captured all the action.
On Saturday, the first official Classic Can-Am match for women occurred in Charlotte, N.C., and the USA South beat the visiting Canadian Classics 35-27. (More to come.)
The Univ. Texas at Austin hosted a massive 7s tournament last Saturday! By our count, there were 15 college programs (some with multiple sides) all from the Lone Star conference. Their automatic qualifier for the CRC 7s occurs March 29 at the Sabercats Stadium in Houston.
The U18 clubs out west continue to travel for good competition. United (Utah), Sacramento Amazons (NorCal) and Lakewood (SoCal) joined Pasefika in Hawaii for a round robin. The games marked Lakewood’s first-ever 15s games. United is also part of the West Region circuit, and it along with the Zons are regulars at nationals.
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In NorCal, the annual Kickoff Tournament in Livermore brought 12 high school teams together for 10s, 12s and 15s. The HS season kicks off this Saturday.
SoCal Youth Rugby held its girls’ high school 7s championship last Saturday, and Oceanside/Murrieta won the title. On the other side of the country, a team by the same name — Oceanside Academy of Mt. Pleasant, S.C. — featured in the South Carolina state championship Saturday. The Landsharks faced Wando in the final, with the Wahine walking away with the title.
In college 15s rugby, the most significant game occurred between Stanford (3-0) and Cal (3-1). The two were undefeated heading into that match and represent each other’s toughest competition in the Pacific Mountain regular season. The Cardinal prevailed 36-21. Both should feature in the PMRC crossover playoffs with the Pacific Northwest teams on March 22. On the other side of the bracket, Grand Canyon University is 4-0 in Pacific Desert and has not relinquished a point against yet.
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Looking for senior club news? Check out the most recent Division I and Division II recaps.
INTERVIEWS EN ROUTE
Oceanside HS administrator Lauren Ragudo talks about the first-year team and the upcoming CIF vote for rugby.
USA South head coach JK Anderson is scheduled for tomorrow morning. The Can-Am Classic win marked the first runout for the all-star program’s new head coach.
Midwest Baby Birds Cece Rose, Drew Dauser and Arielle Fotso put in MVP performances at the U18 15s Territorial Championship. Stay tuned for a group feature.
Atlanta Valkyries’ Eleni Sis is representing Greece in a Friday, Feb. 28 match against the USA Women’s Rugby League National Team in Las Vegas. Chat with the high schooler comes next week.
THIS WEEKEND
March is all about DIA (formerly “DI Elite”). The four core teams (BYU, Central Washington, Life, Lindenwood) are active throughout the year, but this month sets off the big push toward playoffs (April 12) and the national final (April 19). And nothing gathers attention quite like Life vs. Lindenwood. This Saturday in St. Charles, Mo., marks the first meeting of these two juggernauts since the 2024 national championship. Giddy!
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March 1: Deadline to register for HS nationals. Favorite event hands-down all year because it is the truest celebration of rugby. The next generation of talent is on display and 15s in particular shows the range of athlete who can thrive in rugby. The college piece is very much present, too, as head coaches target Madison, Wis., as an important recruitment ground. Club rugby is there, with former players serving as coaches and refs and facility personnel. And the USA is also present, with Pathway personnel taking in all the action. HS nationals brings the ecosystem of U.S. girls and women’s rugby together.
Carolina Ruggerfest occurs this weekend in Matthews, N.C., and 16 high school teams from Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and the Cayman Islands are playing 15s.
Queens University of Charlotte and Lander University are the curtain-raiser for the MLR match between Anthem and Miami on Friday, Feb. 28 in Mecklenburg, N.C. The women play at 4 p.m. ET (learn more) and the main event is 7:30 p.m.
The Premier Women’s Rugby (U.K.) semifinals occur this weekend, and there are two USA 15s players competing: Saracens’ Lotte Sharp and Bristol’s Ilona Maher.
Every weekend, a full lineup of games appears on the Scores page.
ATYPICAL NEWS
I love these sideline photos (below: Sam Lovett of @samloverugby), and Vancouver 7s for some reason always produces memorable ones. My favorite photo of Ilona Maher was snapped inside BC Place last year. Just a masterpiece on both sides of the lens.
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Rugby Tens is hosting a (mostly) girls and women’s rugby tournament in South Africa in April, and there are always U.S. players involved. I love the mixed play option, which CEO and co-founder Andreea Trufasu talked about head of the 2024 Rugby Tens series and championship in SoCal.
Tropical 7s is occurs April 18-19 and it looks as big ever. There is a shift, however, in the women’s U23/College bracket. With the DIA finals and Ivy 7s the same weekend, and then CRC 7s the following weekend in D.C., those elite teams that we’re used to seeing have had to choose between events.
Florida will gain another tournament on Nov. 29, 2025, when LIT 7s hosts its first U.S. event in Bradenton. Read about the overseas entity’s journey to the U.S. and the upcoming camp at the Chula Vista Elite Training Center from Ellaine Gelman.
Feb. 15, 2025, is AIC Women’s Rugby Day! Very cool. The honor comes after AIC’s 2024 NIRA DII conference championship:
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Wheeling University, the NCR DI 15s national champion, was also honored at the West Virginia State Capitol.
The Tri-State Rugby Conference has published its 2025 fall 15s schedule and playoff pathways. Amazing! Why is that important? Teams now know how many home games they have and can reserve fields and reach out to alumni; when their away games fall and can budget travel expenses; when bye weeks occur so team events can be penciled in — all those logistical goodies.
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