TRB 7s All-Tournament Team

The USA Club 7s National Championship was such a great return to rugby, and every team that made the trip to Tukwila, Wash., has a victory to its credit. As the country shifts to 15s mode, there are unforgettable performances that linger on the 7s mind. Some of those highlights are noted in TRB’s All-Tournament Team.

Traditionally, TRB tournament teams exclude capped Eagles. National team players obviously play crucial roles on their teams, for their experience and leadership, and they propel higher-level play from their teammates. Kimber Rozier, who was stunning on the weekend, Nikki Kenyon, Hope Rogers-Dellermann, Amy Bonte, Nicole Strasko, Megan Sanders, Nene Persinger and more still are all capped Eagles. With that said, the following aren’t afterthoughts and played superbly last weekend.

FORWARDS

JADE MCGRATH – The SCION co-captain was solid all tournament but turned it on in the championship, earning MVP honors. McGrath is strong in the middle of the pitch, but when it’s time to quickly transition after a turnover and attack open space, the forward was connecting at high speed with teammates like Rozier and Dana Meschisi (also a former 7s Eagle). McGrath, who has represented the USA Falcons in the past, scored two tries in the final.

CHLOE JEX – The 7s prop has a pedigree that flows through ARPTC and the D.C. Furies, and moved into a leadership position once in TEMPE. Jex is solid and can move, and when the inevitable line-break occurs, is always looking for that connecting pass to keep the attack moving forward. 2021 marked the Ninjas’ third trip to 7s nationals, and its opening victory against the Boston Belles was Tempe’s first-ever win at the championship tournament.

BIANCA ORTIZ-PALLEN – The former Central Washington University flanker has transitioned well to 7s and kept the physicality for which LIFE WEST is known at a premium. As one might expect from a loose forward, Oakland native moves around the field well and is very fast over the ball. She scores tries, too.

BACKS

SAM SULLIVAN – The ROCKY MOUNTAIN MAGIC player is a known entity in the collegiate sphere, receiving MVP honors while at the U.S. Military Academy and participating in the Hawk 7s program. The club 7s championship, however, was the officer’s first appearance in the senior ranks, and she dazzled. Played scrumhalf and center for Magic. Really quick and decisive footwork. Scored several tries, including a lovely one off a lineout against Life West. She tracked down WAC’s Erica Legaspi in what was a sure try, planting the tackle after a full-field pursuit.

CYNDI CAMPBELL … The OPTIMUS captain is a well rounded player who makes things happen, and then hustles around the pitch to be in good position to take advantage of those opportunities. A kick ahead, perfect support line, offload for a try – just one sequence that occurred during nationals, and a perfect example of problem-solving around a difficult defense. Always in the middle setting up teammates for success.

GEORGIE PERRIS-REDDING … A completely new face to club 7s nationals, the ARPTC co-captain was born in the U.S. and rugbies in England, currently with Sale Sharks. The center really punched up the back line, and is an intimidating, confident ballcarrier who runs hard and asks questions of the defense. An X-factor for ARPTC, which took home the Bronze medal.

JESS LU … The SCION flyer just didn’t get beat and did the job of finisher. Lu is fast and really light on her feet. When that distance from the defense shortens, she has good footwork to stump also-fast opponents. She scored a lot of tries but most importantly Lu was good on defense. Scion allowed very few points-against, and that doesn’t happen if the inside defense has to correct for a susceptible sideline.

RESERVES

LIZ TAFUNA … ARPTC used Tafuna as a second-half sub and she injected so much energy and flair onto the pitch. But it’s not all show. Tafuna is skilled, hard and confident, and still a teenager. Tafuna is a USA U20 player, so she’s not going unnoticed, and she made a great impact at her first club 7s nationals.

ERICA LEGASPI … The WASHINGTON AC wing has such a silky, fast stride and a devastating cutback. Defenders have taken a seat when attempting to correct for Legaspi’s sharp angle back inside, and it’s always a bit of shock considering how effortlessly the wing can shift direction. She’s slight, but can shake out of tackles and get the ball down over the line.

LAUREN RHODE … Rhode is a great playmaker in the middle of the field, and her restarts and dropkick conversions were big components to SCION’s domination. Between Rhode and Rozier, no one was more successful from the sideline.

RACHAEL HARKAVY … All of the Harvard players with the BOSTON BELLES showed well, and Harkavy was the complete package who can kick stellar restarts, carve through the defense and control play in the middle of the field. She’s good in contact, too.

ERIKA FARIAS … The ORSU scrumhalf is sneaky around the breakdown and always turns that half-gap into a line-break. Very fast and opportunistic, Farias will put shoulders into the big tackles, too.