Serevi Rugbytown 7s Tour Roster Release

26 August 2016
FOR RELEASE

Stars Rugby 7s has returned to Glendale, Colorado for the prestigious Serevi Rugbytown 7s tournament featuring teams from the USA, Canada, Great Britain, and Caribbean. Last year's debut campaign saw the Stars defeat the Bermuda National Team in pool play before falling to Upright Rugby and the Glendale Raptors. The Bowl Quarterfinals seeded the Stars against the Mexico National Team where the team came from behind, playing short-handed 6 vs 7 rugby for much of the 2nd half, to win on a Jojo Tikoisuva try at the death. The victory earned the young squad a Bowl Semifinal matchup against the USA Rugby Collegiate All Americans and it was the All Americans that advanced to the Bowl Final.

Photo: Justin Purdy

To prepare for this year's event Stars competed in additional 7s tournaments - adding New York 7s, Vancouver 7s and Cape Fear 7s to the normal schedule of Tobago 7s, the Las Vegas Invitational and Stampede 7s - the team placed in the Plate or Cup finals of each tournament save for an injury-laden Tobago 7s tournament. The team notably added rugby 15s to the touring calendar with matches against Life University's Elite Training Group and the Capital GU Selects - these fixtures expanded the Stars player and coaching pools alike.

This year's Serevi Rugbytown 7s promises to be a thrilling event where the Stars are grouped in Pool D alongside Ramblin Jesters (GB), Upright Rugby Rogues (Canada), Negro & Azul (USA), and Tiger Rugby (USA). A week of preparation saw players arrive on Sunday to better acclimate to altitude and focus on both physical and mental preparations. Monday's activities included a stadium tour of Infinity Park, a gym session at the High Altitude Training Center followed by use of the hot/cold tubs in the Recovery Room, and a trip to Pike's Peak to summit the mountain and train at 12,000 feet. Tuesday welcomed a 2-a-day field session to institute playing patterns and work on position specifics to solidify the lineups for Wednesday's annual Tackle and Tunes scrimmages with Air Force, Coast Guard and Black Dragon. USA provided a full complement of emerging referees to cover the matches and aid in development.

Photo: Justin Purdy

Two 21-0 wins over a strong Air Force side left the Stars confident in defensive capabilities and in the speed & ball skills of tour veterans Marcus Satavu and Ryan Guercio (two tries each), the 100% accuracy in the kicking of Keagan Barnes and Garrett Jones, and in the pace of rookie Ricky Layton who impressed on the wing. A challenging match for the Stars reserves against Coast Guard left the team with some focal areas when it comes to the contact point which were addressed Wednesday night at a chalk talk and walkthrough. Another gym session, recovery room visit, final training and team meeting solidified the Stars for their pool play matches Friday against the Ramblin' Jesters at 2:17pm MDT and Upright Rugby at 7:37pm.

Photo: Justin Purdy

Game Roster:

Keagan Barnes - scrumhalf/wing - Utah Lions Rugby Academy, Salt Lake City, USA

*Ryan Guercio - prop/hooker - Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, USA

*Raphael Henriquez  - wing - Sacramento Lions, Sacramento, USA

*Lee Hoskins - prop - Bulldog/Metropolis, New Haven/Minneapolis, USA

*Garrett Jones - scrumhalf/flyhalf/center - OMBAC, San Diego, USA

Ricky Layton - wing - Youngbloodz, Minneapolis, USA

*Even Pierson - wing - Kansas City Blues, Kansas City, USA

*Cal Randleman - hooker/center - Life West, Hayward, USA

*Marcus Satavu - flyhalf/scrumhalf/hooker - Bulldog, New Haven, USA

*Zack Schell - prop - Pittsburgh Harlequins, Pittsburgh, USA

*John Sullivan - prop - St Bonaventure University, Buffalo, USA

*Bradley Yandle - prop/hooker/center - Austin Blacks, Austin, USA

Non-Rostered Reserves:
Hampton Pelton - hooker/wing - Tallahassee Conquistadors, Tallahassee, USA

Spence Purnell - center/wing - Florida State University, Tallahassee, USA

*Johnny Taele-Unutoa - prop - OMBAC, San Diego, USA 

*COACH: Nic Benson, San Diego, USA

*DIRECTOR: Liz Entwhistle, Chicago, USA

*indicates veteran of previous Stars tours 

Photo: Liz Entwhistle

Stars Rugby 7s would like to thank the following tour sponsors: Samurai Sportswear, Ruck Science, Optimum Health & Performance, Erica Black Wellness, All American Training Center, Rugby 12.

About Stars Rugby 7s: 
Stars Rugby 7s was founded in November 2013 with the mission of developing rugby 7s players in elite tournament settings. Teams compete in multiple high performance assemblies and international tournaments each year with a deep talent pool combining internationally capped 7s and 15s players, elite prospects, athletically gifted players new to the game of 7s, and crossover athletes. There is a major focus on recruiting players that lack regular exposure to high level coaching /playing opportunities due to geographic restraints and the lack of resources which varies greatly throughout the United States. While mostly US based, the Stars rosters include players from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK and welcomes any players committed to the team and rugby camaraderie. Tours have included the Las Vegas Invitational, Calgary Stampede 7s, Australia Central Coast 7s, Tobago 7s, Serevi Rugbytown 7s, and Atlanta 7s, Cape Fear 7s, and select 15s tours with numerous championship appearances and titles won.

Stars Women: Las Vegas Invitational Roster Release

Jackie Finlan of The Breakdown provided a preview of the Stars Rugby 7s Las Vegas Invitational Women's teams. Her coverage of and dedication to the women's game is unparalleled in the USA and we strongly recommend following her online, on Facebook and on Twitter!

Stars Aiming for New Heights

February 25, 2016

|

Jackie Finlan

7s Eagle Dana Meschisi is one player upping the international experience of Stars' player pool. /// Photo: Ian Muir (Goff Rugby Report)

Stars Rugby 7s celebrates its second anniversary at the Las Vegas Invitational, and the women’s side of the program will mark the occasion with two teams in the elite division. Stars director Liz Entwhistle indicated that this year’s player pool is the most talented to date, and the selectees hail from Australia, Canada and the USA.

Homegrown leaders include 7s Eagle Dana Meschisi and capped 7s player Ida Bernstein, who has recently been working with USA Wrestling. Eagle pool player Frieda Fetu’u joins from Berkeley, while ARPTC vets Lizzy Bristow and Mickey Ghannam inject more high-level skill. The college contingent is led by Stars returner Ashlee Byrge, an All American who was named to the U20 player pool. Notre Dame College’s Emilia Ferrara played with the Stars at New York 7s, as did Emily Speyer, who will join the team at the Vancouver 7s Festival. The majority of players are Stars rookies, as detailed in the roster below.

“For a lot of the younger players, it’ll be their first big taste of international rugby, but they’re fully capable of playing a structured 7s game,” Entwhistle said.

Australia has once again come through with solid talent. 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup member Nita Maynard (Parramatta Two Blues) is on the hook, as is Erica Fowler (Queensland Reds), who plays for the Australian Universities team. Fiji’s Josephine Maejiirs, who is currently playing in Sydney, has returned from injury and looking to make her case for inclusion on her nation's 7s team. Both Maynard and Maejiirs played on the Sydney Rams team that beat the Stars in the Central Coast 7s’ Plate round.

“The Australia connections came courtesy of my friend, Nathan McMahon, who coaches the Australia Developmental 7s Women,” Entwhistle explained. “He’s set up some pathways for player and coach exchanges as Stars continues to grow.

“Going to all of these tournaments has allowed us to absorb players from teams we’ve played against,” the director added. “We played Rugby Quebec at New York 7s and Tobago, and now we have some of those players with us in Vancouver. Same with the Sydney Rams from Central Coast 7s. It’s one of those cool rugby culture things: We beat you, you beat us. We both travel a lot – let’s exchange!”

Embracing the sport’s culture is important to Entwhistle, but this year has seen an intensified focus on the program’s professional side. Stars has employed a player tracking system that aims to mimic the national team’s standards. Games are filmed, 45 different categories of play are coded, and athletes are educated on their performances.

“We’ve sent players to [academies], the ARPTC, National All Star Competitions, and we want to be able to provide data and more metrics for their evaluations,” Entwhistle said. “Instead of having profiles that are based on their peers back home, after Las Vegas, we’ll know how a certain player competes against national teams and whether they can project to the next level.

“You’re not just paying to be on rugby vacation,” Entwhistle added. “You’re working toward the All Americans, the academies, NASC, etc. We need this information so players can develop.”

Liam Hutchison is coaching the women’s first side, which is grouped in a North American pool with the Maple Leafs, Atlantis and the Northeast Academy. Marcus Hurley coaches the Stars’ second side, which is in Pool C with the USA, South Africa and Brazil. Erica Black will handle health and wellness

“There are seven national teams in the elite division, which is the biggest it’s ever been,” Entwhistle said. “It’s great to play teams we know [speaking to Stars 1’s lineup], but it would’ve been nice to play some other countries.”

After Vegas, the Stars head to the Vancouver 7s Festival (not to be confused with the HSBC Women’s Sevens Series stop), where Canadians Karina Stevenson and Ruby Kinsella will replace U20 center Missy Bass from Vegas. Eight additional players will play at both the LVI and Vancouver tournaments, and Brazil 7s international Manuela Abreu Santos will also join the team. The Stars will not compete at the Atlanta 7s Festival, as many players are committed to their home sides, but Entwhistle will be in attendance scouting. The rest of the year includes a repeat summer tour to Calgary, Labor Day Weekend trip to ORSU for a 15s match, potentially the Magnificent 7s, Australia in October (Byron Bay 7s as warm-up, then Central Coast 7s), New York 7s, Tobago 7s, and then a Hawaiian tour in December.

  

A busy year ahead, and it all starts in Vegas.

STARS PLAYER POOL

Dana Alimena -  fly/center/prop - Claremont Foxes, Claremont, USA

Missy Bass - center- University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Canada

Ida Bernstein - prop/center/wing - At Large, Colorado Springs, USA

*Lizzy Bristow - scrumhalf/flyhalf/hooker -  Chicago Lions/ARPTC, Chicago, USA

Tahlia Brody - prop/center - SUNY Geneseo, Geneseo, USA

*Ashlee Byrge - hooker/scrumhalf.wing - Davenport University, Grand Rapids, USA

Kelly Dean - center/scrumhalf - San Diego Surfers, San Diego, USA

*Emilia Ferrara - prop/center - Notre Dame College, Cleveland, USA

Frieda Fetu'u - prop - Berkeley All Blues, Berkeley, USA

Erica Fowler - flyhalf/center/prop - Queensland University, Brisbane, Australia

Autumn Garibay -center/prop - Wichita Valkyries, Wichita, USA

Mickey Ghannam - prop - ARPTC/Little Rock Stormers, Little Rock, USA

Jacque Harrell - wing - HARC, Houston, USA

Tee Kawaihoa-Marquez - prop - Lady Harlequins, Honolulu, USA

Gianna Khoudary - scrumhalf - Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, USA

Erica Legaspi - wing - Budd Bay Bandits, Olympia, USA

Josephine Maejiirs (Bavatu) - wing/prop - Sydney Rams, Sydney, Australia

Melanie Marotta - wing/center - NJ Blaze, Rockaway, USA

Nita Maynard - scrumhalf/wing - Sydney Rams, Sydney, Australia

Dana Meschisi - scrumhalf/prop/center - At Large, San Diego, USA

Madeline Midas - wing - Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, USA

Tina Tela - flyhalf/center - Utah Vipers, Salt Lake City, USA

*Sarah Thomas - prop - Wisconsin Women, Madison, USA

*Amy Verdonik - scrumhalf - University of Scranton/Northeast Academy, Scranton, USA

Angelina White - prop - Buffalo Women, Buffalo, USA

*Justine Wypych - wing - Wisconsin Women, Madison, USA

COACH: Liam Hutchinson, St Albert, Canada

COACH: Marcus Hurley, Indianapolis, USA

PHYSIO: Kemba Noel-London, Trinidad and Tobago

HEALTH & WELLNESS: Erica Black, Seattle, USA

DIRECTOR: Liz Entwhistle, Chicago, USA

* Played on previous Stars tours

The Elite Recap Plus Finals Review from Rugby Mag

Our Elite team, much like our Open team, overcame a slow start to finish the tournament with improved play and ended the LVI with a win over the Mexico National team. For a side that was competing against 4 different National teams and established All-Stars, compared to our side having one loose training together Wednesday before everyone's flights arrived, a more structured session Thursday morning, and the Japan scrimmage Thursday afternoon, we truly held our own. Throughout the tournament there were glimpses of 7s magnificence that is a sign of amazing things to come. Congratulations to captain Cheyenne Campbell who was named Elite MVP for her leadership, ball handling, and mean stiff-arm (palm-off?)!

The first French Missfits matchup (a team of mostly Canada World University Games alumnae) and Trinidad & Tobago games could have gone our way but ended as narrow losses while Atlantis showed their experience and composure with a solid defeat of our women. That set us up for a quaterfinal matchup against the eventual champions, the Canada MapleLeafs, and taking the field against the #2 team in the world showed us exactly where our faults were and how much fitness is a factor at the elite level. Their depth and crisp play handed us a 40-0 loss. That put us into the Plate semis with a rematch against the French Missfits and it just wasn't our morning. Several offensive line breaks just barely missed finishing as tries and it was 21 untimely turnovers when we were knocking on the try line, each returned 95m for scores, that set the tone for another loss. The 7th/8th place game against Mexico displayed elevated continuity in our play as were were able to string together long stretches of multiple-phase play to put them away. All in all a solid learning experience to play against this caliber of competition and to motivate us for future tours - plus it didn't hurt that we strategically camped between the USA Falcons and Serevi Men!

Here's the Rugby Magazine recap of Sunday's All-Canada Women's Elite Final:

All-Canada Final for LVI's Women's Elite

Tournaments - LVI

The top two Canadian teams made impressive runs to the Women’s Elite 7s final today, and the Maple Leafs and Aptoella will play for the Las Vegas Invitational title on Sunday inside Sam Boyd Stadium. Both teams shut out their quarterfinal and semifinal opponents, as the defending champs bettered the Stars 40-0 and Japan 29-0, while Aptoella defeated Trinidad & Tobago 34-0 and Atlantis 33-0. Maple Leaf's Mandy Marchak back after shoulder surgery. (Dobson Images) Aptoella shut out Atlantis 33-0 in the Cup semis. (Dobson Images) Maple Leafs' Elissa Alarie en route to a try. (Dobson Image) The four semifinalists were all physical, fast teams; however, the Canadian defense was absolutely oppressive. The Maple Leafs were controlled and aggressive in the rucks, and Japan couldn’t set up steep enough during their perpetual retreat. Japan resorted to attacking around the contact point, but that simply produced slow ball and very often a turned-over ruck. The offense was quick but showed some hesitation at times. From one penalty at midfield, Bianca Farella indecisively streaked across the field, and Mandy Marchak salvaged the opportunity by switching back inside and eventually scoring. The LVI is Marchak’s first competition after six months of shoulder surgery rehab. “She’s been trying to get her legs underneath her and put her hand up for Atlanta 7s,” Maple Leafs coach Sandro Fiorino said. “We saw spurts of Mandy today. Most people know that she's a great go-forward runner and strong tackler. Our goal is to build up her shoulder and conditioning levels.” Marchak helped stabilize a young team that includes several U20s who won the Nations Cup in England this past summer: Sarah Kaljuvee, 18-year-old Nikki Case, Frederique Rajotte and Nadia Popov. Above them are players like Bianca Farella, Magali Harvey, Elissa Alarie and Karen Paquin. “They’re both under the age of 22,” Fiorino said of familiar faces Harvey and Farella. “They’re veterans of this tournament but still young as rugby 7s players, and any time we can get them international competition – they’re getting better. They push for starting positions if they’re on their game; if not, they’re key finishers for our first team when we travel in the IRB circuit.” Even though Canada only sent one Maple Leafs team this year, the representative side is fairly familiar with Aptoella, who unsurprisingly played a very similar game as the defending LVI champs. “They’ve all played for Canada at some point and a few are currently part of the 15s program," Fiorino explained. “Lots of them have been in finals wearing the red and white, so this will be a challenge for us. But we’re looking forward to celebrating another Canadian final. It’s exciting because it shows that we have young players coming up, and the players who have been in the program in the past are still maintaining that high level of skill and conditioning to compete internationally in 7s.” Barbara Mervin, Amanda Thornborough and Julianne Zussman are a sampling of those high-profile Aptoella players. They helped drive an oppressive defense during Aptoella’s semifinal victory over Atlantis, turning over rucks and reining in breakaways. The final will be a great showcase for Canada. Although the exposure of the USA 7s and LVI is a missed opportunity for the American women, the North Americans benefited from a joint camp earlier this month. “We had a great opportunity to go down to San Diego; we have a great relationship with Ric [Suggitt],” Fiorino said of the USA Women 7s head coach. “Both of us had two teams there, and we all scrimmaged. That was the most beneficial thing – to train in their environment; that’s a great facility down there.  “The goal for us is to bring the level up for north American rugby,” Fiorino said of Canada and the USA. “In the past, we have said that we want to close the gap on the rest of the world. Based on the World Cup performance, we have, with the USA finishing third and us second. We’re right there. Our goal is to make sure that every time we go to a tournament, one of us is in the final, or hopefully both us.”

More Action Shots and the Rugby Mag Live Blog

Rugby Magazine put up some galleries from our Elite team games. Check out the Stars in action against Atlantis here as well as the Maple Leafs vs Aptoella (in their pool play match-up that was repeated in the stadium final!) and more. The Open division gallery is here for perusal too with Stars v BYU Too! featured as well as some shots of the Elite scrimmage vs Japan - note the Stars reversed our jerseys to the white side to avoid confusion vs Japan.

The first night of action in the stadium was a thrilling experience for many of our Stars who had never seen 7s of such a caliber before. The atmosphere differed from Saturday and Sunday's sold out crowds with fancy dress as our Open and Elite both had games earlier in the day. The Elite side played early Saturday morning as well so quite a few of us left after the 2nd Canada match up - it was hard to give up our first row seats though!

Here's the live blog recap from Rugby Magazine:

USA 7s Day One Live Blog

Tournaments - USA Sevens Tournament

OK so we're underway at the 2014 USA 7s in Las Vegas. And the first two teams to come out are Life University and Life University. OK, joke. Both South Africa and Wales come out wearing neon green mixed with some forest green bits. A wonder the ref can tell them apart. A wonder the coaches can ... The clue is, South Africa has gold trim on their collar, and they scored the first three tries. This is a picture from my phone, so not the best quality but I wanted you to see the shirts. Dobson Images. SEE? Well that was humbling. South Africa destroy Wales in the battle of the wearin' o' the green. Now what the early arrivers are here for, Kenya, dressed like Arsenal, and an injury-hit Canada team, who look like Manchester United. We open, then, with a classic soccer cross kick from Nanyak Dala to set up a beautiful Canada try. Ian Muir photo Canada scored a few more and seemed on top of everything. But Billy Odhiamo rambled in for Kenya to make it 17-15 with just the kick to come. Kick didn't come ... Canada wins for their many, many fans. So next up is New Zealand against Australia. Both have got to feel hard-done by that they are in such a tough pool. Gordon Tietjens revealed Wednesday night that he has been battling nasty injuries in his team. So no Tomasi Cama ... and still 31-7. So tough start for the Aussies. One of the things I love about rugby. Scotland is losing 17-0. Fiji has an attack down the sideline, and the Scots do everything they could to stop another try? Sure it might matter in points difference, but it's about not giving up and it's about pride. Ian Muir photo So it's like a home gamer for Samoa as they run on and as usual they do not disappoint. But England bounces back to make it 17-15 at halftime. And now we have the first appearance of ... the Rug-Bee. Yes it s a rugby ball mascot that kind of (and I stress kind of) looks like a bee. I thought he had really bushy eyebrows but it turns out those are antennae. 2nd half starts as the Rugby-Bee lumbers off the field. Pick up the pace Bee! Anyway, 19-17 for England with time winding down. The massive Samoa-supprting crowd gives on more surge, and wouldn't you know it ... they score in the corner. Awesome. USA v Argentina coming up at 6:12PM local time. This would be a clash of two some-time co-workers, as USA Coach Matt Hawkins and Argentina Coach Santiago Gonez Cora both worked for Serevi. Danny Barrett gets his first start. The lineup is Barrett, Thompson, Durutalo, Edwards, Test, Niua, and Haitsuka as the scrumhalf. Looks like Zack Test is probably in at center. Portugal beats Uruguay. Actually Uruguay looks pretty good ... smoother than usual. Carlin Isles happy after his try. Ian Muir photo. Now it's USA vs.  a bunch of creamsicles. Bright orange and white jerseys for Argentina. Who's idea was that?Starts very well for USA. They are offloading from the ground and hitting gaps. Keep the ball for a long time and then Danny Barrett gets a try on his debut. Looking for more of the same, USA give up the ball at a ruck and somehow can't stop Argentina going all the way. Eagles almost score under the posts, but pass adjudged forward. I am sure it was. So it ended badly ... sorry was away getting interviews. Isles scored, but a knock on gave Argentina the last laugh. Isles was upset. Zack Test looked REALLY upset. But they have to pick themselves up and get ready for Spain. Have a look at what Matt Hawkins says here. There's a guy from The Voice singing (Matthew Schuler) ... does a good National Anthem ... Canada comes out after their big win to face South Africa and ... get pummeled. Great fan support though. This guy doesn't look happy. Ian Muir photo. Funniest moment of the evening has to be when they put the fan in a blindfold and make him or her find a prize of some sort by following the crowd noise. This time it was a young woman in a Wonder Woman outfit. She couldn't discern between Yahh! meaning you're going the wrong way and Yaahh! meaning you're going the right way. Poor thing tripped over a field sign as she tried to find the Rug-Bee. Yes, I am certain the Rug-Bee will be behind some more nefarious doings. Such as ... Uruguay almost beating Samoa. Yes, I said that right. Uruguay led Samoa 12-5 with 5 minutes to go and had a shot at wining it. Samoa did not look sharp, but they are 2-0, so what do I know? The other big late game was Fiji against Australia, wherein the Aussies gave up a try in the first 4.75 seconds,  but clawed back to make it 21-19. Then with no time left, Cameron Clark kicked a penalty from out on the left to win the game 22-21. Wow. So with a few games to go, it's South Africa, New Zealand, Samoa all at 2-0, with France, Portugal, and Argentina still hoping to be the same. Well that didn't last long for Portugal. 1-0 and they run into an England buzzsaw. 54-0. That takes some doing.

A Couple Opposing Rosters

Rugby Canada released their Maple Leafs roster and it boasts a lot of youth. There are some players I've had the priviledige of playing with/against  via Team Average and the Beavers the last 2 years; it will be great to see them again - though they are in a different pool and we're hoping to meet them in the final! Scouting reports from my Canadian sources said, "Fast, fit, will win each game by 15-20 points and easily take the tournament like they did in Tobago." Sounds like a challenge for the Stars to undertake!

From the Rugby Canada release: 

 photo: Rugby Canada website via Stephen Macnell

"LANGFORD, BC – Rugby Canada is pleased to announce the Women’s Maple Leafs roster for the upcoming Las Vegas Sevens taking place January 24-26.

The tournament, which is the largest of its kind in North America, is a three-day event and comes less than a month out from the second round of the Women’s Sevens World Series (WSWS) February 15-16 in Atlanta, Georgia.

After sending two teams to last year’s tournament, both of which made the final, the Maple Leafs will only be registering one this time around.

Head Coach Sandro Fiorino will be looking to build off recent success as the Maple Leafs are coming off back-to-back dominant performances. He will be doing so with a roster full of youth.

U-20 graduates Emily Belchos, Nikki Case, Paige Farries, Sarah Kaljuvee, Nadia Popov and Frederique Rajotte have all been named to the team. Joining them are young veterans Bianca Farella (21-years-old) and Magali Harvey (23). Leadership presence will come from 27-year-old Elissa Alarie and 30-year-old Brittany Waters, both of which have played on every team in the women’s program.

In early November, the Maple Leafs went a perfect 6-0 outscoring their opponents 273-0 en route to capturing the 2013 North American Caribbean Rugby Association Sevens. Then in early December, they went undefeated in capturing the Tobago Sevens. While their opponents are not the world’s elite, the continued progression speaks to the depth of the women’s program.

The Women’s National Sevens Team and the Maple Leafs are together in San Diego this week training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California.

National Women’s Sevens Head Coach John Tait thinks the time spent training at the state of the art facility has been extremely beneficial for the entire women’s sevens program.

“It's great to have all the athlete's and support staff in the program down here preparing for the year ahead,” said Tait. “It is about the halfway point in our centralized program so being away together gives us a chance to reflect on the last four months and what we want to focus on improving collectively moving forward.”

The high performance facility is centred around Olympic preparation and caring for athlete’s needs. The teams have been sharing meals and training space with many different Olympic athletes, not just rugby players.

“I’ve honestly never seen anything comparable to this training environment,” said Tait.

The time away has also allowed Tait and Fiorino to assess how they want to approach the next month. With the second round of the WSWS just four weeks away, this is a crucial time for both coaches and players.

“Our Maple Leafs team has become an important vehicle for not only the development of younger players to gain experience, but also for players trying new positions or returning from injuries and looking to put themselves forward in selection to the IRB Series,” said Tait.

There is no denying that a strong showing in Las Vegas could be the difference in being selected for Atlanta next month.

“Performance always counts,” said Tait. “Some of those going to Vegas will be selected for Atlanta and that selection as well as playing time will depend on how they do in the scrimmages against the US while here and how Vegas goes.”

Canada's Women's Maple Leafs games will not be streamed live; however, regular updates will be provided at www.rugbycanada.ca and make sure to follow Rugby Canada on Social Media for up-to-the-minute information.

www.facebook.com/RugbyCanada
www.twitter.com/RugbyCanada
www.instagram.com/RugbyCanada

Canadian Maple Leafs Kick off Times - January 24-25
Day One
Maple Leafs vs. Aptoella at 8:40am local time (5:40am ET/8:40am PT)
Maple Leafs vs. Serpientes at 11:20am local time (8:20am ET/11:20am PT)
Maple Leafs vs. Japan at 2:00pm local time (11:am ET/2:00pm PT

Day Two
TBC

Women’s Maple Leafs Roster for Las Vegas Sevens – Name, (Club) Hometown:

Elissa Alarie, (Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue Rugby Club) Trois-Rivieres, QC
Emily Belchos, (Markham Irish RFC) Barrie, ON
Nikki Case, (Yeoman Lions) Toronto, ON
Arielle Dubissette-Borrice, (Toronto Scottish RFC) Toronto, ON 
Bianca Farella, (Town of Mount Royal RFC) Montreal, QC 
Paige Farries (Druid RFC) Red Deer, AB
Magali Harvey, (Club de Rugby Quebec) Quebec City, QC
Sara Kaljuvee, (Toronto Scottish RFC) Pickering, ON
Nadia Popov, (Aurora Barbarians) Newmarket, ON
Frederique Rajotte, (Markam Irish RFC) Markham, ON
Brittany Waters, (Meraloma Athletic Club) Vancouver, BC

Maple Leafs Staff:

Head Coach: Sandro Fiorino
Coach: John Tait
Physiotherapist: Adrienne Stinson
Strength and Conditioning: Dana Agar-Newman

Canada’s Women’s Sevens Program is proudly sponsored by Macquarie Financial, Sport Canada and Own the Podium."


Aptoella, also in the other pool, released their roster via Facebook. I had the chance to play with these women, many of them capped Canada 7s and 15s athletes, in Calgary this past summer. An Achilles injury that necessitated 9 stitches and a first-hand experience with socialized healthcare prevented me from taking the field for the tournament but watching and camping with the team (and hobbling water) was quite fun. They have the ability to compete with, and beat, every team in the Elite bracket given their speed and experience.  Plus they have the best rugby shorts I've ever seen - the only women's specific shorts I've ever seen - designed by Barbara Mervin of Aptoella!

 

photo: Aptoella facebook page

1. Amanda Thornborough
2. Andrea Burk
3. Barbara Mervin
4. Brittany Orr
5. Colette McAuley
6. Julianne Zussman ©
7. Kara Galbrith
8. Kayla Mack
9. Kehla Guimond
10. Michelle Helmeczi
11. Selina McGinnis
12. Susy Beinstock

Coach: Robin MacDowell
Physio: Brad Curry
Photographer: Krystal Claver

 

Elite Schedule Update

The Women's Elite bracket and pool remains the same with some field scheduling updates due to the significant changes in the Men's Elite bracket:

Friday January 24th
Field 25

***800 French Missfits v Stars***

820 Atlantis v Trinidad & Tobago 7s

840 Maple Leafs v Aptoella

900 Japan 1 v Serpientes

920 #25 QF Cup #1 vs #8

940 #26 QF Cup #4 vs. #5

1000 #27 QF Cup #3 C vs. #6

1020 #28 QF Cup #2 vs. #7

1040 French Missfits v Trinidad & Tobago 7s

***1100 Atlantis v Stars***

1120 Maple Leafs v Serpientes

1140 Japan 1 v Aptoella

1200 #33 SF Cup Loser #25 vs. Loser #26

1220 #34 SF Cup Loser #27 vs. Loser #28

1240

100

120 French Missfits v Atlantis

***140 Stars v Trinidad & Tobago 7s***

200 Maple Leafs v Japan 1

220 Aptoella v Serpientes

240 USA TRAINING

Women's Elite

Men's Elite

Saturday January 25th

Field 23

 

800 #29 Cup QF 1st Pool A vs.4th Pool B

820 #30 Cup QF 2nd Pool B vs. 3rd Pool A

840 #31 Cup QF 2nd Pool A vs. 3rd Pool B

900 #32 Cup QF 1st Pool B vs 4th Pool A

920

940

1000 #37 SF Plate Loser #29 vs. Loser #30

1020 #38 SF Plate Loser #31 vs. Loser #32

1040 #39 SF Cup Winner #29 vs. Winner #30

1100 #40 SF Cup Winner #31 vs. Winner #32

1120

1140 #41 7/8 Loser #37 v Loser #38

1200 #42 5/6 Winner #37 v Winner #38

1220 #43 3/4 Place Loser #39 v Loser #40

 

Sunday January 26th

Sam Boyd Stadium 

 

#44 Cup Final Winner #39 vs. Winner #40

Stars Elite Schedule and Preview

The Las Vegas Invitational Women's Elite brackets were also released this week! Games will take place on the Star Nursery Fields next to Sam Boyd Stadium (note: could there BE a better sign? Stars playing on Star fields?). 

Pool A
French Missfits
Atlantis
Stars
Trinidad & Tobago

Pool B
Maple Leafs
Japan
Aptoella
Serpientes

The French Missfits are a Canadian side of university players/alums. My dear Beaver friend and teammate Tiera Reynolds (who played for the Canada at the last two World University Games) will be with them and if her talent is any indicator, this could be a formidable opponent. Atlantis is a familiar name with developing/former USA 7s players in their mix; last year their team had a big revival to honor founder/coach/rugby legend Emil Signes and it seems the momentum continues. Their recent Tobago tour saw them in the championship match against the Maple Leafs. Trinidad & Tobago fix to be the weakest team in the Elite pools but have been developing their program and have been committed to traveling to as many tournaments as possible.

In Pool B the Maple Leafs (The Canadian National Team) are clear favorites coming off their 2nd place Rugby World Cup finish, the 2013 NACRA championship, and a 4th place finish in the Dubai WSWS. The championship and additional opportunity to play in Tobago in December certainly doesn't hurt as their program continues to develop new players recently bringing several U-20 and U-18 speedsters in the mix. Japan return to the LVI with a disciplined program and we're looking forward to a joint practice session/scrimmage with them on Thursday morning. Aptoella are solid contenders helmed by Barbara Mervin; their team is full of former Canada 7s and 15s talent out of the Vancouver area (I was set to play with their team at Calgary Stampede 7s but a near achilles tear prevented me from taking the field. Got to "camp" with the amazing ladies though and support from the sidelines). Rounding out Pool B are the Serpientes - Team Mexico. I got to meet their men at the LVI in 2012 (and someone still owes me a t-shirt from a polo trade!) and saw the men's side again at Lakefront 7s that same year. The women traveled to Calgary one week later and played well - winning some surprising upsets over Canadian 7s sides. They have some US based talent from the university ranks and it should be interesting to see how they travel and what they show.

Friday also gives us the opportunity to watch the men's elite games; their pool play finishes in the morning and quarterfinals matches kick off in the afternoon. Rugby Magazine is sure to have great previews and coverage of the men's draw.

Friday Schedule
Pitch 25

***800 French Missfits v Stars***

820 Atlantis v Trinidad & Tobago 7s

840 Maple Leafs v Aptoella

900 Japan 1 v Serpientes

920 Serevi Selects v E2

940 1823 v Mana Utah Selects

1000 US Falcons v Chicago Lions

1020 Mexico v The Selects

1040 French Missfits v Trinidad & Tobago 7s

***1100 Atlantis v Stars***

1120 Maple Leafs v Serpientes

1140 Japan 1 v Aptoella

1200 #25 QF Bowl 3rd Pool A vs 4th Pool B

1220 #28 QF Bowl 3rd Pool B vs. 4th Pool A

1240#29 Cup QF 1st Pool A vs. 2nd Pool B

100 #32 Cup QF 1st Pool B vs 2nd Pool A

120 French Missfits v Atlantis

***140 Stars v Trinidad & Tobago 7s***

200 Maple Leafs v Japan 1

220 Aptoella v Serpientes

240 USA TRAINING

Women Elite 7s

Men Elite 7s

Saturday Schedule

Pitch 23 

800 #29 Cup QF 1st Pool A vs.4th Pool B

820 #30 Cup QF 2nd Pool B vs. 3rd Pool A

840 #31 Cup QF 2nd Pool A vs. 3rd Pool B

900 #32 Cup QF 1st Pool B vs 4th Pool A

920

940

1000 #37 SF Plate Loser #29 vs. Loser #30

1020 #38 SF Plate Loser #31 vs. Loser #32

1040 #39 SF Cup Winner #29 vs. Winner #30

1100 #40 SF Cup Winner #31 vs. Winner #32

1120

1140 #41 7/8 Loser #37 v Loser #38

1200 #42 5/6 Winner #37 v Winner #38

1220 #43 3/4 Place Loser #39 v Loser #40

Sunday

Inside Sam Boyd Stadium between iRB matches, time TBD

#44 Cup Final Winner #39 vs. Winner #40