Unified season hopes derailed by college 7s

The prospect of a unified national season has receded, though not because of America's intractable geography.

The lightning rise of collegiate 7s, contested in the fall rather than summer, is a significant and perhaps enduring break with the senior schedule. Since the academic calendar governs university competition, reconciling the two would probably require the clubs to shift, an unlikely prospect.

Given impetus by the Olympic Games, college 7s looks to be more evidence of America's frequent variation from overseas norms. Like the US seniors, most countries turn to the abbreviated game in summer.

There is little to suggest the situation results from considered USARFU policy, so the tasks of adapting may fall on team officials. Colleges are mostly governed by self-organizing conferences and clubs by a hodge-podge of regional bodies, while Boulder's priorities often reflect the monetary stimulus of test competition and International Rugby Board subsidies, which take little account of domestic conditions.

The premise of the unified season is that every team, no matter its location, should have an equal run to a national championship. But regional weather patterns historically conspired to shorten someone's buildup to May/June or December tournaments, while more recently international considerations have undermined the ideal.

Club 7s, which gets underway even before representative 15s concludes, can hardly be expected to revamp as the newly revised 15s title chase embraces fall matches, to accommodate regions which cannot stage league games entirely in the spring. Meanwhile, college 7s tournaments have grown so quickly in part because they've been scheduled by the teams themselves, taking account of local conditions.

The bifurcation is not entirely unprecedented. For several seasons the collegiate women's schedule, which is identical to the collegiate men's, has been distinct from the senior slate. USARFU has traditionally allowed the senior women broad latitude in managing the segment's affairs.

The US posted a 1-5 record at the Sevens World Series' season-opening tournament on Australia's Gold Coast, including a 22-21 pool loss to Canada and a 40-5 defeat at the hands of Scotland in the shield final. The 2012-13 campaign marks Alex Magleby's first full year as head coach.

Also last week, Argentina's Jaguars handled USA 'A' 39-3 in Langford, British Columbia. America meets Canada tonight.

Comments

[college fan]

Welcome back Kurt, always good to hear your reasoned thoughts.

A couple thoughts: of course college 7's will not be played in the summer 7's club window. The college teams aren't assembled and never will be. The fall seems perfect for the college 7's season, leading directly into the vast majority of the international 7's circuit. And most importantly because of the 7's tournament format not going head to head weekly for facilities and attention with college football and men's and women's soccer.

The entire notion the US needs a unified playing seasons is again called into question. Those snow weather teams that complained about a May national XV championship are now complaining about a Nov 7's national championship. Hard crew to please. Their weather is no doubt bad, but they can't be serious in attempting to restrict good weather teams from playing rugby when snow teams can't. This is what a minority of eastern college coaches are attempting. "If we can't play because of bad weather, you can't play either."

Just another reason why a unified calender won't and shouldn't work. There might be an advantage to a XV split fall and spring season over a good weather Jan-May XV season. Maybe now we will find out. Every region should work optimally with what they have. There is no time or reason for holding any region back.

What we are seeing now is multiple national championships. If you don't like the USAR national 7's championship in Nov, take a crack at the CRC 7's in June.

College teams and leagues are doing what is in their best interest and in the best interest of improving their rugby. The Ivy league XVs championship is contested in the fall and the Atlantic Coast in the spring. The Big 10 XVs in the fall and the Pac 12 in the spring. Who cares? Each group of teams is playing to their strength and conditions.

[less regulation open the rugby funnel]

I agree lets open the funnel for awhile and see the outcome.

Women's college XV championship in the spring, women's club in the fall. Why not?

College 7's in the fall, club 7's in the summer. Sure!

HS 7's and XV concurrently in the spring? Not ideal, but better than no HS 7's at all.

Play 7's in the fall, winter, spring and or summer. Play it whenever the hell you want. Same with XV's. Play in the fall if that's your option, tradition or choice. Same with the spring XV's. Play whenever the hell you can or want.

These must remain local decisions between teams and their players. No teams and players, no competition.

The locals will decide their rugby based on many factors to include the availability of grounds. Maybe this is weather related or maybe its about competition from other sports for grounds. Lets open up those university fall soccer fields to some springtime rugby!

USAR should not be dictating much if they want to continue to receive dues for doing nothing. They should be very careful to not overplay their hand. Just run your national championships and international teams and be careful not to impose your questionable judgments on the teams and players.

The one bully who matters is TV. Once TV says we can get rugby on TV at this time and place, there will always be teams seeking this fame. Example, the CRC college 7's event occurring directly after the college XV season. On the surface this should not work, but it does because teams and players want to play in it. Open the funnel. Play rugby whenever you and your opposing teams want to play.

[We want Gold]

Gold Coast or Gold Bust, The men's 7's team couldn't make a tackle if their life depended on it. They lost every game in the last 2-3 minutes and this was clearly evident in the Wales match. They did not appear fit or interested when the going got tough. The Eagles now have two months to get ready for Dubai. A shout out to Magelby, it is not Dartmouth, sharpen your axe and bring in some lads who want to throw their bodies on the line.

[Sevens]

USA Rugby recently moved to sanction tournaments. While this may be a good for improving quality if the hundreds of tournaments already established this authority could also be used to control the date of college sevens tournaments and force them to move to fall to support USA Rugby's college sevens championship.

[no fan of USAR]

A USAR sanction has zero effect on the "quality" of a tournament. Nothing improves with a USAR sanction and certainly not the quality of a given event.

Boulder are control freaks. They can't add value because their employees aren't capable enough to provide value.

What they are good at is taxing the membership. Look for these sanctions to come at a cost in the very near future. Crooks!

[Missing the days when we played because we loved it]

Sevens- you know I just read over at RugbyMag how one of the strongest college programs (Penn State) in this country just got around to playing just its second 15's game this fall - on October 13. Amazing. And just how is this country supposed to get better by playing less rugby? By playing more sevens? Madness! I'd really like to hear from one of the forwards on one of those newly minted sevens devotees how they like standing around all season while, like the old song, the backs get all the glory.
You know I have one of my former players on the US Sevens team and I hope and pray for his success, the success of the team and the success of my country - but we are putting all of our rugby eggs into a basket that is no stronger than the eggshell itself. If we don't get into the twelve team Olympic tournament - NBC will drop rugby in a flash and another six years of yet another "strategic plan" will be down the drain.

[Sevens]

I agree USAR's tourney sanctioning is driven by their desire to increase their tax base. Potentially it could add some value if quality improves but I doubt USAR will actually spend much time advising clubs. There are hundreds of well run tournaments and thousands of dedicated administrators who have made tournaments successful in the US. I hope the tournament administrators can find a way go share best practices to improve the game. Sadly USAR views the clubs as their subjects not as clients and certainly not as equal partners. Perhaps Melville's English heritage causes him to view rugby in the US as a colony to be ruled and taxed. King Melville is out to raise taxes to support his lavish compensation package and he and his staff care little about how the clubs are represented in determining the future of Rugby in the US.

[MTB]

All of our forwards have participated in the last two months of sevens training and they are better players because of it. Fitter, better passing, solid running lines, etc. Same goes for the freshmen that have joined the team with no previous playing experience. Their participation will allow us to play a more expansive 15s game and our first one isn't until November 03.

Any of six of the 12 teams at this year's SCRC Olympic Rugby Championship would have won the event in 2011. All of the teams there were actually knowledgable in sevens and clearly had prepared for the event. Its clearly what the student athletes want and since they are paying the freight, it's what they should get.

[College #7]

MTB
You are dead right.
Its the same in other conferences like the ACRL.

[college fan]

The fact Penn State has only played two XV's matches has little to do with their college 7's schedule. Its due to the fact the fall season is short. The students come back late to begin school in the fall at many schools and the snows come early, this leaves a small window for XV's. This time would be better spent playing 7's and keeping the spring for xv's.

[Missing the days when we played because we loved it]

????????????Classes began at Penn State on Monday AUGUST 27th - a week before Labor Day. I was just in central PA last weekend - the weather was, as usual, gorgeous. It is going to be 54 this Saturday and 57 next Saturday. The ground won't freeze until after Thanksgiving. What snows come early? Are we talking about the same place? Two of their three 15's game are taking place in October.
If you want to be an advocate for this fall sevens/spring 15's thing at least have your facts correct. Most of the problem with you guys pushing that system is your refusal to acknowledge reality. And as far as your comment about "many" schools starting late - WHO? Name them. It isn't many - it is a couple.

[whats the story?]

why isn't psu playing a full schedule of xv or 7's matches? do they just prefer the spring?

[I preferred quarters to semesters in my day.]

Schools that start late include pretty much any school on the quarter system. Most, if not all, of the UCs, Cal Poly and some of the CSUs (including SDSU, I think), Stanford, Northwestern (I think).

That list isn't comprehensive. It's more than a couple but still relatively rare.

[Mike Holzman]

Cal is on semesters. UC Merced is too but I don't think they have a rugby team. The rest of the UCs, to my knowledge, are on quarters.

[Missing the days when we played because we loved it]

This isn't rocket science - it's called google. USC starts classes Aug. 27, Arizona State August 23, San Diego State Aug 20, Stanford Aug. 27. This has nothing to do with quarters or semesters - it is when classes start. If California doesn't play rugby in the fall - it is because they CHOOSE not to do so. Penn State has bought into this as well. Frankly if I was 18 again I be looking to attend the school that actually PLAYED the game in pursuit of a championship goal, not one that was posturing its way towards one. Making everything else equal - a university kid in England will have played 26 games by the end of his season in April - a kid a Penn State (or any other school that has bought into this mantra) a total of 8 games come the end of April. I'm betting the England kid is a better player. Yet this is the path we have chosen to world rugby domination?
Oh, and by the way - if I were king - every school would be on quarters - semesters are mind numbing.

[leave PSU alone]

A New Englander writing about the pursuit of championships is almost funny. Are you referring to Beantown women? Harvard in the early 80's, Dartmouth 7's? The only thing staggering about New England national championships at all levels is the near absence of such championships. New England has more players and teams, but less team success and representative success. New England is a highly populated wasteland of quality rugby.

[Missing the days when we played because we loved it]

England - as in United Kingdom.

[Missing the days when we played because we loved it]

Or France, or Italy. It doesn't matter the country or the school. If you are playing 26 games a year you are going to be a better player than one playing eight games a year. And by extension - your country is going to be a better rugby playing country. Making sevens the dominant game in town will leave the US as a perpetual 2nd/3rd tier rugby playing nation.

[time for change]

The current USAR Board and management have and will continue to "leave the US a perpetual 2nd/3rd tier rugby playing nation".

College's playing 7's is the least of the worry. Our national teams have lost ground and ranking every year this administration has been in place.

Even with the IRB fully paying the expense of the US national team the Eagles at all levels continue the decline.

[I believe the children are the future...]

The national team is a symptom. What really matters is what is going on in youth and college rugby. Get those right and the national team will follow. If we don't, we have no reason to expect any success at the national team level.