So, after all the empty promises, here is a breakdown of the recently completed NASC. We break it down into two segments, first we give a recap of the action, and then we give some quick notes to say what it all means.
How it all went down:
Pool B- This pools was certainly more open than pool A, but the surprisingly very strong showing of the All-Americans had to have put teams on the back foot. The All-Americans finished 3-0 in pool play, followed by the West, with the Midwest coming in just ahead of the Mid-Atlantic.
These results meant that the Day 2 match-ups would be:
Pacific Coast vs. Mid-Atlantic
West vs. South
All-Americans vs. Northeast
So Cal vs. Midwest
While most quarterfinal matches went according to the seeding, the All-Americans, who had been so dominate in their pool on Day 1, fell apart against the Northeast and lost out on a chance to make it to the semi-finals. It was an overall disappoint result for Alex Magleby's charges, some of who had to deal with injury concerns from the previous day. Still, it was a surprising result because the All-Americans had spent quite a bit of time together before the tournament and they were playing a team that had gone 0-3 the previous day.
The semi-finals saw a rematch between the Pacific Coast and SoCal, while the West took on the Northeast. The West easily went through against a Northeast team that had just knocked off the All-Americans. SoCal surprised the Pacific Coast, upsetting the heavily favoured Grizzlies for a spot in the final.
The final was then a match-up between the West and SoCal. In the final match the experience of SoCal, with U.S.A. players like Justin Boyd shined through, and SoCal came out eventual 19-7 winners.
On Sunday, Al Caravelli invited 20 players to play in a scrimmage that would help him determine a player pool for this year's IRB Sevens Series. It is the hope of coach Caravelli to keep players on the ready in cast they are called upon during the Sevens Series. This concern arrives from the carousel of players that have come through the programme in the last few years. Some players have not had the sharpness that Caravelli expects in his players. Some of these players could also feature in a developmental side.
Here is a list of the players:
Pate Tuilevuka (Pac Coast), Bubba Jones (All-Americans), Garrett Lambert (All-Americans), Curtis Chaffin (West), Folau Niua (Pac Coast), Apelu So'oalo (SoCal), Justin Boyd (SoCal), Rocco Mauer (All-Americans), Mike Palefau (Pac Coast), Will Holder (All-Americans), Nu'u Punimata (Pac Coast), Miles Craigwell (Pac Coast), Duncan Kelm (All-Americans), Lucas Thiem (Midwest), JP Eloff (All-Americans), Dom Wareing (Northeast), Mile Pulu (Pac Coast), Corey Council (SoCal), Garrett Bender (Midwest), Andrew Durutalo*, and Don Pati (All-Americans)
*Andrew Durutalo is an American born player that has spent time overseas. He has been training with Waisale Serevi in Seattle.
Here are our Three Stars of the Tournament:
*Al Caravelli
**Mile Pulu
***Justin Boyd
Quick not on what this all means:
There are several things to take out of this tournament. First is the amount of talent Al Caravelli was able to observe in one place. There are capable 7's players out there in this country, but it has always been hard to compare talent unless they were all in one place. While this tournament has certainly happened before, the upped stakes Al Caravelli has given the tournament makes it different. One of the things that makes it different is the idea of an expanded player pool. The pool has always been out there but it seems that call-ups have sometimes been a surprise to the player. This way players know to be ready to be called upon for the whole season. They can learn the system and be fit in time to participate. Kudos to coach Caravelli for taking on this initiative.
Related to the player pool is the idea of a developmental squad. Many have advocated this for a long time, and it isn't as if the coaching staff hasn't wanted to do it, but a lack of funds have prevented it from happening. With the Rio Olympics not that far off, a developmental squad is a necessity. Look at the level of talent in the College game. The All-Americans not only went 3-0 in pool play, but looked good doing it. It is most likely from the current and future college ranks that future olympians will come from. Many of these players may not be ready for the full squad yet, but they can cut their teeth on the developmental team. Plus, these teams will be able to play in several warm up tournaments.
Another item of note is the ability to have the Chula Vista facilities available to the team. This is nothing to sneeze at. One of the established problems in this country is a lack of facilities. Yes, Glendale has facilities, but they don't house and feed the players. The players can go and only focus on rugby. The ability to have a close medical staff and other administrative privileges is nice as well. Think of what the 7's team could do with even more access to the olympic facility! A facility like this is the cornerstone to the success of the 7's team in the future.
The format of the tournament is exciting. Any time top players get together it is going to be exciting. For some reason, it seems that this format lends more to team affinity than the club games. This idea of regional identity has worked for the Canadians and it can work for the U.S. The U.S. needs to expand the use of these unions (even though geographical unions are becoming more in vogue) into the 15s game. It would provide exciting high level games and provide a regional identity. Having a domestic 7's series based on these All-Star teams could be attractive to potential sponsors and would improve the overall level of play. There are good players out there, but the problem is depth. Some places just dont' have the depth to compete against other teams. All-Star teams even out the field.
The idea of the having the tournament act as a tryout may be the most beneficial thing to come out of the tournament. Every player in the tournament knew that if they played well they would have a chance to be in the player pool. This motivates players to work harder, and to set more goals. It also allows Al Caravelli to see the progress of his crossover athletes. Previously, these athletes were put immediately into camp and had a hard time coping. This way crossover athletes can work there way up into the squad and be better prepared for the season.
Overall, this tournament may have been the most successful of any tournament to take place in the U.S. this year. It was high level action that not only improved the quality of play, but more importantly showed improvement in the quality of play. Too often tournaments come and good without showing much improvement in that category. Al Caravelli and the regional coaches, as well as the players for working hard and competing, should be congratulated for hosting such a fine tournament.
