Metropolis Has The Résumé To Claim Pool B Favorite
Metropolis Has The Résumé To Claim Pool B Favorite
Metropolis will be the favorite in Pool B at the 2018 Club 7s Nationals. Is that too much disrespect to last year's third-place Washington Athletic Club?
Questions abound in Pool B of the Men's USA Rugby Club 7s Championships, with teams battling some player losses, the burden of being a favorite, and the frustration of being an also-ran.
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New Orleans RFC
NOLA put together a star-studded backline this summer with three celebrated collegiate players: Nick Feakes (Lindenwood), Zach Young (Arkansas State), and Cameron Troxler (LSU). NOLA is the second seed out of a deep Red River region. They are the dark horse team in Pool B with those three side by side. Feakes and Young will head to Glendale, CO immediately following the tournament to compete with 81 other collegiate players at the Collegiate All-American Camp.
NOLA beat the Eastern Open Champs, Dallas Reds, in the second Red River qualifier. Dallas is a favorite to win the national championship and NOLA has proven they can go blow for blow with them. The squad also has key veterans like Will Crawford of the NOLA Gold, so expect New Orleans RFC to come first or second in Pool B.
Metropolis
The men from Minnesota dismantled the Midwest region on the road to nationals. They will be the favorite in Pool B and one of the favorites to win the national championship. In their last qualifier, Metropolis wasn’t scored on in the knockout rounds, including a 34-0 blowout win over nationals bound Cleveland Academy.
Metropolis stumbled through Nationals last year, but some additional depth, and moving Trace Bolstad to hooker — the setup man for Metropolis is no stranger to the big stage – should help. In college with the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bolstad won three national championships as a flyhalf in both 15s and 7s.
Carter Beelman is the captain and a veteran playmaker for Metropolis. The playmaking duo allows Metropolis to stretch the field and wreak havoc on both sides of the field.
Washington Athletic Club
Last year was Washington Athletic Club’s first nationals appearance and they took home third place. Washington will have to beat out a tough Metropolis team pool play. Fortunately, Washington will have two matches to warm up before they face Metropolis.
It's been a tough road for WAC, which almost ran out of players in winning the Pacific North. With some players unable to play it has fallen on a small group, from former Eagles Kevin Swiryn, Peter Tiberio, and Mike Palefau to longtime local star Will Rasileka. But it's the youngsters such as Scott Dean and Ian Wright who have been there every step.
The big question is whether capped stud Will Holder got the OK to play. Holder was registered with the club all summer, but missed out on playing because he was deployed overseas with the U.S. Army. Now he's back, and the WAC sorely needs him, but word is the waiver application is a dead end. (Update - Holder's waiver was rejected, but allowed on appeal and he will play.)
Santa Monica Rugby Club
Santa Monica is a consistent nationals team in 15s and 7s but has never gotten higher than third. Last year the Dolphins struggled in pool play but played better on day two. Santa Monica got second in the Pacific South having to compete several times with two nationals bound Belmont Shores teams. Santa Monica likely won’t bring home a national championship, but they will be used to turning it on in the knockout rounds.