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After a nearly two-year hiatus, the USC Men's Rugby resumed play over the past couple months and competed in several Southern California 7s tournaments. This Saturday the Trojans will complete their Fall season at PAC Rugby 7s in Berkeley.
What: PAC Rugby 7s
When: Saturday and Sunday, November 6-7
Where: Witter Rugby Field on the campus of University of California - Berkeley
Broadcast: Pac12 Network
USC Pool Play Schedule for Saturday, November 6:
- 11:25am vs Utah
- 12:35pm vs Cal
- 2:25pm vs Oregon
*Saturday's results will determine Sunday's schedule of play
USC Players to Watch:
Christian Kwan (Senior/Scrumhalf): Kwan captains the side and has come a long way from his high school basketball in Hong Kong. He's remained a stalwart of the team and leads with grit and toughness.
Angelo Reviglio (Junior/Wing): Reviglio leads all USC scorers in tries and is a constant threat with ball-in-hand. He took home All-Tournament honors at Gold Coast 7s
Thomas Bulow (Sophmore/Flyhalf): Bulow marshalled his troops well at Gold Coast 7s and received All-Tournament honors for his efforts. He reads the game well, knowing when to run and when to pass.
Coach's Comments:
"Looking at PAC Rugby 7s, we come in as the #5 seed," said 7s Head Coach Steve Stagg. "We're excited about this tournament and the chance to break into a top-4 position. We know Cal, UCLA, and U of A have massive advantages in terms of resources and player pool and that's great for them and their programs. We know that we must play over and above our best to give them a run with the goal of making it to the medal round on Day 2. Our entire focus for the past couple weeks has been on (#4 seed) Utah and that Saturday morning match. If we take that game, we obviously put ourselves in a much stronger position for games 2 and 3."
Fall Season, in review:
Coming out of the COVID pandemic and with all club sports operating under tenuous circumstances, the coaching staff did not know what to expect in terms of player experience and talent. Thankfully, many underclassmen from the 2020 campaign returned to the field and a new pool of talented individuals joined the ranks.
The Fall campaign started with the San Luis Obispo Tri-Tip 7s in mid-September. USC took 2-teams to the tournament - a competitive "Gold" team and a developmental "Red" team. USC Red competed well and improved significantly throughout the day. USC Gold finished pool play with a 2-and-1 record and eventually lost in the Plate championship (5th/6th place) to a more experienced and sizeable men's club team.
In early October, the Trojans headed across town to participate in a set of friendlies at UCLA. While USC didn't come away with victories, they played the Bruins close and proved that they could compete with a top 7s program. The following week took the club to West Coast 7s - San Luis Obispo, where a somewhat depleted side (this tournament coincided with Parents Weekend, which meant many players were unavailable to travel) finished second in the consolation bracket.
In the penultimate event, USC traveled down to the University of San Diego to participate in the Gold Coast 7s (tournament video link here). The Trojans went undefeated in pool play, knocking off Point Loma, Arizona State, and Azusa Pacific. They then defeated hosts USD 17-12 in a thrilling quarterfinal before succumbing to a very talented Long Beach State team 21-26 in the Final. The second place finish means that the Trojans will have a shot at securing an "at-large" bid to the Spring D-1AA national 7s tournament.
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