RugbyTown 7s Celebrates 10 years in 2022
RugbyTown 7s Celebrates 10 years in 2022
By: Colton Strickler
When the Navy and the Air Force put the ball in the air at 11 AM MT on Friday, August 19 at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado, the 10th annual RugbyTown 7s tournament will officially begin.
The tournament - born in 2012 - returned for it’s ninth year in 2021 after COVID cancelled it in 2020. The South African-based side Samaurai took the tournament by storm in 2021 and defeated the SoCal Griffins 22-14 to take home the $10,000 grand prize.
The 2022 edition is shaping up to be the best tournament yet. It will feature some of the best young sevens players that the United States has to offer, and will also include seven international sides as 20 teams compete for the RugbyTown crown.
One of the best aspects of the competition each year is the incorportation of military teams. Pool A is always entirely dedicated to the teams representing the five branches of the United States military. The Armed Forces Championship features the top two seeds in the military bracket ans is always played on Saturday afternoon during the tournament. Army had won every Armed Forces Championship since 2013 up until last year, when Navy secured their first-ever Armed Forces title with a victory over Air Force.
2022 will also be the second year of the RugbyTown E-Sports cup, which will see competitive military E-Sports teams face off against eachother in Rocket League. This year’s E-Sports cup will incorporate Gold Star Kids - children who lost a parent in battle - into the competition.
RugbyTown 7s is also one of the best showcases of up-and-coming talent in the country. Some of the brightest stars on the USA Men’s Sevens teams have competed in the tournament. Perry Baker, Kevon Williams, Ben Pinkleman, Cody Melphy, and many more have all tested their mettle at the tournament over the years. The next generation of USA Rugby stars will get the chance to make an impression with the USA U-23 team that competes annually in the tournament.
The international flare is always on display at the RugbyTown 7s, and this year’s tournament will be no different. The 2022 edition of the tournament will feature teams from Barbados, British Columbia, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Team Germany, and Israel. The fan favorite Ramblin’ Jesters out of England will almost certainly be in the mix for the purse on the final day of the tournament. The South African 7s Academy - who competed as the Samauri in 2021 - will attempt to hold off the field to defend their RugbyTown title in 2022.
Wintergreen is excited to play a role in the 10th anniversary of the RugbyTown 7s. RugbyTown 7s, like Wintergreen, is designed to help grow the sport of rugby in the United States, and we are proud to do what we can to help teams competing in the tournament prepare to win. Players milling around the village can take the products they need to help them reach their peak performance and make a run at the prize money.