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OMBAC's Nelo Lui assesses his options in
the final versus Denver.
August 11, 2001 - Conshohocken, PA -
Defending champion Old Mission Beach Athletic Club (OMBAC) won the
2001 USA Rugby National Club Championship with a 17-7 victory over an
excellent Denver Barbarian side in the final.
OMBAC was clearly the class of the field, winning all six matches and
outscoring their opponents by 138 – 19. The San Diego based side’s
only close match came in their semifinal, when a converted try by NOVA
wing Prince Hill brought the Mid-Atlantic RFU champion to within three
points (10-7) in the final seconds.
OMBAC’s win this year marked their fourth National Club 7s
Championship, tying them with Old Puget Sound Beach of Seattle as the
winner of most titles. OMBAC’s previous championships came in 2000,
1995, and the event’s inaugural year, 1985.
The National Club 7s brings together the top 16 teams from across the
country to fight it out for US supremacy. To earn a berth at the
National Club 7s, held for the past seven years in the Philadelphia
suburb of Conshohocken, clubs must qualify by winning or earning a
high place at a qualifying tournament in their respective territorial
union and then (in the majority of cases) proceeding to their
territorial union championships.
Having attended the majority of the National 7s, it is our impression
that the level of play continues to rise and that there is more parity
among the participants.
Weather Problems
This year marked the second time in the past three that the National
7s was plagued by bad weather. The Northeast was at the tail end of a
record-breaking heat wave and temperatures on Saturday were in the
high 90s, with equally high humidity. On Sunday the rains came and
Conshohocken township official, fearing that their field would be
destroyed by the soaking conditions, limited play to the Cup
(championship) Division, eliminating further competition in the Plate
and Bowl brackets.
Prelims
To reach the final, OMBAC posted pool victories over fellow
Southern California qualifier Belmont Shore (28-5), the Phoenix
Barbarians (29-0) and Washington (33-0). They rolled past the Maryland
Exiles (21-0) in the quarterfinals and then held off NOVA (10-7) in
the semis.
Like OMBAC, the Denver Barbarians were also 5-0 going into the final.
Led by Eagle wing and tournament MVP Jone Naqica, the Barbos topped
Pool B with victories over the Maryland Exiles (14-10), Long Island
(38-0) and the Rochester Aardvarks (24-10), before topping Belmont
Shore (15-5) in the quarters and Old Puget Sound Beach (22-19) in a
hotly contested semifinal.
Semifinals: OMBAC 10, NOVA 7
OMBAC opened the scoring in the semifinal with an unconverted try
in the third minute. Northern Virginia wing Prince Hill, perhaps
unwisely, tried to run the ball from his own end zone and turned the
ball over. OMBAC’s Eagle flyhalf Nelo Lui scored shortly thereafter,
5-0.
OMBAC almost scored a second try one minute later when Conrad Hodgson
managed to crash into the end zone but was held up before he could get
the ball down. NOVA’s Prince Hill picked up a loose ball shortly
thereafter and seemed headed for a sure try but was run down after a
60 meter chase by OMBAC prop Dave DiSorbo.
Second Half
Stout defense by both sides prevented any scoring
until four minutes into the second half. At that point OMBAC’s Eagle
wing Malakai Delai made a break from NOVA’s 40, drew in the defenses
and passed to wing Derek Dahlen for the corner try.
With seconds remaining, NOVA ‘s Prince Hill fought his way past OMBAC
defenders for a try but the whistle sounded following Kalan
MacGinley’s conversion and OMBAC was into the final with a 10-7
semifinal victory.
OMBAC NOVA
DiSorbo 1 Bartley
Hartley 2 Wiles
Hodgson 3 Visei
Snyman 4 MacGinley
Lui 5 Yaku
Delai 6 Kerner
Dahlen 7 Hill
Referee: Kevin McCaslin
Denver Barbarians 22, Old Puget
Sound Beach 19
If the first semifinal was close, the second was
even closer as Old Puget Sound Beach roared back from a 19-7 deficit
two minutes into the second half to tie the game at the final whistle
and send it into sudden death overtime.
Championship MVP Jone Naqica opened the scoring for Denver in the
second minute when he deked a Puget Sound defender and went in for a
try that he also converted, 7-0. The score was tied a minute later
when OPSB center Finau Puloka touched down in the corner and burly
flyhalf Luke Erenavula nailed the drop kick conversion.
Erenavula, a member of Fiji’s World Cup winning team in 1996, was a
joy to watch. His kicking, passing, playmaking and deceptive speed put
him in a separate class.
OPSB just missed a try in the 6th minute when Prop Asipeli Dauwai
fought his way into the end zone only to have the ball knocked away as
he tried to touch down.
Jone Naqica put the Barbos up 14-7 at halftime with a converted try in
injury time.
Second Half
The Barbos added to their lead a minute after the
restart when hooker Rich Kindel touched down (19-7) but then it was
all OPSB. Wing Levi Tamaivenu scored in the corner a minute later and
then reserve Taki Uluilakepa
touched down a try that Erenavula improved for the tie.
In overtime old Puget Sound was detected offside on a 22-meter
drop-out and Jone Naqica’s penalty drop goal put the Denver Barbarians
into the final, 22-19.
Postscript
Several members of the OPSB entourage were very
unhappy with the offside call that would lead to the elimination of
their team from the final and one, in particular, came onto the field
after the final whistle to verbally challenge the referee. OPSB later
declined to play NOVA in the game for third place, a move that event
director John Flamish labeled as bush league. It’s a move that’s
unprecedented at a National Championship,” said Flamish.
Denver OPSB
Cox 1 Dauwai
Kindel 2 Sim
Whitcher 3 Maisema
Knight 4 Lotawa
Hamilton 5 Erenavula
Coyner 6 Puloka
Naqica 7 Tamaivenu
Reserves
Belloni Babitu
McCarron Moce
Uluilakepa
Referee: Jerry McLemore
Final: OMBAC 17, Denver Barbarians
7
The final pitted former three time champion OMBAC
against a Denver Barbarian side that returned to the higher levels of
the 7s game after a hiatus of over 10 years. The Barbos were a very
competitive 7s team in the late 80s, finishing second at Nationals
from 1986 thru 1988 and third in 1989. They reemerged to prominence
this year with the acquisition of young Eagle 15s wing Jone Naqica and
7s Eagle Kevin Whitcher.
Defending champion OMBAC featured no less than five current 7s Eagles
in props Craig Hartley and Dave DiSorbo, flyhalf Nelo Lui, center
Malakai Delai and wing Derek Dahlen. In addition, the club was coached
by former Eagle standout John Hinkin.
And OMBAC’s experience was in ample evidence in the final as they
opened the scoring in the fourth minute when flyhalf Nelo Lui scooted
in for a try from a penalty play on Denver’s five, 5-0. Four minutes
later OMBAC stole a put-in on Denver’s five and Lui passed to
scrumhalf Ghian Snyman for the San Diego side’s second try. Lui’s
conversion was good and OBAC took a 12-0 lead into halftime.
Second Half
Defense was the order of the day after the
intermission and there was no scoring until seven minutes into the
half when wing Derek Dahlen took a pass from Malakai Delai for a try
near the corner in the 7th minute, 17-0.
A consolation try by reserve Tom Belloni got Denver on the board in
injury time and Naqica’s conversion ended the scoring at 17-7.
OMBAC Denver
DiSorbo 1 Cox
Hartley 2 Kindel
Hodgson 3 Whitcher
Snyman 4 Knight
Lui 5 Hamilton
Delai 6 Coyner
Dahlen 7 Naqica
Referee: Al Klemp
National 7s Results
Pool A
OMBAC 28, Belmont Shore 5
OMBAC 29, Phoenix Barbarians 0
OMBAC 33, Washington 0
Belmont Shore 22, Washington 5
Belmont Shore 21, Phoenix Barbarians 14
Washington 17, Phoenix Barbarians 7
Pool B
Denver Barbarians 14, Maryland Exiles 10
Denver Barbarians 38, Long Island 0
Denver Barbarians 24, Rochester Aardvarks 10
Maryland Exiles 26, Long Island 5
Rochester Aardvarks 17, Maryland Exiles 14
Long Island 21, Rochester Aardvarks 7
Pool C
Old Puget Sound 21, New York AC 5
Old Puget Sound 29, Life University 7
NOVA 21, Old Puget Sound 20
NOVA 31, Life University 7
New York AC 29, Life University 7
New York AC 14, NOVA 5
Pool D
San Jose Seahawks 19, Charlotte 7
San Jose Seahawks 24, St Louis Bombers 15
San Jose Seahawks 40, Chicago Lions 12
Charlotte 19, Chicago Lions 19
Charlotte 19, St Louis Bombers 7
Chicago Lions 14, St Louis Bombers 7
Quarterfinals
OMBAC 21, Maryland Exiles 0
NOVA 19, San Jose Seahawks 14
Old Puget Sound 19, Charlotte 14
Denver Barbarians 15, Belmont Shore 5
Semifinals
OMBAC 10, NOVA 7
Denver Barbarians 22, Old Puget Sound 19
Final
OMBAC 17, Denver Barbarians 7 |
OMBAC
RUGBY