MARFU's Last Stand

Since my last blog, the USA WNT has competed in a three test series with France, winning one of those three matches, and finished third in the Nations Cup with a 3-1 record. There has been an entire summer of 7s. The Berkley All Blues won the Women’s National Club title, with NOVA finishing second. And now, the 7s NASC are upon us.

This year, there will be no Men’s tournament. With the elimination of the Men’s side of the 7s NASC and the Women’s 15s NASC, this event is the last of its kind. I’m not sure what the rugby higher powers have in mind for the future of the Women’s 7s NASC or any other all-star tournaments and events, but at this moment, this event is the only senior all-star championship series in USA rugby. What’s more is that with the reshuffling of the territory unions, this will be the last year MARFU (Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union) will field a team as MARFU (next year, the territory will be known as the Capital-something-something-Union).

What this means is that we (MARFU) have an opportunity to be the all-time champions of the Women’s 7s NASC (as we know it), just like the Midwest won the last Women’s 15s NASC and so are the reigning champs…pretty much forever. This is the last tournament we will wear MARFU jerseys and possibly the last time Bonita Betty the Shark makes an appearance (who knows what the mascot for the Capital-something-something-Union will be). Our goal is a National Championship, as it would be under any other circumstances. However, this National Championship will be a special one. We would like to retire the MARFU jerseys as champs—send Bonita riding off into the sunset (or I guess swimming into the depths of a murky sea).

MARFU’s last hurrah starts in the morning against So Cal. Then it’s on to a match against the South and finally NRU to wrap up day one of the 2013 NASC. Go Sharks!