Falcons Take Okinawa 7s Cup in Unbeaten Performance

In case you've missed all of the social media posts and articles from various rugby outlets, the USA Falcons (we) took gold in Okinawa (there were actually no medals). There are some great recaps up on The Rugby Breakdown and USA Rugby, so I'll try to stay away from too much repeated information.

On day one, we faced Japan's A and B squads in the first and last matches of the day, and took on France between those matches. Though we didn't take a loss, we only won one of those games, as we tied both of the Japan squads 19-19 (that's right, both of our Japan matches ended in 19-19 ties).

Both of the Japan matches followed the same story line. We had trouble maintaining possession due to Japan's effectiveness around the breakdown. On a couple of occasions we had players make great line breaks, but support was slow, and Japan turned over the ball. When we were able to maintain possession, around line breaks, we scored. Those two games were our two worst offensive efforts in pool play, and our two worst defensive efforts of the tournament. It was limited possession that was the deciding factor in what could've been two more wins for the Falcons.

The game against France was a different story. Not only did we maintain possession, we supported well and ran our system effectively. Like most French squads, this France team was a scrappy team, and were able to claw out some line breaks and put a try on the board. However, in the end, we were the more disciplined team, and while they were scrappy, they were no match for our physicality. Behind two Kate Zackary tries, we tallied 29 points for the match.

In the first match of day two, we ran into an opponent that could match our physicality. The Netherlands brought a squad of big, hard running locomotives. In this match, we decided not to try to out physical a physical team and instead relied on ball movement and a balanced attack to take the 33-0 victory. We had five different players score in this match.

In our final pool match, we faced a tough Australia team. While the match was close for most of the 14 minutes, we ended up pulling away after a sneaky chip kick, by Cheta Emba, that bounced perfectly into her hands and led her down the sideline for a score. Kelsi Stockert followed that score with one of her own as the horn sounded, and we took a 26-17 victory going into the Cup Finals.

The Finals would be a repeat of the last pool match, as we faced Australia again. Australia switched up their game plan right off the bat and sent the opening kickoff deep into our end. A momentary cerebral shutdown and a blocked kick led to a quick Australian try. They followed their score with another deep kick, but this time we handled it better and after scores from Naya Tapper and Emba, we took a 12-5 halftime lead.

The second half was a lot of back and forth play. The game grew more and more physical after we scored again and Australia scrambled to close the gap. They would bring the score to 19-12 as the horn sounded and their final effort on the ensuing kickoff would be a good one, but not enough as the Falcons claimed the Okinawa 7s title.

Upon receiving the blue glass Okinawa Cup, we got a grand ovation by a group of Americans who lived or were stationed in Japan. Though Japan boasted the largest fan base at their home tournament, we had the second largest, and perhaps the loudest.

Okinawa 7s brought us some valuable tournament time, a chance to play with new players and try out new things. We also had a blast, and our wonderful fans helped to make it fun.

Falcons Fly to Japan for Okinawa Invitational

Corny titles aside, the USA Falcons, the USA Eagles' developmental side, will face off against some tough international opponents in the upcoming Okinawa Invitational tournament at Shimonoba Cape Ball Park. Six international teams will play round robin games, followed by a 1st v 2nd seed matchup, 3rd v 4th, and 5th v 6th, to determine the winner of the weekend, in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Japan has entered two teams in its tournament. HSBC World Series teams, France and Australia, each have a team competing, and the Netherlands have thrown in their hat as well. The Falcons will face the two Japan teams and France tomorrow, and will have the Netherlands and Australia on Sunday, followed by their final match, depending on how they finish in pool play.

Seven Falcons players have been capped in the 7s game, and of those seven, only five were a part of the Eagles squad that won silver in Sydney on the last World Series stop. Naya Tapper comes in as reigning HSBC Player of the Final, after her 45-point performance in Sydney.

Ryan Carlyle, Nicole Heavirland, Cheta Emba and Kate Zackary comprise the veteran talent for the Falcons, with Zackary captaining the squad. Lily Durbin and Nicole Strasko have also earned 7s caps, but represent some of the youth that will be on display in this squad.

Tia Blythe is coming off an impressive 15s season with the San Diego Surfers, winning the National Championship and earning Club Player of the Year honors. Sam Pankey (yours truly) was also a member of that Surfers squad, and brings her own experience as a capped 15s player.

Kelsi Stockert and Megan Foster, also capped 15s players, round out the squad. Both Stockert and Foster are no stranger to 15s championships themselves, each having won a Club National tournament with their respective clubs, Seattle and Life West.

Andrew Locke, USA Eagles assistant coach, will be at the helm over the weekend. The USA staff hope to give some newer 7s players a chance to demonstrate their talent against international opponents, try out new combinations, and give all players an opportunity to take some risks and try new things within their skill sets.

This tournament is a wonderful opportunity for more field time and a creative outlet for both USA players and staff. However, don't think that development is the only focus in Okinawa. This Falcons squad has sights set on the cup.

Women's 7s Take Silver in Sydney

Coming off an 11th place finish in Dubai, the USA Women's 7s Team was itching for a little redemption, but their road wouldn't be an easy one. They would have to make it past the third (Russia) and fourth (England) place finishers, from Dubai, to progress through pool play and qualify for the Cup quarterfinals.

As in Dubai, the Eagles' faced Russia in their opening match. In Dubia, the USA was able to eke out a two-point win, 12-10. However, Russia would turn the tables, in Sydney, and hold the Eagles to only 10 points (their lowest scoring game of the tournament), while tallying 19 of their own.

Going into their second match, against England, the Eagles were behind the eight ball. They would have to beat the Brits to keep their shot at the Cup alive. Down 14-5 late in the first half, it wasn't looking promising for the USA. However, a try with less than a minute left put the score at 14-10 and kept the Eagles in the game. Strong defense in the second half held England scoreless, and the Eagles added two more tries to take the win, 22-10.

The Spanish women were the Eagles' last pool opponents. While this side has given the Eagles trouble in the past, the USA dispatched with Spain easily, holding them to only five points while scoring 20 themselves. With two wins in pool play, on Friday, the Eagles would advance to the Cup quarterfinals on Saturday.

The Eagles continued their defensive dominance over Ireland in their quarterfinals match, holding the women in green to only five points. With that defensive performance, three tries would be plenty to seal a 17-5 victory.

In their semifinal match-up, the Eagles ran up against the World Series leaders, New Zealand. Again, the Eagles' defense would hold strong, as they held New Zealand scoreless through the first half, while dotting down two tries of their own. They would allow two New Zealand tries in the second half, but added another of their own to take a 19-10 victory and head into the Cup Finals against Canada.

The all-North American final was a nail-biter of a match, with the two sides trading scores. The USA struck first, but Canada added two tries of their own to take a 14-7 lead into the half. The second half saw more try swapping, as the Eagles closed the gap, and then Canada widened it again. In the end, the Eagles could catch up to the Canadians, and Canada took the Cup with a 21-17 victory.

Despite the disappointing finish, the Eagles' overall performance was wonderful. Not only did they get that sought-after redemption, they put their collective hand up as a World Series contender. With a second place finish and the tournament's Player of the Final, in Naya Tapper, the Eagles hope to ride this momentum into their home-field tournament, in Las Vegas.