The Lions RFC was founded in 1964, and is currently the only team in the Midwest able to field highly competitive teams for the Rugby Super League (RSL), Division 1 and Men’s Club Sevens. The XVs side has been in the RSL semi finals on four occasions (2003, 2005, 2006, 2008) and finalists in 2007. That was the same year that the club won the prestigious National 7s competition, beating rivals OMBAC 35-21 in a pulsating final.

The Chicago Lions will be one of the favourites heading into the USA National 7s competition in San Francisco this weekend. UR7s columnist Dallen Stanford spoke with coach Aaron Manheimer about his team’s chances, the CCS 7s, and youngster Rocco Mauer.

Dallen Stanford: Could you give us a brief background about your playing and coaching career thus far?

Aaron Manheimer: I started playing rugby my freshman year of college at UNC-Charlotte. It has taken me to Scotland, New Zealand, and Spain. I played RSL for Washington and Chicago and spent many summers at Charlotte playing 7s. I was also lucky enough to twice represent the USA at the Maccabia games in Israel.

My coaching career is not so extensive. I've done some strength and conditioning for the Lions and continue to do so in 7s. I also work with some other teams on a limited basis in that arena. I started coaching the Lions Sevens in 2007 and was an assistant coach the year before. This will my second year coaching the Midwest All-Star Sevens Team. This June I was also involved in coaching Notre Dame’s Sevens Team at the CCS.

Dallen Stanford: Can you tell us more about your experience at the exciting Collegiate Championship Sevens Series?

Aaron Manheimer: Working with college age players was a great experience for me. I had to start from scratch, so it forced me to go back and cover things I normally don’t even pay attention to. That in turned change the way I ran the program this summer for the Lions. The players at Notre Dame were great because they asked a lot of questions and were excellent listeners. The event itself, well, I just kept telling these guys how lucky they were. And how honored they should feel to be a part of it. Truly amazing experience and the most nerve wracking one for me EVER!

Dallen Stanford: Traditionally the sevens season is not as well attended at various clubs, especially after a long XVs schedule. Has this affected the 7-man game at Chicago over the past seasons?

Aaron Manheimer: In the past this was a real problem. As the program developed into an area where players could really develop their skills it has been more and more supported throughout the club. This year the numbers were down at practice but the quality was much higher throughout which makes my job a lot easier.

Dallen Stanford: With rugby getting into the Olympics, has this seen an increase in new players at your club?

Aaron Manheimer: I don’t think the Olympics has changed our turn-out but sevens is certainly a tool for recruiting college age players. I often divide the teams up into the under 23 vs the old boys. New players are far less intimidated to come for sevens and we rarely have contact in our practices.

Dallen Stanford: How many 7s tournaments has your squad competed in this season, and how has your side progressed?

Aaron Manheimer: The Lions competed in a college scrimmage and 5 tournaments. In our first tournament we lost a couple games (because I was on the field!). Since that first tournament we have been playing well. This year we have filmed our games. When we go back and watch them, we see all sorts of missed opportunities so that has really help us keep focus and see that we have a lot to improve upon.

Dallen Stanford: What sort of numbers do you have at training, and how many teams do you field during tournaments?

Aaron Manheimer: Our turn-out varies from 14-30. We generally field two teams. We have one in the qualifier and one in the open competitive. I would like to get to the point where we have an under 21 team.

Dallen Stanford: The Lions won the 2007 Nationals competition. Superior fitness, aggressive defense, excellent ball possession and off-loading in the tackle where keys to that success. What can we expect from your squad at Nationals this year?

Aaron Manheimer: Hopefully more of the same. We have worked hard to organize our defense a bit better. We get some soft tries scored against us and to be competitive you just can’t let those in. This year we have very good depth off the bench.

Dallen Stanford: Which players with Eagle experience are involved in this season?

Aaron Manheimer: Jeremy Nash, Scott Peterson, and Eddie Bluemel. They have all attended camps (along with Mark Roberts). I think there are only a few caps among them.

Dallen Stanford: The Lions have picked up Collegiate Champion Series MVP Rocco Mauer this year. How has he fitted into your side?

Aaron Manheimer: Rocco was a great surprise. I didn’t know who he was until the CCS and he was already coming to the Lions. He has done a great job fitting in. He has a lot of natural talent (speed) and we taught him the defense. His fitness has improved for higher-level rugby. He was able to come to the gym where I train (oymtraining.com) and he and Viviani got a taste of functional strength training and were able to fix some mechanical deficits.

Dallen Stanford: If people new to Chicago want to join your club, whom should they contact?

Aaron Manheimer: Chris McClellan (Cmac) is our director of recruiting cmcclellan22@gmail.com

For Sevens it would be me Aaron Manheimer aaronderugby@gmail.com

Thanks to Aaron for this exclusive interview and we wish his team all the best for the upcoming National tournament!

The Lions are in Pool C with Mystic River, Belmont Shore 2 and Atlanta Old White.

Click here to read the official tournament preview.

UR7s.com columnist Dallen Stanford played 7s for the USA from 2006-2009. He will be representing Belmont Shore at Nationals this year, looking to defend their 2009 title. Dallen is an ambassador for the Tackling Cancer Foundation, and also writes for RugbyZone, Rugby IQ, Eagles XV and Pakis Corner.