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This weekend sees the 2nd annual USA Collegiate Sevens taking place in Philadelphia and with it the 7s buzz returns to the USA for the first time since the IRB Sevens took place in Las Vegas in February. Once again the growth of 7s in America is on display with the tournament being broadcast on NBC across the country with some of the best players in the nation taking part for some of the best known Universities, who many are more accustomed to lifting the glass trophy in College Football but this weekend it's rugby on the agenda.

All information has been taken from www.usasevenscci.com where further information on the tournament including tickets, television schedules and information can be found

Pool B Preview 

BOSTON COLLEGE

BC has had more time than many of the CRC teams to prepare for the big 7s tournament. That certainly bodes well for their team chemistry; whether they can combine that with athleticism remains to be seen. Former USA fl anker and Boston Irish Wolfhounds star Jason Lett has stepped in to coach the Boston College 7s players, and if a team is a refl ection of its coach, BC will not stop playing full-out until the whistle goes. Lett also has some 7s-experienced players at his disposal. Stewart Harris has trained with OMBAC in San Diego, big Alex Brown has played 7s during the summer with White Plains, and both Ed Hynes and Andrew Wolf also have extensive experience with 7-aside. That will also help BC play a team 7s game, which they will need.

DARTMOUTH

Dartmouth had a tough draw in the 2010 event, playing the prohibitive favorite Cal in pool play and the pre-tournament consensus No. 2 San Diego State in the cup quarterfi nal. The Big Green beat who they were supposed to beat, Harvard and Notre Dame, and lost to who they were supposed to lose to. This year, Dartmouth has All-Americans in forward Paul Jarvis and back Derek Fish. Now upperclassmen (both juniors), they’re not just the best players on Dartmouth, but veteran leaders. Prior to Cal’s loss in the fi nal to Utah, no one matched up with the Bears physically as well as Dartmouth. Expect the Big Green to be smart, hard and motivated. They’re a dark horse semifi nal prospect. Yes, they fi nished third in the Ivy League 7s tournament in April, but that was during the meat of their 15s season, while the rest of the Ivy League, sans Harvard, had been eliminated from 15s play since the fall. Even then, Dartmouth fell by just two points, 28-26, to eventual champs Brown.

NOTRE DAME

Notre Dame is a storied university, but its rugby program is still young. Back on campus for only a short time, Irish rugby has depended on the leadership of a few underclassmen as the rest of the roster garnered experience. The 2010 CRC was an excellent testing ground, and it opened the players’ eyes. “The players loved it,” said Sean O’Leary. “They took on the challenge and wanted immediately to start the work to compete with the top teams.” O’Leary has brought back former assistant coach Kruger van Biljon, now head coach at Davenport University, who, along with former USA star Phil Eloff, will run the 7s program. The Irish have been training specifi cally for the CRC all season, working on skills during regular training and playing 7s on Sundays. They will potentially return all but one player from last year to fi eld a hungry, more seasoned, more 7s-savvy Notre Dame rugby team.

UTAH

Led by the power running of Thretton Palamo and the shifty playmaking of Don Pati, the Utah team defeated Cal in overtime (see page xx). They did it despite underperforming for much of the tournament. It seemed like every game was a tense affair for the Utes. Maybe that’s how they like it. Going into their second CRC, Utah has a huge target on their backs, but they also have plenty of weapons. Palamo is expected to be back, despite having been recruited by the Utah football team thanks to his CRC performance; Pati returns, and look for Sione Lauti to provide pace and some kicking skill. Under coach Jason Pye and now with the confi dence that their stylish and exciting brand of 7s can be successful, Utah has to be one of the favorites.