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Villanova has been invited to the USA 7s College Rugby Championship to round out the field of 20.
The spot for the Wildcats opened up when the Army squad from West Point was required to withdraw their team.
Villanova Head Coach Larry McManus noted, "For the past few months, our team has been training in the off-chance we may have been needed to replace any NSCRO teams that may not have made the trip. Having a CRC team drop out was a bit unexpected for us, but we're extremely confident in our ability to compete on the national stage against rugby's elite colleges and universities, and we welcome the opportunity."
The Tournament willculminate on June 2 from PPL Park in Chester.
Five pools of 4 teams will play one match on Friday and two matches on Saturday. Teams will earn 3 points for win, 1 point for draw, zero for a loss.
The top 8 schools emerging from pool play will compete in the Championship bracket on Sunday with the winner claiming the Pete Dawkins Trophy.
With only seven players per team playing on the same size pitch as a 15’s rugby match, sevens rugby offers non-stop action where speed, high scoring & athleticism rule the day. Rugby Sevens will be an Olympic sport starting in 2016 and the USA Sevens Rugby Collegiate Championship Invitational offers fans a preview of the talent pool available for the U.S. Olympic team.
During the pool & knockout matches, teams will play seven minutes each way with two-minute intervals. The Tournament Challenger final will be seven minutes each way with two-minute intervals; 10 minutes each way for the Championship final.
Discounted tickets for the event can be purchased via the CRC Villanova Portal. Two day passes are available for only $35, a great deal for what will undoubtedly be a great weekend of rugby!
If you are unable to make it, the tournament will be broadcast during the weekend on NBC and NBC Sports.
| Pool A | Pool B | Pool C | Pool D | Pool E |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Navy | Arizona | Cal | Penn St | Delaware |
| St. Joesph's | Dartmouth | Kutztown | NC State | Florida |
| UCLA | Penn | Temple | Northeastern | Life |
| Villanova | Wisconsin | Virginia Tech | Notre Dame | Texas |
For more information check out the team on social media.
- Villanova Rugby Football Club Facebook Page
- Twitter: @VillanovaRugby
For more information on the tournament, please see the official tournament website: www.usasevenscrc.com.