ESRFC logo
The day was hot and sunny, and the ground was hard as pavement – perfect conditions for the fastest tournament in Cleveland to take place. This year’s Rock n Roll 7s tournament took place at Kreuger Park in Mentor, Ohio; and with over 30 teams entered throughout a number of brackets there would be no shortage of competition.
The Green Horde’s competitive side landed in what some might see as a disappoint fourth place finish. People from the outside looking in might be wondering how a team who is hosting a tournament could come in so unprepared and only finish in fourth. What those same onlookers do not realize is that the ESRFC squad pulled itself together with little more than two solid weeks of practice and, with that little time to play together and get into shape, pushed 1823’s second side to the limit twice, beat a college side out of Michigan composed of younger players with more chemistry and put down one of the Midwest‘s best rugby schools – Bowling Green State University – in convincing fashion.
Throughout the entire tournament, the ESRFC’s squad never looked like they were out of any game. While communication and execution on defense was lacking in some scenarios, the Green Horde played with near perfect execution on offense. Mike Ciccolini and Al Caserta ran took explosive runs with the ball, either taking on defenders or passing them by with ease. Newcomers Alex Carter and Gary Springer ensured that the opposite wingers and pack members were on their toes and ensured that their side retained possession. Billy Regan was the catalyst for a large number of the team’s tries, setting up teammates for scoring opportunities or putting defenders to shame on his own.
With that being said, the question to be asked is not one of the squad’s limited achievement. The question to come out of the day is: “Why isn’t the team more active in the summer?” With such dynamic and decisive play after a few weeks of practice, a well-oiled 7s side could at the very least be competitive with the top teams in the region.
When the final game had been played, the focus was on 1823’s A side, which had taken top honors in the Men’s Qualifier bracket. This netted the Columbus squad some crucial points to go towards their Midwest tournament ambitions. 1823’s coach stirred the pot a bit when he complained toe RugbyMag.com about the lack of competition in this year’s tournament. If competition was the issue, why didn’t 1823 take their squad to the Lakefront 7s tournament? With teams like the Chicago Griffins, Chicago Lions and Indianapolis Impalas – to name a few – there would have been no shortage of competition to be had, that is if competition was really what the team was after.
When all is said and done the winners have already been crowned and, after looking at the results and considering all the facts, 1823 wasn’t even the biggest winner at the tournament. This isn’t because 1823 only had to face their B side and the Wolfhounds after receiving a BYE in the first round or that they barely pulled out their victory in the finals.
This is because the women from Lakewood made a huge, if somewhat unrecognized, statement by taking home top prize in not one but two brackets of the tournament this year. First, a team of Lakewood High School alumni came together, having little to no preparation time before the tournament to successfully take down their competition from Dayton and Scioto Valley. The younger contingent, not happy to let the older women take all the glory, shut down Mayfield’s girls in grand fashion and staved off an aggressive Parma team to secure the U-19 title.
When people think rugby powerhouses in Cleveland, Lakewood may not be the first name that comes up in that conversation. if the Lakewood women have their say that won’t be the case for long.
41.474566
-81.528994
Check out the latest from Cleveland's premier rugby team!