SMRC Summer 7’s - 2011

St Louis, Mo. - Summer

SMRC Sevens - About us

We are the sevens division of the Sunday Morning Rugby Club (SMRC). We compete in the MRFU and the West Territorial Union. We are a competitive sevens side that has played in tournaments in Memphis and Chicago. While, for some clubs sevens is an afterthought to 15s, at SMRC we place a lot of focus and diligence on our summer season. We strive to provide a fun, competitive, and social atmosphere and have has as much fun off the field as on the field. We welcome all new players that want to learn more about the game and compete, regardless of your experience level. Photo: SMRC at Chicago 7s Tournament Summer 2011 more photos here...

2011 Sevens Round-up

This season we traveled to our first sevens tournament in five years, the “Chicago Firehouse Sevens” in Lamont, IL hosted by the Chicago Blaze Rugby Club. We played out first match against South Side Irish. We lost in a valiant effort, by the score of 28-5. Our second match saw SMRC against the Churchies (which hail from Toronto). We fell to the Churchies by the score of 35-0. Not to leave the tournament winless, we faced the Chicago Blue, with only our pride on the line. We scored first blood, and then ran in two more quick tries. We ended the match 20-5, with a record of 1-2. This being our first real test of competitive sevens, we gave notice to clubs throughout the Midwest that we are here to play some serious competitive rugby. Saturday evening saw us travel to Wriglyville, where we had a Lanatee (Land + Manatee= Lanatee) sighting, and got to know the Chicago mass transit system intimately…

League Play

In league play we saw the likes of the Bombers, Ramblers, Royals, and some other familiar foes. We played all matches tight, and were relentless in tackling, rucking, and support play. We finished our league play just a scratch under .500, with key victories over the Royals B-side, and a tie with the Bombers B-side. We were just edged out of the final four by the Rowdies…. Which we are looking to avenge next year!

Elvis Sevens

We finished our season, with a trip to the storied “Elvis Sevens” in Memphis, TN. In temperatures that broke 100, we fought extremely hard and started the day with a win (via forfeit) over Joliet, IL. Our next match saw us against tournament hosts and favorites Memphis Blues-A. We conceded early points (via penalties), and never had the chance to bounce back. We were downed 28-5, in a very tough effort. Our third match of the day came against a talented and skilled Ole Miss team. Not to have the same record as Chicago, and with a chance to place second in pool play, we put our best foot forward, and put up a win 28-5, with their only try coming with 30 seconds left in the match, and thus allowing us to exit pool play. We met Little Rock in the exit match, and fought hard, although ultimately came up short, in a 21-10 effort. We ended the day with a 2-2 record, and had players help Shreveport, secure a number 8 finish in the tournament. A good time was had by all, and we accomplished our initial goal of escaping pool play. Beal Street called to us on Saturday evening, after rugby, where we witnessed a “break-dance altercation” and indulged in a Soul Burger, from Earnestine and Hazel’s (Chet had a chance to redeem himself from Chicago).

Sum up Season

This being our first competitive sevens season in some time, not only did we play some terrific rugby, but had a great time in the process. We also built a foundation for what will be some brilliant play in the coming years. There is rumbling that 2012 will take us to Milwaukee, Memphis, and possibly to your tournament, so stay tuned!

 

Proud to be Purple!

If you are interested in playing 7’s with Sunday Morning Rugby Club this summer please email Mark at 7s@sundaymorningrugby.com .

Photo: 2011 Sevens Jersey

For more information email: 7s@sundaymorningrugby.com