by Marco Cummings
Writer for and on behalf of the City of Glendale
One of the biggest sporting events in Glendale in the month of August, if not the entire year, took place last month when Infinity Park hosted the Serevi RugbyTown Sevens international rugby tournament.
Needless to say, the event left its mark on the City of Glendale, as 17 teams from around the United States and the world convened to compete for the $10,000 prize awarded to the tournament’s winner along with a berth in the Bayley’s Fiji Coral Coast Sevens tournament, a rugby tournament hosted in the homeland of Serevi namesake Waisale Serevi, known as the “King of Sevens,”
“It’s truly an international event, people from all over the world are coming out,” commented Glendale Mayor Mike Dunafon, prior to the event.
This year’s competition came from locales as far away as England and the Caribbean, but prior to the tournament’s conclusion, Serevi was “keeping an eye on” the USA Falcons.
As it turns out, it was the Falcons that took home this year’s Serevi RugbyTown Sevens Cup Championship, defeating the Denver 7s All Stars 36-19 in the tournament final.
A familiar face helped guide the Falcons to the championship as former Raptors fly-half Valenese “Nese” Malifa made his return to Infinity Park.
“I don’t miss the altitude,” Malifa joked.
But what he did miss was the experience Infinity Park offered to thousands of rugby fans and teams from around the world over the three-day weekend of events.
“It’s a good show they put out here. It’s family,” Malifa said.
The Denver 7s All Stars also brought familiarity to this year’s SRS tournament. The team featured a mix of players including some from Glendale’s rival, the Denver Barbarians.
“It’s a great tournament, we can’t wait to come back next year,” Denver 7s and Barbos fullback Maximo De Achaval said.
“It is a community building sport. It is played all over the world, and now we’re being recognized for it,” Mayor Dunafon added.
Unfortunately, the tournament hosting Glendale Raptors were unable to bring home hardware in this year’s tournament, after making a finals
appearance last year alongside the USA Collegiate All-Americans.
After an undefeated start in pool play, injuries started to pile up for the Raptors, eventually losing 35-7 to the Northeast Olympic Development Academy in the SRS Plate Final.
“With the new/reserve players coming in, we broke the continuity and needed to build confidence but it was too late to try and do it in a final,” Raptors head coach Andre Snyman said. “The reserves played really well and I’m grateful for their attitude and commitment to help the team at such a short notice.”
In addition to the Cup and Plate Finals, hardware was also contested in the SRS Bowl and Shield Finals as well as a third place match.
In the third-place game, Austin, Texas, area club Negro y Azul, defeated the crowd favorite U.S. Army. Azul defeated the Raptors 28-21 on Day Two of the competition in the Cup Quarterfinals.
Army was defeated in the third place match, but put together a strong tournament, winning the Military Championship with a 26-15 defeat of Air Force on Day Two of the competition. It’s the second Military Championship in three appearances for Army, who has defeated Air Force both times.
Another fan favorite throughout the years has been the Royal Air Force Spitfires. The RAF entered SRS having won hardware in each of their previous tournaments in 2014, but fell short in RugbyTown with a 19-12 loss to 2013 SRS Cup Champions, the Collegiate All-Americans in the Bowl Final.
Nevertheless, the Spitfires were ever grateful for what has become a yearly trip across the pond to Glendale.
“It’s brilliant coming here, it’s our third trip here. We love the city,” remarked RAF coach Tim Barlow, adding, “The tournament has grown over the last three years, the standard has gotten higher, the teams are better and more ranging.”
Although this year’s competition was largely dominated by American competition, one dark horse from an exotic locale was able to bring home hardware.
After failing to record a win over the first two days of the tournament, Bermuda was able to put together two wins on Sunday, concluded by a 29-14 win over the U.S. Coast Guard in the Shield Final.
“We were delighted to play and be back again this year, it’s a big step forward for our development,” Veteran Bermuda scrum half Tom Healy said following the win.
The competitive action on the field was certainly a sight to behold, but what also made this year’s SRS tournament a rousing success were the weekend’s off-field events, which included a “Bruises and Brews” beer fest on Day Two of the competition and a “Taste of Glendale” on the final day of the competition.
“The participation of people locally is fantastic,” praised Mayor Dunafon. “Combine it with the beer festival and the Taste of Glendale it’s over the top. It’s really what this is all about, introducing Colorado to the sport of rugby.”
It’s another reason to check out next year’s edition of the Serevi RugbyTown Sevens tournament in addition to a chance to see the Glendale Raptors strive for another chance at glory.
“We can take a lot from this tournament and some of the younger players got a taste of what it’s like to play at the next level.” Coach Snyman said. “We look forward to regroup and get ready for next year’s tournament.”