Shouldn't Yale Make it to the Collegiate Rugby Championships?

PPL Park just outside Philadelphia will host the USA 7s Collegiate Rugby Championships (CRC) June 4-5. With Central Washington winning the CRC Qualifier in Las Vegas, 12 of the teams set to attend: CWU, Utah, Cal, Arizona, LSU, Penn State, Army, Navy, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Temple and Boston College.

But there are four places left. Who gets them? Alex Goff (www.rugbymag.com) weights in on who he think the four teams should be.

With the CRC being an invitational, the reasons teams get invited aren’t just about results. The event organizers want teams people follow and teams people traditionally recognize because of their NCAA clout.

Alex Goff takes a look at teams who he considers good.

1. Kutztown University. KU has produced a present USA 7s player in Marco Barnard. Yet despite losing Barnard to graduation they have continued to win and play great rugby. They came second in the CRC Qualifier in Las Vegas, played an exciting, elegant brand of 7s, and are relatively local to Philadelphia.

2. UCLA The CRC lacks a team from Southern California. Yes, yes, we know that Arizona is in the Southern California RFU, but ask anyone in the country and they will confirm that the University of Arizona is, in fact, in Arizona. SoCal needs a presence there. UC Santa Barbara, San Diego State, and Cal Poly could all fit the bill. But if you combine quality on the field, recognition within the American sports community, and athletic potential, well, I pick UCLA.

3. Yale I love this team. I think they played good 7s in Las Vegas and have some very smart coaching behind them. I think the Ivy League connection is important in the CRC. Oddly, I haven’t picked Dartmouth, although I might have. I actually think Dartmouth will get a nod for the CRC, so I think it might also make sense to get Yale in there too. Vote for Yale »

4. Texas A&M. With the Northwest represented by Central Washington (sorry Eastern Wash.), and the West represented by Utah (meaning Air Force or Colorado don’t get the nod) I want to go to a team that has a lot of alumni, a big following, and some outstanding ability in a region not served yet by the event. For me, that’s Texas A&M. They have some tremendous rugby players, and the coaching to get them ready