The third weekend in August is always a special time at Infinity Park.
For the last decade, that weekend has been occupied by the RugbyTown 7s tournament. An extra special milestone will be achieved when the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force get the 2022 RugbyTown 7s rolling at 11 AM on Friday, August 19, because that will signal the start of the 10th annual RugbyTown 7s tournament.
Nothing stays exactly the same for 10 straight years. Things have to evolve. The RugbyTown 7s hasn’t been exempt from change. The first year of the tournament actually featured two separate tournaments – the International Defense Sevens and the Serevi RugbyTown 7s – over the course of two weekends. The tournaments combined into one ahead of the second year, and Serevi eventually dropped off the name, but one thing that has never changed is the entertainment and excitement that the RugbyTown 7s delivers year after year.
The 10th year of the tournament is shaping up to be the best one yet.
International flare is always on display at the RugbyTown 7s, and 2022 will be no different. Teams from six different countries will duke it out with 14 domestic sevens teams for the $10,000 grand prize. Barbados 7s, The British Columbia Bears, Lions 7s, fan-favorite Ramblin’ Jesters, Team Germany, and the Tel Aviv Heat will be on full display throughout the action-packed weekend.
One of the things that makes RugbyTown 7s so special year after year is the incorporation and inclusion of teams that represent five branches of the United States Military. Pool A is always dedicated to the U.S. Military, and the top two teams from that pool compete for the coveted U.S. Armed Forces Championship that takes place on Saturday afternoon. Historically, that crown has belonged to the U.S. Army, which won seven-straight titles between 2013 and 2019. Navy defeated Air Force for their first title in 2021, joining the Marines as the only other team to win a U.S. Armed Forces Championship after winning the inaugural title in 2012.
One team that has made their mark on the tournament throughout the years has been the Ramblin’ Jesters. The Jesters, known for their fun multi-colored kits, have two third-place finishes, one second-place finish, and one RugbyTown 7s title since 2016. After finishing third in 2021, the Jesters will attempt to make the climb back to the top of the mountain as they did in 2019.
Another unique aspect to the tournament is the blend of talent across the board. Nowhere else can you watch Olympians take the pitch against machine gunners. The USA U-23s always field a competitive team filled with some of the best up-and-coming young sevens players in the United States, while other teams fill out their rosters with some of the best players on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens circuit. The RugbyTown 7s is the best place for players to dip their toe into the next level of sevens rugby.
“That’s what I think is so awesome about RugbyTown. It is an international invitational tournament,” USA Eagle and 2020 Olympian Cody Melphy said of the tournament. “There are Olympians out there. There are people that have played 25 stops on the World Series. It’s an opportunity to stack up and say mano y mano. Let’s see what I can do. It’s the stepping stone to the next level.”
The 2022 RugbyTown 7s will kick off on Friday. August 19 at 11 AM MT and will wrap up Sunday, August 21 with the Cup Final taking place at 4:50 PM. Single day tickets are just $10, and weekend passes are $20.
