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It was a great season for the two squads that composed the Washington Irish
7s team. Over 35 players, old and new, came together over the span of 7 Tournaments
to bring home plenty of hardware and even more good times. In the recent past, 7s has been primarily used
as a fitness and training tool for 15s but with the organization of James Thomson
and the coaching of Steve "Duma" Johnson the Irish have seemingly turned the corner.
The participation and momentum built during this summer will be a huge asset as
the current team looks to restore the success of previous years. Below is a
brief trip through how The Washington Irish won the MARFU Open Division
in 2007.
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Green Finishes Top; White Fights Hard at Pick 7s
Saturday out at Rosecroft Raceway the Washington Irish placed two teams into the Pick 7s Tournament sponsored by Washington RFC. It was a pretty representative cross section of the Irish clan as there were props to wings, whatever age Damian is to a recently graduated Tim "TIMMMYYYY" Donovan, and skill levels from Dan Pinto Testicle Ford's rugby ability all the way to Pinto's drinking ability. While the results were good, they could have been better, but all totaled it was a positive day for the Irish..... Read more...
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Green Wins Qualifier; White In Contention to Qualify
First I woudld like to say, 'Congrats to the Irish.' Yes, the entire 22 men.
It was a true team win, with all members deserving the win.
I believe you are beginning to see what you are capable of accomplishing.
I would like to note, I was very impressed with the way you handled winning the
Open Division. It shows true professionalism to 'Act like you been there before'.
If you are a young guy watching our showmanship or watching NOVA I's antics, I'm sure
we would win the recruitment battle.
I was also proud of the escalation of our team defense. We allowed 2 tries in 5 games,
and had 3 shut-outs overall. Okay, enough with the ata-boys.
We need to trust our neighbor to make the tackle and not get drawn into fray.
We still need to play 'keep away' and resist contact on offense.... Read more
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Lowest Finish of Summer Still Yields Hardware
This weekend showed me a few firsts for the Irish in this summer's 7s 2007 season. First, The Green came back from two huge deficits at half. They were able to come back getting the tie and win respectively. Second, White showed 'how to have fun' no matter how much adversity they faced. The infusion of the old boys gave a boost the Whites too (You can teach an old dog new tricks!). The oldies showed you don't need speed to score, but being in the right position is key. The Green played well without their big guns and a came together to show we are a true team of players..... Read more!
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Irish Green
Finish Close Second
First I woudld like to say, 'Congrats to the Irish.' Yes, the entire 22 men.
It was a true team win, with all members deserving the win.
I believe you are beginning to see what you are capable of accomplishing.
I would like to note, I was very impressed with the way you handled winning the
Open Division. It shows true professionalism to 'Act like you been there before'.
If you are a young guy watching our showmanship or watching NOVA I's antics, I'm sure
we would win the recruitment battle.
I was also proud of the escalation of our team defense. We allowed 2 tries in 5 games,
and had 3 shut-outs overall. Okay, enough with the ata-boys.
We need to trust our neighbor to make the tackle and not get drawn into fray.
We still need to play 'keep away' and resist contact on offense....Read More!
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Social Weekend
Also Successful
The Washington Irish took a strong Social side to Cape Fear this year with the intent on having as much fun as possible while mixing in some good rugby. We had a good showing in the two-day tournament, which included a Friday night in downtown Wilmington and a Saturday night at the bars of Wrightsville beach. With the notable exceptions of one 1:45am shot of Jack Daniels that caused more than a few Irish saliva glands to go into over drive (Cheers Sarah!) and one surly Wrightsville beach cop who threatened to throw the Irish club President in jail for talking too loud, a good time was had by all. The rugby ensued as follows..... Read more!
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Irish Green
Wins 2nd Qualifer;
White Also Qualifies Through Hard Work
In addition to getting a later start and being able to have fresh legs Irish Green was also able to get a good scouting report on Washington II, mainly comprised of lightening quick students from Hyde High School and a few cagey veterans rounding out the side. Washington got a free kick at midfield after the Irish failed to kick it the requisite 10 meters off the kickoff. Green's defense was solid, as it was the entire day, and although the Washington team spun, cut, and juked every which way, all they would find was an Irish defender. Patience and experience from the Irish outweighed the athleticism of the Washington in the end.....Read More!
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Irish Green Win Much Deserved MARFU Championship
After winning both qualifying tournaments this summer, Irish Green earned themselves the top seed in the Men's Open Division at the MARFU 7s Championship. The competition was fierce as teams like Richmond and Rocky Gorge were looking to exact revenge on Irish Green for earlier tournaments while NOVA 2 and Washington 3 were hungry to earn some glory at the last moment.....
Read More
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