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On a sweltering June day in North Carolina, Canada and the USA (both men and women) laid down their markers on the rest of the NACRA Sevens Championship field. The three sides came into the tournament as heavy favorites and they did little to dispel those predictions as the three teams combined to go 8-0 on Day 1 of the tournament, outscoring their opponents 407-7. The disparity in the level of play between the better sides was apparent in both the men’s and women’s pools as there were 11 shutouts in 24 games on Day 1 of the tournament.
The tournament had a bit of a speed bump in the lead up as St. Vincent was denied access into the USA as part of an issue with their travel Visas. With the tournament losing one team from their men’s side, Pool A teams played one less game on Day 1 than their Pool B counterparts.
The USA and Canada lead the way in their respective pools in the Men’s bracket while the USA and Mexico won the Women’s pools. Here’s a recap of Day 1 at the NACRA Sevens Championship.
Men’s Pool A
With two lopsided victories, the USA sits in the pole position in Pool A. Both of their victories were dominating efforts, 54-0 over Barbados and 50-0 over Mexico. As has become their penchant, the USA dominated restarts and punished their opponents with their work in the contact area. Eagles Head Coach Mike Friday mixed his lineups and gave some key players plenty of rest in preparation for Day 2.
Jamaica and Mexico both sit at 1-1 after Day 1 in Pool A, but Mexico sits in much better position headed into Day 2. Mexico defeated Jamaica 24-5 in pool play on Day 1. They also face winless Barbados in their final pool matchup while Jamaica faces the USA. Mexico has been the best team not named Canada or the USA on Day 1 of the tournament. They kept the USA to a 19-0 halftime lead before the USA poured it on in the second half. Mexico plays solid defense and has decent structure, but lacks the finishing ability to compete with the likes of the USA or Canada.
Men’s Pool B
Canada put in a workman-like effort on Day 1 going 3-0 while using a punishing style of play in their three wins. They pounded the Bahamas 45-0, but a number of unforced errors kept the score line from inflating more. Trinidad & Tobago also made the Maple Leafs work for their 38-7 win. Canada got things rolling in their final game on Day 1 as they pounded Guyana 51-0 in a complete effort. Canada also used their pool matches to work in different combinations and give some rest to key players.
Pool B was the more interesting of the two pools on Day 1. Other than Canada, the remaining teams in the pool were fairly evenly matched and produced some of the closest games of the day. The Cayman Islands and Guyana both finished Day 1 with 2-1 records. Guyana is in excellent position to move onto the Semifinals as their final pool opponent is winless Trinidad & Tobago while Cayman Islands have to face Canada.
Women’s Pool A
The USA Women dominated Pool A on Day 1 posting a perfect 3-0 record and outscoring their opponents 169-0, including a 74-0 win over Barbados. The Eagles dominated every phase of play against their opponents. The overall athleticism on the USA Women’s side is an entirely different level than they rest of the teams in the Women’s tournament. Their efforts on Day 1 put earns them the #1 seed going into the knockout round on Day 2.
Jamaica pulled into the 2nd spot out of Pool A putting together two solid wins after their opening loss to the USA. Jamaica shut out Cayman Islands 26-0 and then steamrolled Barbados 40-5. Cayman Islands finished pool play 1-2 while Barbados ended up 0-3 and based on points difference, holds the #8 seed going into Day 2.
Women’s Pool B
Mexico set the pace in Pool B, finishing with a 3-0 record and outscoring their opponents 87-14. Mexico played stifling defense throughout the day, as they posted three convincing victories. With their performance on Day 1 Mexico heads into the knockout rounds as the #2 seed. Significant in that they will not have to face the USA until the finals.
Trinidad & Tobago showed an ability to put up points as they beat Guyana 34-12 and the Bahamas 30-0. They could pose an interesting threat in the knockout round. Guyana closed out pool play with a record of 1-3 while the Bahamas finished 0-3.
NACRA Day 2 Preview
Unlike most tournaments where the knockout rounds begin on Day 2, the Men’s bracket has one round of pool play left before the knockout stage. In Pool A, the USA take on Jamaica and Mexico plays the Bahamas. Mexico should be a strong favorite to win and claim a spot in the semifinals.
In Pool B of the Men’s Bracket, Canada takes on the Cayman Islands while Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago face off. A win for Guyana puts them through to the semifinals.
Canada and the USA already have their spots locked into the semifinals. As everything is shaping up, the USA should face Guyana in one semifinal and Canada taking on Mexico in the other semifinal. As everyone expects, it should be USA and Canada in the finals. The matchup everyone has expected for the last few years with the two rivals playing for a spot in the Olympics.
The Women’s bracket is more interesting as the women are being drawn into an eight team single-elimination bracket on Day 2. The USA and Mexico hold the #1 and #2 seeds respectively. Both sides appear to be the favorites to meet in the finals, but there could be a surprise in there. As expected heading into the tournament, the Olympic bid is the USA’s to lose. They are head and shoulders above the rest of the teams in the bracket.
Women’s Quarterfinals
#1 USA vs #8 Barbados
#2 Mexico vs #7 Bahamas
#3 Trinidad & Tobago vs #6 Cayman Islands
#4 Jamaica vs Guyana
NACRA Day 1 Scores
Women’s Bracket
USA 45 Jamaica 0
Cayman Islands 12 Barbados 5
Mexico 31 Bahamas 0
Trinidad & Tobago 34 Guyana 12
USA 74 Barbados 0
Jamaica 26 Cayman Islands 0
Trinidad & Tobago 30 Bahamas 0
Mexico 27 Guyana 7
Jamaica 40 Barbados 5
USA 50 Cayman Islands 0
Mexico 29 Trinidad & Tobago 7
Guyana 21 Bahamas 12
Men’s Bracket
Jamaica 28 Barbados 26
Cayman Islands 15 Trinidad & Tobago 0
Guyana 38 Bahamas 19
Mexico 24 Jamaica 5
Guyana 14 Cayman Islands 12
Canada 45 Bahamas 0
USA 54 Barbados 0
Cayman Islands 28 Bahamas 19
Canada 38 Trinidad & Tobago 7
USA 50 Mexico 0
Bahamas 14 Trinidad & Tobago 12
Canada 51 Guyana 0
