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The Cancun 7s have been finished for a week now, but the stories keep trickling out of the event. Held at the El Rey Polo Club, the Cancun 7s is a tournament on the rise as it pulls in a nice array of teams from multiple countries. One such team was Negro y Azul. Don’t be fooled by the Spanish sounding name, Negro y Azul is a Select Side made up of players from around the United States. While higher profile Academies exists, Negro y Azul has put together a solid resume over the years. Team Manager/Coach Ty Landry assembled an All-Star group that included season veterans and emerging stars on the American rugby scene.
Negro y Azul rolled through the competition in pool play in Cancun. Pooled against Mexican sides Mayas, Mexico City Wallabies, and Mexico Verde they outscored their opponents 127-0 during the pool round. Negro y Azul was paced in pool play by Team Captain Matt Hughston, Chris Milledge, Chris Slater, and Joel Yogerst whom each touched down four tries apiece.
Hughston, one of the most decorated players on the team, has been on the National Team radar and has been to camp with the USA 7s team. After representing the USA at the U20 level, Hughston has compiled a strong resume of play with his home club Charlotte RFC as well as various representative and tournament select sides.
“Matt Hughston was our Captain on the day and lead from the front pushing the boys every minute, every match,” said Landry. “He has a motor that is unique for a big man and he’s found a home at hooker. After playing Matt Hughston mostly at center last year at the Serevi Invitational we tried him at hooker because of the shake up in players due to local qualifiers. Hooker was a natural fit for him and I would be surprised not to see him get a serious look in the coming months for a National spot.”
Yogerst has developed quickly since taking up rugby a year ago after attending a NRFL combine. Yogerst, who plays club rugby for Metropolis, also had a two week trial with Bristol in England last year and has proven to be a quick study. For his efforts in Cancun, Yogerst was voted Man of the Tournament by the team.
“Joel Yogerst has been playing rugby for only 12 months and experienced his second 7’s tournament ever this weekend,” added Landry. “You can see the football influence in his running style but I was surprised at his ability to steal ball in contact and skill to deliver accurate passing while progressing down the field.”
With the sweep of their pool, Negro y Azul pulled Blackheath in the semifinals. Blackheath, a professional side from London, came into the tournament as one of the favorites to challenge for the championship. The English side was first on the board with a quick, but unconverted try. The two sides appeared to be well matched in a see saw affair. Negro took the lead just before halftime through a try from Chris Slater. Zach Miller converted as Negro y Azul took a 7-5 lead into the break.
The second half was more of the same as both teams pounded away at each other’s lines. Negro y Azul got some breathing room after Hughston shrugged off four tacklers to score a try from midfield. He added the conversion to give Negro y Azul a 14-5 lead with less than two minutes left in the semifinal. Blackheath did their best to mount a comeback, scoring a converted try to cut Negro’s lead to 14-12, but it was too late.
The final was rematch from the 2014 Cancun 7s as Negro y Azul took on Tiger Rugby. A hard hitting match, many reports from the tournament state that despite the final score, the match was befitting of a championship.
Tiger controlled much of the first half as they took a 12-0 lead into halftime. Negro came out in the second half looking to shift the momentum, but it wasn’t enough as Tiger claimed the championship with a 26-5 win.
Despite falling short in the finals, Negro y Azul has much to be excited about. Aside from Hughston and Yogerst, standouts included Zach Miller, Amro Gouda and Gerson Blaise. The all-important glue was provided by the experience of Chris Parker, Pete Kanicki, Ty Elkins and Brad Yandle.
“Frankly the aerial presence by Parker taking the ball straight off the foot of Miller and Milledge on restarts was worth its weight in gold,” said Landry. “Chris Milledge, Chris Slater and Zach Miller provided great directional skill and vision on the day putting speedsters like newcomer Joel Yogerst and Life University veteran Gerson Blaise away for centering try’s.
“At the same time glue players were Pete Kanicki, Chris Parker and young up and coming talent Amro Gouda did the dirty work of retaining clean ball and occasional poaching ball in open play. Ty Elkins and Brad Yandle provided much needed bench minutes throughout every match.”
Negro y Azul Cancun 7s Scores
Azul 40 – 0 Mayas
Azul 54 – 0 Mexico City Wallabies
Azul 33 – 0 Mexico Verde (B’s)
Semifinals: Azul 14 – 12 Blackheath Rugby Club
Championship: Azul 5 – 26 Tiger Rugby
