Chesapeake Collegiate Rugby Brings Select Side to Bermuda in 2019

In a bigger and better event than all previous years, the 2019 Bermuda International 7s welcomes the Chesapeake Collegiate Rugby Conference's Select Side to compete against other high ranking rugby teams across the United States, Canada and Bermuda.

Chesapeake Conference Select Side

Select side rugby has endured many ups and downs throughout the history of American rugby. Most recently, regional select play has somewhat faded into the background as elite academies have taken over. Despite this, leagues like the Chesapeake Collegiate Rugby Conference have started to create all-star teams to give players more exposure to teams outside their own region.

"We originally created the 7s select side in 2016 to allow players to work outside their comforts zones," Scott Zavrel, Commissioner of the Chesapeake Collegiate Conference and Head Coach of Georgetown, said about the select side program. "When discussions began for those clubs that currently make up the Chesapeake Conference, we identified a huge need for player and program development which included identifying pathways for our players to go past their 4 or 5 years in college. If we can provide these select side opportunities for our elite players and our Futures Cup competition for those younger players, we believe these opportunities will improve the level of competitiveness for each of our clubs and result in a better product on the field for not only our conference play, but also rugby on the East Coast."

The formation of the Chesapeake Collegiate Conference Select Side is not only commendable but it has increased the skill level of the players. "Our conference team allows the schools to compete together and experience a higher level of play while representing their university."

The nine schools in the conference also have an eye on the bigger prize. They want to create viable and high-performing links between high school and club rugby.

Teams of the Chesapeake Collegiate Rugby Conference include Georgetown University, James Madison University, University of Mary Washington, University of Maryland, Mount St. Mary's, Salisbury University, Towson University and Virginia Tech University. Other high-performance collegiate select side programs include the Liberty Collegiate Conference and MARC Collegiate Conference.

Traveling to Bermuda

2019 marks Chesapeake Conference select side's first trip to the island of Bermuda to compete internationally. Despite their reputation for hard-fought wins, the team will be facing off against veteran teams and division champs from a variety of conferences.

"The tournament is an amazing opportunity," reported UMD Head Coach Jeff Soeken, who will be traveling with the team to Bermuda in March. "We're particularly looking forward to the warm weather and playing outside again after an East Coast winter."

As a conference sponsored team, the Chesapeake Select Side encourages their players to take advance of the integrated framework which facilitates the development of rugby at all levels. The framework also outlines a philosophy of sound practice and long-term participation in the league. And the Bermuda International 7s is just the place to do it.

"We'll dive right into it in Bermuda," Coach Soeken stressed. "Our main focus is player development... Competing against top tier teams outside of our conference is just the kind of exposure we want to give the players."

The conference will send two teams to Bermuda comprised of 24 players and two coaches.

Current Roster for the 2019 Bermuda Intl 7s

Register for the 2019 Bermuda International 7s

The 2019 Ariel Re Bermuda International 7s host the very best in high school and college rugby at the National Sports Centre, Bermuda’s premier sporting event venue. The March 15-16, 2019 tournament will feature mini teams (ages 9-12), high school teams, collegiate men's and women's sides.

Contact Stephen Siano, siano@urugby.com, 610-389-4474 for information regarding entering a team in 2019.

Register for the 2019 Bermuda International 7s today »