The hitting won't let up at UB Stadium after the football team completes its Saturday morning practice.TheUB Rugby Football Club will take the field for an afternoon of fast-paced, competitive action with dreams of competing in the national tournament.
UB will host the third of four series of the Empire Rugby Conference (ERC) sevens tournament Saturdayat 1 p.m. at UB Stadium. The Cup Championship is set for 8:45 p.m.
The men's rugby team is currently in fifth place of 12 teams in the standings. Buffalo received five points in the first tournament at Rutgers March 29 and six points in the Binghamton tournament April 5. The team that emerges with the most points after all four tournaments advances to the American Collegiate Rugby Championship (ACRC) sevens in Virginia Beach, Va., May 3 and 4.
Rugby sevens is different from traditional 15s rugby because it's only a 7-on-7 competition as opposed to 15-on-15. The games are quicker, as well; the halves are only seven minutes, rather than 40. There will only be a five-minute break between each game, so the games will be constant throughout the day on Saturday. Each team will have about an hour or two to rest before competing again.
"It's half the amount of men covering the same sized field, so you're pretty much always sprinting and always tackling for seven minutes," said Colin Ollander, the club president and a junior. "When you're playing, it feels a lot longer than that."
Rugby sevens likely has more appeal to the casual fan or someone who has never watched rugby. There are fewer penalties and stoppages in play, leading to a quick game pace and more action. Senior wing Phil Tucciarone said sevens are "more entertaining" than 15s, and that is the reason they will be in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Schools competing include Binghamton, St. Bonaventure, Stony Brook, Brockport, Rutgers, Colgate and Syracuse, along with three nonconference teams. There are four pools of three teams, and Buffalo's pool consists of Syracuse and Wheeling Jesuit, a nonconference team.
Every team's first two games will be against the other two teams in their pool. In order to have any chance of winning the individual tournament, a team must first finish atop their individual pool, putting extra importance on the first two games.
"Last week [in the Binghamton tournament], we had a tight loss in our first game against Stony Brook and then we shut out the next two teams, 44-0 and 37-0, and we still couldn't place in the top four because of that first loss," Tucciarone said. "Were we one of the top four teams in that tournament? I would say so. But it's just the way the tournament's organized."
Buffalo will be led by its top point-scorers: senior center Tyler Norris and sophomore fly-half Ryan West. Norris scored four tries and West had three tries and five successful conversions in the first ERC sevens tournament.
Buffalo will be playing with its top lineup for the first time all tournament season. Some players had to miss the previous tournaments due to academic commitments, but Tucciarone said he expects all of Buffalo's top players to be able to participate Saturday.
UB's biggest strengths are its experience and knowledge of the game. The team is filled with seniors who have played with each other over the past four years.
Buffalo was selected as one of the four host schools in part because the series ideally includes two upstate and two downstate locations. The club was able to rent out UB Stadium through Associate Director for Intramural Sports and Sports Clubs Michelle Bernas.
Every school will play four games, either in the championship or losers' bracket. With four games in an eight-hour period, sevens tournaments are an extreme test of physical endurance.
"That last game is miserable," Tucciarone said.
The tournament begins at 1 p.m. Saturday at UB Stadium. The event is free.
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