NOVA ended the 2008 summer season with a third-place finish at the 2008 National Club 7s Championships. The two-day event showcased the top 16 teams in the nation and featured excellent rugby throughout. NOVA came up short on Sunday with a loss to Aspen in the semifinals but managed to rally against Denver in for an overtime win. Aspen, NOVA, Denver and the Belmont Tigers emerged as pool winners in the National Club 7s Championships Saturday. 
The battle for third place brought a nail-biting conclusion, as the Denver Barbarians bounced back from a 12-5 halftime deficit to lead Northern Virginia until late in the game, when NOVA’s P.J. Komongnan went the distance for a try and the successful conversion put the score at 19-19. Despite Denver's best efforts, NOVA rolled on to win, 24-19, after a try by Ed Stockunas only two minutes into sudden death.
On Saturday, NOVA dominated pool competition and finished with a plus-87-point scoring differential, the highest at the tournament. Wary of a second-day letdown, NOVA faced rivals Maryland in the first match of the day and managed a 12-7 win. Blessed with plenty of team speed and 7s smarts, Aspen blanked NOVA in the semi-final match 33-0, handing the team their only loss of the season.
Aspen's Mike Palefau made an early statement by intercepting a pass inside his own 22 and rumbled for a 90-meter try. Aspen then made a further statement by hauling in P.J. Komongnan from behind to prevent a try later in the match. "PJ never gets caught from behind," said NOVA manager Bill Gardner. "That was a surprise."
The Gentlemen of Aspen defeated the Belmont Tigers, 26-24, to win the 2008 National Club 7s Championships. The teams traded scores throughout the game, but it was Belmont who led most of the game. The Tigers held a 24-19 lead going into the final couple of minutes and attacked off a lineout near their own 22. Belmont spun the ball to midfield but Aspen then stole the ball at the breakdown and countered, eventually sending Jesse Pekkala in under the posts to tie the game. Kenyan international Teddy Omondi calmly slotted the conversion for the win.
NOVA on Sunday was playing without Seta Tuilevuka, who suffered a high ankle sprain against Boston on Saturday. "As much as we don't want to make excuses about one player, he's an important guy for us and it hurt," Bill Gardner said in an article on Erugby.com. Regardless, Tuilevuka was an essential player and team leader throughout the summer. Overall, across the board, every player and coach involved with the summer program feels a huge amount of accomplishment and reward for the team's success. Winning at the national level requires committment from all levels of the club and NOVA really showed thier talent in 2008 by finishing with a 29-1 record.
Results for NOVA at the 2008 National Club 7s Championships
Pool Play
NOVA 31, Mission 0
NOVA 29, Boston 7
NOVA 34, SFGG 7
Quarters
NOVA 12, Md. Exiles 7
Semis
NOVA 0, Aspen 33
Third-Place Final
NOVA 24, Denver 19
8.12.2008
NOVA Takes Third at Nationals, Aspen Wins USA Rugby 7s Crown
7.25.2008
NOVA Rugby Wins Mid-Atlantic Crown, Heads to USA Rugby 7s Championships
NOVA will again compete for the USA National 7s championship this August after bringing home the Mid-Atlantic Rugby premier title. Despite a couple of injuries at key positions, the team from Northern Virginia proved to be too much for the rest of the field and surrendered only one try in five matches.
(Update July 31: Clarification — an earlier version of this article reported that NOVA was scored on twice last weekend. Despite the fact that the official MARFU results report PAC scored five points in their pool match against NOVA, that was actually not true. http://www.marfu.org/marfusevens2008standings.html)
Knowing that the top two teams from the Mid-Atlantic would advance, the key to post-season success came against their rivals from Philadelphia-Whitemarsh who were soundly defeated 31-0. In the finals, NOVA Black ended the Maryland Exiles' hopes of a championship with a 29-0 victory, the third shut-out on the day.
"You can't help but be pleased with the effort against some tough competition," said club president Clarence Williams. "Now, we have to answer the critics and prove to everyone what it takes to play rugby at NOVA."
Heading into the USA Rugby national playoffs on August 9, NOVA joins Pool D at the National Championships along with Boston, Mission and San Francisco Golden Gate. The team is looking to rebound after a fifth-place finish in 2007. The other Mid-Atlantic qualifier, the Maryland Exiles, join Pool C with Denver, Old Blue and the Olympic Club.
USA Rugby National 7s Championships Seedings:
1 Midwest #1: Chicago Lions
2 Southern Cal #1: Belmont Shore
3 West #1: Denver Barbarians
4 Pacific #1: Golden Gate
5 Mid-Atlantic #1: NOVA
6 Northeast #1: Old Blue
7 Midwest #2: Scioto Valley
8 West #2: Gentlemen of Aspen
9 Southern Cal #2: OMBAC
10 South #1: Daytona Beach
11 Pacific #2: Olympic Club
12 Pacific #3: Mission
13 Northeast #2: Boston RFC
14 Mid-Atlantic #2: Maryland Exiles
15 West #3: Austin Elite
16 Midwest #3: Chicago Griffns
Pool Matchups:
Pool A
- Chicago Lions
- Chicago Griffins
- Old Mission Beach Athletic Club
- Gentlemen of Aspen
Pool B
- Scioto Valley
- Daytona Beach
- Austin Elite
- Belmont Shore
Pool C
- Denver Barbarians
- Maryland Exiles
- Olympic Club
- Old Blue
Pool D
- NOVA
- Mission
- Boston
- San Francisco Golden Gate
6.26.2008
Video Exclusive: Highlights of the 2008 NOVA Rugby Battlefield 7s
The Northern Virginia Rugby Club hosted the 7th annual Battlefield 7s in Manassas, Va., on June 21.
Video: 2008 Battlefield 7s Hosted by NOVA Rugby
While the tournament was not a qualifier in the Mid-Atlantic championship series, excellent rugby was played by all participants. Full results are available at www.novarugby.com
6.16.2008
Mid-Atlantic Rugby Sevens Season Opens With a Strong Showing by NOVA
The Northern Virginia Rugby Club, 2007 MARFU champion, had a strong showing this past weekend at Exiles 7s, a tournament hosted by the Maryland Exiles, in Silver Spring. This competition was the first venue of the year that featured top competition from the Mid-Atlantic region and served as one of three qualifiers that determine which teams play in the USA Rugby national tournament in August.
Video: NOVA Rugby @ Exiles 7s 2008
Rugby 7s is a variation of rugby union, except each team fields seven players instead of 15. The games total 14 minutes, instead of 80 minutes, in length and tend to be faster-paced with more scoring.
The seasons run during the summer, between the months of May and August. Many clubs will participate in tournaments each week and play at least three games on Saturdays. For more information, visit www.novarugby.com.
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