Sometimes you get the Bull and sometimes you get the horns. This past weekend, our Bootleggers 7s side made the short trip to Durham to play in the Bull City 7s. The first of three tournaments for the side, it served up a glimpse of what could be and it showed how much work is still needed for the young side. The squad showed signs of being dangerous, but also lacked cohesiveness which was exploited by some solid competition.
Rugby 7s is a game of slim margins and every misstep, missed tackle, or mistake can be punished. The Bootleggers finished the day 0-3, but the scores didn’t completely reflect how narrow the margins were in some of the games.
Carolina Storm 26 Clayton 21
First up on the day was the Carolina Storm, a select side made up of players from around the Carolinas. The Bootleggers shocked their opponent and fans by jumping out to a 21-0 halftime lead behind a patient attack, good tackling, and spirited play. Joe Gomes, Caleb Walters, and Ben Roach each scored tries with Roach adding all three conversions.
The second half was the exact opposite as the Storm capitalized on some lapses to score four unanswered tries to steal the game.
Myrtle Beach 26 Clayton 7
The Bootleggers bounced back with a very short turnaround to take on Myrtle Beach. The guys came out strong defensively, but left some good scoring opportunities on the table. Myrtle Beach took a 7-0 lead into halftime and extended it to 12-0 early in the second half. The Bootleggers bounced back with a great team score with Christian Copp and Quincy Poe linking up for a score. Ben Roach added the conversion to cut the score to 12-7. With the guys showing some fatigue, Myrtle Beach added two scores in the final minute of the match to put the match away.
Cape Fear 21 Clayton 5
In their third and final game of the day, the Bootleggers fell to Cape Fear. Cape Fear jumped out to an early 14-0 lead before Joe Gomes added an unconverted try just before half to cut the lead to 14-5. The game stayed that way right up until the end of the second half when Cape Fear added one final converted try.
It was a tough day for the Bootleggers, but they were right in all three matches. The final scores don’t necessarily show it, but all three games were winnable with a few different plays, better fitness, and more cohesiveness. That is the nature of 7s and what is both frustrating and great about the shortened version of the game. The young side has been working hard off the pitch. As they develop those bonds this squad has the potential to do great things this summer and well into the future.
The Bootleggers are back at it this weekend as they travel to the Cape Fear 7s, one of the largest 7s events on the summer calendar in the entire United States.
The Clayton RFC practices every Tuesday and Thursday night, 6:30-8pm, at the Johnston County Rugby Park. New players of all skill levels are always welcome to join the club. To learn more, email the club at info@claytonrfc.com .
