Thoughts on SEC 7s

What an incredible weekend! It was very exciting to see the Aggies bring home two championships from Alabama.  Our JV team played incredibly well this week and I was really proud of the way the came back from a poor performance against Florida during pool play.  Tyler Lunsford, J.D. Smiley, Jonathan Barbee, Mike Tkatch, Matt Krath, and Andrew Stanley all had fantastic weekends.  Smiley really demonstrated that he is ready to step up to the next level.  His defense was spot on and he scored a number of very exciting tries during the tournament.  The key to having a great rugby squad is having depth.  These guys all showed that they are ready to contribute in a big way during 15s season.

The varsity squad did something that has not been accomplished by anyone this year - win back to back 7s championships.  For the second week in a row, the Aggies came out winners.  The team has bought into our program and continues to improve every week.  This weekend was yet another example of what unselfish play can produce.  We will continue to improve in the lead-up to the national championships.  Our focus over the next few weeks will be fitness and the return to health of a number of guys who were banged up over the last two tournaments.  

The SEC tournament was a great opportunity to play against some top 7s squads.  I am amazed at how much the quality of 7s has changed in the United States in less than a year.  It appears that everyone is taking the game extremely serious and their efforts show.  My hat goes off to Georgia for their play during the tournament.  Although they have not garnered much recognition nationally, I think they are an extremely talented and tough team.  I will be interested to see how they finish up their 7s season.

The venue in Montgomery was fantastic, the fields were in excellent condition and it was a great place to hold a tournament.  However, I still think it would be ideal to have a conference championship held on the campus of one its members.  The hospitality by the city of Montgomery was also fantastic and the banquet held at the historic train station in downtown Montgomery was very nice.  The only thing that the Aggies did not like about Montgomery was the 12-hour bus ride it took to get there.

2012 SEC JV 7s Champions

Texas A&M is a special place, but not because it is located in College Station or because of all of its traditions.  It is special because of its people - this was a great weekend because of those people, our players.  They demonstrated character, brotherhood, and dedication throughout the weekend.  I am extremely proud to be associated with such a special group of men and consider it a great honor to be their coach.