After posting a 4-0 record on a successful trip up to Aspen Colorado for an afternoon of 7’s matches, the men in Green & White turned their focus toward their home tournament. The 55th Annual Denver 7’s. An event that once stood at 30+ teams across the Men’s, Women’s, Social and High School brackets at the pristine Dick’s Sporting Goods Park fields, is now a more humble gathering of teams at Cook Park. After semi-final victories over Aspen and Park City, it was the Denver Barbarians who raised the hardware in the end, defeating the Barbo 2nd side in the final match of the day. The day featured great moments of 7’s excitement, a strong showing from the local rugby audience and pizza for all after the final from Guido’s Pizza in Genesee.

The Barbos first side opened up with big wins against the Aspen Gentleman and the Denver Highlanders. Campbell Johnstone was lethal in attack and Eric Sykes led the charge in defense. The Barbos second side also played with tenacity and clarity. Iosefo Selevasio and Zach Thies probed the line all day and connected on a nice offload to score (pictured below). After the pool games commenced, the Barbos were collectively 4-0 and ready for the knock out rounds.

Throughout the summer, the coaching staff (led by Jason Kelly, Steve LaPorta & Jone Naciqa) have pushed themes of love, resilience, loyalty and accountability. The product on the pitch is always important, but the lingering question of “Why do we play rugby?”, has been met with answers greater than wins, losses, trophies and championship glory.

As I watched both teams scrap and claw for every inch throughout a hot Saturday afternoon, there was no doubt in my mind that we were headed towards another Barbos vs. Barbos final. The love and support for each other flowed into tight team defense, expressive attack structures and a knack for getting the final pass off into space. The result was a barrel full of tries throughout the day.

Barbo rookies Arnoud Agasse and Kobe Miller have impressed during the early summer tournaments

In the end, the both Barbo teams toppled Aspen and Park City in the semi-finals, leading to an all Green & White final. It was the Barbo A team that defeated Barbo B by a score of 5 tries to 1 to wrap up an amazing day of rugby at Cook Park. A special thanks goes out to all of the teams that competed (especially the Denver Scallywags who organized and entered a team during the final hours of preparation before the tournament).

More Thanks are owed to three more individuals ….

First, Nick Johnson. Nick threw his hand up and accepted the team manager duties this summer. Not only did he deliver on planning a great summer schedule, but he also balanced the team budget, arranged and ordered summer gear for the players, and also executed on the hundreds of thankless tasks that a team manager does. He’s also a veteran player who’s constantly pushing to make his team better each and every day on the pitch.

Second, Susi Seitz. She takes unbelievably exciting action pictures and has a knack for knowing where the ball will go next. You can find her info on her website, and might also see her at a Denver Touch Rugby community event. Be sure to say hi to her and her dog.

Lastly, Howard Kent. The architect of the Denver 7’s helped see its 55th event through. He has been a huge help to not only the Barbo 7’s, but to club rugby as a whole.

The Barbos next challenge will be the Mad Jack 7’s in Des Moines Iowa as they face the best the midwest has to offer. Stay tuned for a roster announcement soon!

As Always, Bleed Green