Seattle – Serevi Rugby today officially announced its Elite Academy Series of rugby training camps, the first session of which will feature long-time New Zealand All Blacks coach Gordon Tietjens, alongside Serevi Rugby co-founder Waisale Serevi. Often regarded as the most successful rugby sevens coach in the world, Tietjens has trained 36 players who went on to become All Blacks XVs, including Christian Cullen, Jonah Lomu and Joe Rokocoko, and has won nine of the twelve IRB Sevens World Series. With Serevi and Tietjens running the Elite Academy’s inaugural session, Serevi Rugby is offering promising rugby players a limited opportunity to train with rugby sevens’ most celebrated player and coach. 

“When you combine these two rugby minds and resumes, there simply is no higher ground in the sport of rugby sevens,” said Serevi Rugby Director of Coaching Evan Haigh, who will oversee all of the Academy’s planning and logistics. “Elite training from two legends of the game in the summer shadow of Mt. Rainier – this is rugby nirvana. These players are in for a real treat.”

Targeted at elite young players on the cusp of professional and international careers, the August 21 to 28 session will prepare participants for the demands of international and elite play. Serevi intends that this ongoing Elite Academy series will help drive the next wave of professional and international rugby talent in North America and around the world.

Serevi will organize the camp around the principles that made him the “King of Sevens” over a 21-year international career: speed, fitness, split-second decision making, and grace under pressure. Serevi and Tietjens will drill decision-making and refine participants’ ability to operate in space. The Academy will also focus on off-pitch elements such as nutrition, recovery, conditioning and game analysis. Working under two oft-lauded leaders of rugby, participants will experience the demands required to compete in the sport at elite, international and professional levels.

Haigh, as a player and coach, has guided the Old Puget Sound Beach’s sevens squad back to the top of USA Sevens. Haigh is credited with helping Beach once again be considered one of the top rugby programs in North America. The club rose to further distinction this year, winning its fifth sevens championship and playing in the 2011 Super League semi-finals against eventual champion San Francisco Golden Gate. Haigh and the Academy will also bring in a coaching staff of current and former Pacific Island and US elite-level players to support Serevi and Tietjens.

During his tenure as captain of his squad, Serevi led Fiji to two Rugby Sevens World Cup Championships. Serevi leads by example and coaches with equal focus on skills and character. Tietjens, who will be actively involved in the Academy for part of the five on-field days, is widely regarded as an expert in spotting and honing hidden talent, and has produced some of the world’s most successful rugby players. He is also known for his emphasis on fitness, as well as running vigorous training sessions while simultaneously developing team spirit.

This initial Elite Academy session will run from August 21 to 28, 2011 at the Starfire Sports Complex just outside Seattle, Washington. Participants will stay together at a nearby Hilton Homewood Suites hotel. The USD $1,895 price will include all training sessions, lodging and meals, but will exclude airfare to and from Seattle. Serevi intends to offer a limited number of full and partial scholarships to this initial session for qualified players who might otherwise not be able to attend. More details on these scholarships will be available at a later date. Players interested in attending the Academy can visit www.serevirugby.com or contact Haigh at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

About Serevi Rugby
Headquartered in Seattle, Wash., Serevi Rugby is a company focused on promoting the sport of rugby worldwide and developing it more broadly in the United States. Serevi Rugby offers fun and impactful youth camps, high-quality coach and training programs, and national academies for high-performance athletes. More information is available at www.serevirugby.com.

Here's our look at Pool B of the USA 7s Collegiate Rugby Championship this weekend at PPL Park in Chester, Pa.

Pool B
Who Will Win: University of Utah
Who they Have: OK, enough about who they don’t have. Thretton Palamo isn’t on the team. Who is: Don Pati, who is an electric attacking player, tireless Danny James, last year’s captain Blake Miller, new-to-rugby speedster Winston Harris, and shifty, exciting brothers Taukave and Tonata Lauti.

They may not have the big man in Palamo, but they have a lot of players capable of stepping into his shoes at least for a moment. In that way, this Utah team might be a better overall team that last year.

Who Will Challenge Them: With apologies to Boston College, we think it’s a battle between Dartmouth and Notre Dame. Dartmouth is without scrumhalf Derek Fish, who tore his ACL in his last 15s game of the season.

Dartmouth has size – former ski-racing, 6-5 prop Nate Brakeley and 6-4 wing and former Dartmouth football wide receiver Tanner Scott; pace – captain Chris Downer and his twin Nick, Fijian, and work rate.

They have crossed over not only Scott, but Steve Morris, another former football player, and track runner MUhammed Shakoor.

But the Notre Dame story is much the same. Nick Civetta is 6-8 and can run. Bob Manfreda is new to the game, attracted after seeing the USA 7s in Las Vegas. Sean Mitchell is a hard-running center and former USA U19 player, and Sean Peterson was a two-time national champion with Jesuit in Sacramento.

Notre Dame has great skill and experience among its playmakers and some tough hombres up front. Do they have the pace to hang with Dartmouth?

Don’t Count Out: Boston College.
We will likely pick Boston College for an 0-3 pool record, but we could well be wrong. They are a complete unknown, and you know a team coached by Jason Lett won’t back down or give up. Ever.

Alex Brown is a big, 6-3 runner with lots of rugby experience, and in fact the team is flooded with players who have played since early high school, or before. That understanding of the game can’t be recreated in a few weeks.

Schedule:
10:42 Boston College v. Notre Dame
11:04 Utah v. Dartmouth
As we said, BC could be a sleeper with so many experienced players, but Notre Dame has that, too. Irish win clash of Catholic colleges.

We strong believe the first round of the day is the time when a favored team can be upset. So Utah is vulnerable here.

1:16 Dartmouth v. Notre Dame
2:32 Boston College v. Utah
Another tough one for Dartmouth. But even if they lose to Utah, a win over Notre Dame could reinvigorate their chances.

4:34 Notre Dame v. Utah
6:34 Boston College v. Dartmouth
Utah will hit their stride now and should win. Dartmouth should beat BC at this point. We could possible see a pool where three teams finish 2-1. We could also see BC pull off some surprises.

But in the end we think it’s Utah and Dartmouth in the top two. But it’s close.