Punxsutawney Phil might have predicted six more weeks of cold weather, but the fact that the collegiate 7s tournament schedule is heating up is a sure sign that Spring is on its way. And just because it’s early in the season doesn’t mean these fixtures are without consequence, as over 70% of the tournaments slated for this, the penultimate weekend in February will produce a national title contender.
Five teams will punch their ticket to the 2026 Collegiate Rugby Championships with tournament wins this weekend, one of which will be the first to do so in the highly-competitive men’s Premier Cup (MPC) bracket. That winner will be crowned on Saturday in Gainesville, FL, at the University of Florida’s Sunshine 7s tournament. The field for that contest features seven qualifiers from last year’s CRC, all of whom are desperately yearning for another shot at glory.
The strongest contenders based on last year’s results are Notre Dame and Indiana, with both schools having survived round one of the 2025 tournament only to be bounced in the second round by Ivy League schools. The Fighting Irish beat Harvard 28-12 in their opener but fell to Brown 24-12 in the Sweet 16, while Indiana survived an opening-round scare against Fairfield, 17-12, before losing a close game against Dartmouth, 7-0.
Notre Dame’s quest for revenge in 2026 will be somewhat hampered by the fact that Player of the Year candidate Jack Waterhouse is spending his spring semester ‘down unda’ in Sydney, Australia. The Irish will also be without the overall leading try scorer from last year’s tournament, Zak Banton. The sophomore, who had ten tries in his debut at the CRC’s, has elected to try out for the school’s football team. Notre Dame hopes that new Trinity College transfer James O’Sullivan can combine with Trinity alum Jack Dunne to pick up some of the scoring slack.
The Hoosiers will be led by standout flyhalf Tommy Hannon and fellow senior Parker Wall. They’ll also be looking for a big contribution from junior Matt Chevalier, the younger brother of current US Eagle Will Chevalier.
To secure a spot, however, Notre Dame and Indiana will have to beat out perennial Premier Cup contenders Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Aquinas. Clemson also made it to the Sweet 16 in 2025 before getting bounced by eventual runners up, St. Bonaventure, 31-0. They will also have to keep an eye on the team from NC State, who cruised to a National Championship in the DI Club bracket at last year’s tournament and are now seeking to make a name for themselves in the highest division.
South Carolina is another former DI-Club contender who will pose a problem for Premier Cup mainstays. The Gamecocks beat Clemson, as well as Kentucky, at Deacon Duel 7s last week though they lost to Belmont Abbey twice and finished in third. Hosts Florida watched their women’s team qualify for the CRC’s at last week’s Love at First Ruck tournament and are hoping they can accomplish the same feat on their home turf.
Speaking of the Lady Gators, they will be eagerly awaiting the results of this weekend’s Hawkeye Classic 7s tournament, as the winner will join them in the women’s DI-Club bracket. The Classic features another doozy of a field led by the tournament host, and 2025 runners up, Iowa.
Though they fell to Northeastern 15-12 in the championship match, Iowa looked strong throughout last year’s tournament, outsourcing their opponents 69-12 through the first three rounds. The Hawkeyes will be without their leading scorer from last year, Elizabeth Langlois, but you would be hard pressed to find a better one-two punch than standouts Gillian McRae and Kiana Shevling-Major. Miranda Basart also has All-Star 7s experience that will boost the club.
Qualification is not a sure thing for the Hawkeyes, though, as they have to navigate a challenging field of competitors on their home turf. Purdue, who made a habit of upsetting favorites in the Big Ten this Fall, are in the same pool as Iowa. The Boilermakers made it all the way to the Final Four at the 2025 CRC’s before losing to the Hawkeyes 20-7. Boise State, who are returning two top-ten scorers from last year’s tournament in Ella Ogletree and Leelynn Huett, will also be a tough out. And there just so happens to be a young and hungry Michigan side lurking in the shadows.
The field for Women’s Division II is filling out quickly, with one contender already set and two more slated to join them this weekend. Coastal Carolina, who qualified last week with a tournament win over the University of Southern Florida at Love at First Ruck, will host their own tournament on Saturday called Sun’s Out, Scrum’s Out. While the Chanticleer’s are the favorite to win on their home turf, their prior qualification opens the door for the second-place finisher, which could be anyone from UNC-Charlotte, to South Carolina, to Lander.
The Great Lakes conference will then hold its DII AQ on Sunday at Grand Valley State University. The Lakers will have a good shot at qualifying on their home turf, but look out for Bowling Green or Central Michigan to potentially swoop in and steal the bid.
On the men’s side, the first DIII team will secure its place with a win at Southern 7s. Five teams that qualified for last year’s CRC will compete in this AQ tournament, held at Elon University, including a Loyola Maryland side that did not qualify for the DIII bracket last year but accepted an invite to fill a vacant slot in the Premier Cup bracket and acquitted themselves very well. The Duke Blue Devils made it all the way to the Final Four in 2025, though star River Hanson will most likely not be available for Southern 7s as he has accepted an invite to play for NCR in the NRL’s Vegas 9s tournament. Junior Harvey Bracken-Smith, who led the tournament with 8 conversions last year, will look to pick up the slack.
And while the other contenders didn’t have the finishes they were hoping for in 2025, teams like Richmond, Christendom, and VMI are all capable of getting hot at the right time. Players to keep an eye on this weekend and moving forward are Christendom’s Charlie Ackla, Richmond’s Matthew Lynch and David Ludovico Jr., and VMI’s Caleb Chandler.
Other tournaments held this weekend that are not automatic qualifiers include Gold Wing 7s and Magnolia 7s.
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