Rhinos Could Charge At NAI 7s

Watch out for the Rhinos Rugby Academy at the North American Invitational 7s.

Jul 31, 2017 by Alex Goff

If there is a team to expect to come out of nowhere at the North American Invitational 7s next week, it might well be the Rhinos Rugby Academy.

Hailing from Southern California, the Irvine Rhinos won the SoCal High School Club championship with a team that is mostly underclassmen. Program director and founder Derek Nellmapius has been the energy behind the club, and he has worked tirelessly to get young players on the field at an elite level. Those efforts will be on display once again as Rhino Academy fields its boys U18 elite, U16, and U14 squads at the NAI 7s in Salt Lake City on August 4-5.

Each of those teams enters the tournament after winning a state sevens championship this summer.

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"We have a lot of kids involved who are top players in their football teams at their schools, and we'll be missing some of those, but we have a pretty solid squad," Nellmapius said. "So now boys will get a chance to play at the elite level, which is great."

Dominick Iacovino captained the Irvine Rhinos to that SoCal title and will be a player everyone will lean on for his leadership, according to Nellmapius. Elite U18s coach Aimee Sutorius is a former New Zealand Black Fern at both 15s and sevens and has the team working hard.

The Rhinos have brought in U18 players to the elite team. As a result, a couple of players who might show well at that level remain with the U16s -- namely, Masefield Funa, a huge young back who can power over defenders or run around them. At the U14 level, watch out for Mikey Matthews, a nifty reader of the game who can find space for himself or his teammates.

All of the Rhino players have been working three or four days a week on their strength and conditioning and their skills. They will be in shape to play and have been working together as a unit. And they've already gotten a taste for winning.