It would be foolish to pick against Life West in the Women's Club 7s National Championships Pool A, and possibly the entire tournament, but the DC Furies caught fire late in the summer and have all the momentum coming into New York City.

Watch The USA Rugby Club 7s Nationals LIVE on FloRugby

Life West

Last year Life West lost in the semifinals to Atavus, the eventual champions, by a try. This year there is no Atavus, so Life West should be not only the Pool A favorites but the tournament favorites.

In the Pacific North Division, Life West won every qualifier and then beat out two nationals-bound teams, Washington Athletic Club and Berkeley All-Blues, in the conference championship. 

The Life West women are also no stranger to the national championship stage. Just two months ago the Gladiatrix women won the D1 National Championship. They are also the only team in Pool A that were at nationals last year. How can you pick against Life West?

Rocky Mountain Magic

This is the first nationals appearance for the Rocky Mountain Magic, so it would be difficult to pin them as favorites. Rocky Mountain has played well against high-level competition in the frontier region. Rocky Mountain also made it to the finals in Bloodfest and Rocky Mountain 7s.

The club just launched in the spring of 2018 and are already playing in their first nationals. Beware the beginner.

D.C. Furies

The Furies are the Pool A dark horse. The Furies have play in the Mid-Atlantic which is arguably the toughest region. Scion came away as the one seed in the Mid-Atlantic, but the Furies beat Scion to win the last qualifier. 

The Furies are the team in the women’s division that caught fire late in the summer and are carrying momentum to New York. The Furies might be the wrecking ball in Pool A and they will have two matches to warm up before they take on Life West.

Phoenix Rugby (FL)

Phoenix is back! Their last appearance was in 2016, but Phoenix snagged the second seed in the South region. Phoenix never could get past the Atlanta Harlequins in the qualifiers but they sure could beat up on everybody else.

It would be dangerous to pick anyone to beat Life West, but Phoenix has them as the first match of the entire tournament. The best way to beat a great team is to jump on them early and Phoenix has that opportunity.

FLORUGBY PICKS: Life West Gladiatrix