Wheeling, W. Va. - After an impressive 15's season that saw the team again make their way to the national stage, some of the Wheeling University Rugby team's top talent are pushing to the professional level. Over the weekend, four Cardinals participated in a talent ID camp, hosted by the Pittsburgh Steeltoes of the Premier Rugby 7's (PR7s). Josh Blankenship, Simo Haddar, Aaron Juma, and Chief Chipfumbu participated in the camp, showing off their talents in front of professional rugby scouts.
The camp was run by the Pittsburg Steeltoes of the PR7's, which is a professional 7's circuit in the United States consisting of nine teams divided into the Eastern and Western conferences. The camp was hosted at the AHN Montour Junction Sports Complex and tested players speed, agility, fitness, and basic Rugby ability. Among the attendees at the event were Pittsburgh Steeltoes General Manager Mike Tolken, Director of Scouting Richie Walker, and Women's Head Coach Josie Ziluca. The Cardinals competed against some of the top local college and club players as they make their case to be possibly picked up by the team for the 2024 PR7's season.
After going through warm-ups as a group, the athletes were put through a series of fitness tests to measure speed and athletic ability. The day began with a 10 and 40-meter sprint, broad jump, and 5-10-5 agility work to get baseline measurements. After that, the athletes went into skill stations where their rugby skills were put to the test. They went through different footwork, passing, and tackling drills as they showed their technical skills to go along with the athleticism that they displayed earlier. The day culminated with live games as the athletes were split into teams and participated in live play that saw them play 6-12 seven-minute halves as they applied their skills to the pitch.
All four Cardinals who participated had impressive days and showed out with the other participants at the tournament. Prior to the event, Pittsburgh Steeltoes General Manager Mike Tolken expressed what he was looking for in participants, and the Cardinals hit on most of the points.
"From the experienced players, we are looking to see if they can perform the basic skills very well-passing, tackling, support, and tackle area work," said Tolken in an interview with prsevens.com. "People who show strongly in the areas of [fitness, athleticism, superior footwork, aerial ability, speed, and power] will get serious consideration, and these athletic categories are the areas where crossover athletes can excel and show their potential."
All four participants will play big roles for the Cardinals this upcoming 7's season as they kick things off on Saturday, March 9th, when they take on the Fighting Irish 7's in South Bend, Indiana.
