PR7s History

2023 PR7s Champions

Championship History

Year	Women’s Champion	Men’s Champion	United Champion
2021	Northern Loonies	Rocky Mountain Experts	–
2022	Southern Headliners	SoCal Loggerheads	Southern Headliners
2023	Northern Loonies	SoCal Loggerheads	Rocky Mountain Experts

Women’s Final

Year	Champion	Score	Runner-Up
2021	Northern Loonies	28-14	Southern Headliners
2022	Southern Headliners	33-7	Northern Loonies
2023	Northern Loonies	21-10	New York Locals

Men’s Final

Year	Champion	Score	Runner-Up
2021	Rocky Mountain Experts	(3) 19-19 (0)	SoCal Loggerheads
2022	SoCal Loggerheads	32-22	Southern Headliners
2023	SoCal Loggerheads	10-5	Pittsburgh Steeltoes

Tournament Wins

Championship Wins

Tournament Wins

League Awards

League Timeline

2021

The inaugural Premier Rugby Sevens Championship kicked off on October 9, 2021, at AutoZone Park in Memphis, Tennessee.

Six franchises took the field that day—The Locals, Team, Loonies, Headliners, Loggerheads, and Experts—each competing for the first-ever PR7s title and a place in rugby history.

The first-ever Premier Rugby Sevens Women’s Championship trophy was claimed by the Loonies, while the Experts secured the inaugural Men’s title. Most Valuable Player honors went to Delaney Aikens of the Loonies and Logan Tago of the Experts for their standout performances.

Notable players from the USA Men’s and Women’s Rugby Sevens teams who competed in PR7s include Perry Baker, Naya Tapper, Alev Kelter, Danny Barrett, Folau Niua, Stephen Tomasin, Kevon Williams, and Abby Gustaitis.

2022

In 2022, Premier Rugby Sevens expanded into a three-stop circuit, hosting tournaments in San Jose, California (PayPal Park), Washington, D.C. (Audi Field), and the Championship in Austin, Texas (Q2 Stadium).

Four franchises—the Loonies, Headliners, Loggerheads, and Experts—competed throughout the season. Each franchise featured two teams, one men’s and one women’s, vying for the championship title.

2022 marked the first year PR7s introduced the United Championship—an award given to the franchise that earned the most combined points across both its men’s and women’s teams throughout the season. The Headliners claimed the inaugural United Championship title.

In 2022, the Women’s Championship trophy was renamed the Kathy Flores Cup to honor Kathy Flores—an icon and trailblazer for women’s rugby in the United States and around the world. The Women’s Headliners became the first team to raise the Kathy Flores Cup.

That same year, the Men’s Championship trophy was dedicated in honor of A. Jon Prusmack, a visionary and foundational figure in USA Sevens history. The Loggerheads made history by hoisting the first A. Jon Prusmack Trophy in Austin, Texas.

2023

Following the 2022 season, Premier Rugby Sevens doubled in size, expanding to eight franchises—each featuring both a men’s and women’s team, for a total of 16 teams across the league. The franchises were regionalized and split into Eastern and Western Conferences to reflect the league’s growing national footprint.

Eastern Conference	Western Conference
New York Locals	Golden State Retrievers
Pittsburgh Steeltoes	Northern Loonies
Southern Headliners	Rocky Mountain Experts
Texas Team	SoCal Loggerheads

In addition to expanding its league structure, PR7s also grew its competition, hosting five tournaments throughout the summer season.

Before the season kicked off, PR7s held 10 Talent ID Camps across North America in search of rising stars. More than 700 athletes participated in tryouts, with 33 earning roster spots on the PR7s summer tour.

Premier Rugby Sevens hosted five tournaments across major U.S. markets—Austin, TX; Minneapolis, MN; San Jose, CA; Pittsburgh, PA; and Washington, D.C. The season featured 40 internationally broadcast matches and 26 hours of linear television coverage across FS1, FS2, and CBS Sports.

The season kicked off in Austin, where the Women’s Headliners picked up right where they left off, claiming the first tournament win of the year. On the men’s side, Team secured their program’s first-ever tournament victory in front of a home crowd.

Another host city delivered hometown glory as the Women’s Loonies defeated the debuting Golden State Retrievers with a walk-off try. Meanwhile, the Men’s Experts added another win to their record during the Minneapolis stop.

The Western Conference Kickoff in Minneapolis also marked a historic moment as the first-ever professional rugby event held in the city.

At the Western Conference Finals in San Jose, California, the Women’s Experts punched their ticket to the PR7s Championship by earning their first-ever tournament win. On the men’s side, the Loggerheads pulled off a major upset, claiming their first victory of the season and advancing to D.C.

The Eastern Conference Finals took place in Pittsburgh, marking the first-ever professional rugby event in the city. The hometown team and league newcomers, the Men’s Steeltoes, stunned the conference with a statement win, while the Women’s Headliners secured back-to-back titles, earning their fourth straight tournament victory.

The Golden State Retrievers were the only franchise not to advance a team to the Championship in Washington, D.C. On the women’s side, the Headliners, Locals, Loonies, and Experts battled for the Kathy Flores Cup, while the Team, Steeltoes, Experts, and Rhinos x Loggerheads went head-to-head for the A. Jon Prusmack Cup in the men’s bracket.

The Experts were the only franchise to advance both teams to the Championship, earning the most cumulative points across the season and claiming the second-ever United Championship title.

After falling to the Headliners twice earlier in the season, the Locals defeated the reigning champs in the opening round to punch their ticket to the Finals, where they met the Northern Loonies. The Loonies topped the Locals 28-14, earning their second PR7s Championship title.

On the men’s side, the Steeltoes and Rhinos x Loggerheads extended their hot streaks by defeating their respective conference opponents to reach the Finals. In a tightly contested match, the Rhinos x Loggerheads edged out a 10-5 victory, hoisting the trophy once again.

2024

2024 was a landmark year for rugby and Premier Rugby Sevens. PR7s launched its first-ever All-Star event, featuring league standouts competing alongside and against international teams. This showcase of elite talent marked a bold step forward in elevating the sport in North America.

In the Spring, PR7s officially launched PR7s Rise, the league’s grassroots initiative aimed at growing the game nationwide. Focused on youth development, community engagement, and long-term growth, PR7s Rise is committed to cultivating the next generation of American rugby talent.

PR7s expanded its commitment to youth development with the launch of its first-ever Academy Team, a U18 program for boys and girls in the New York Tri-State area. In addition, the league hosted development camps in Kansas City, New York, and Portland, Oregon—laying the foundation for future regional academies.

Recognizing the importance of leadership on and off the field, PR7s also introduced its Coaching Development Series. This initiative focused on supporting coaches at all levels through strategy sessions, leadership development, and access to a broader global rugby network.

With the world’s attention turned to Paris, PR7s paused its traditional multi-stop summer circuit as 43 of its athletes were named to the 2024 Olympic rosters—a testament to the talent and global impact of the league.

Athletes from eight nations competed in the Games, including the United States, Brazil, Canada, Fiji, Japan, New Zealand, Samoa, and South Africa. PR7s players not only showed up—they delivered.

A total of 23 PR7s athletes earned medals, including:

• 🥇 5 from New Zealand’s gold medal-winning women’s team
• 🥈 4 from Canada’s silver medal-winning women’s team
• 🥉 12 from the USA’s bronze medal-winning women’s team
• 🥈 2 from Fiji’s silver medal-winning men’s team

Soon after the Olympics, PR7s returned with a high-profile PR7s All-Star Tournament, featuring top league talent facing off against national teams from the USA and Canada. The event showcased several Olympians, including multiple bronze medalists from the USA Women’s team.

Throughout tournament week, PR7s collaborated with major Portland brands and sports teams—including the Portland Thorns, Portland Timbers, Portland Trail Blazers, The Sports Bra, Voodoo Doughnuts, local schools—further expanding rugby’s reach in the U.S. The women’s all-star team also hosted a youth camp to promote the game and inspire the next generation of players.

Championship Results:

• 🏆 Canada Women went 2-0 and claimed the tournament title.
• 🏆 USA Men finished 3-0 and secured the win on their side of the bracket.
• 🏅 Asia Hogan-Rochester (Pittsburgh Steeltoes / Canada) earned Women’s MVP honors.
• 🏅 Lucas LeCamp (USA) was named Men’s MVP.