They may be misfits but rugby is serious business for Nigel D’Acre and his Canadian Misfits select team with the North American Invitational 7s on the horizon next month in Salt Lake City.

The Misfits Boys U18 team had some trouble in the semifinals of the NAI 7s in 2017 but rebounded nicely to win the New York 7s—both of which are streaming live on FloRugby once again this year.

Watch the NAI 7s LIVE on FloRugby
 August 3-4

“The New York 7s capped off a pretty remarkable year for us,” D’Acre said. “We won the Qmeta Cup and the Magnificent 7s and were just rolling when we got to New York, and kept rolling. It was a great finish to our fall.”

However, 2017 wasn’t perfect, as the Misfits lost in the semifinals of the NAI 7s at the Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City.

“That was a tough one as Atlantis scored on the final play of the game, but I am a former Atlantis player so I can’t be too upset about it,” D’Acre said. “NAI 7s is an excellent tournament and Mike [Cressler] has done an incredible job with that event. 

"For us, we didn’t quite know what we were getting into and were a little underdone. But we learned so much, and it showed in how we went about the rest of the year.”

Watch the New York 7s LIVE on FloRugby 
November 24

This year, the NAI 7s has expanded to include a U20 bracket, and that’s something many coaches have wanted. Most of last year’s Misfits team will be back, albeit split between the U18s and U20s. Several have Canadian age-grade experience, and it’s also clear that winning has helped boost the Misfits’ numbers.

“Last year, we struggled a little bit with organization as we were a relatively new club,” D’Acre said. “Now we have more guys getting involved and seeing what we’re trying to achieve. We expect to come in and do well, and we’re excited.”

The NAI 7s is part of the North American High School 7s (NAHS) which will include more tournaments in 2019. D’Acre is heavily involved in that and said it’s something the players crave.

“We’re looking at the long run, and we and players want more challenges,” he said. “Getting to play in tournaments like NAI 7s and the New York 7s is huge for us.”