Club 7s has been notorious for players and teams worried about shenanigans, but Pool D may well just be a straightforward dogfight — possibly a bulldogfight.

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Years ago, if a club had a first team and a second team in USA Rugby Club 7s National Championships, you'd often be wondering which was the stronger team. The coach might switch players to take advantage of a better matchup in another pool.

This was finally solved with the insistence that a club's second team must be registered as a separate entity, and the players registered basically as a separate team.

So, Belmont Shore Blue, which is in Pool D, is a slightly more experienced squad under Peter Sio's watchful eye. 

Belmont Shore

Watch out for this team. Shore won the Western Open Qualifier and did so against a very strong field of teams. Viliame Iongi led the Pacific Rugby Premiership in tries, and could certainly help Belmont Shore Blue here. 

You might see Adam Channel and Roland Blackiston; they have a long list of veterans to draw from, too. This is an old-school team with old-school tradition, and they could ride that to a title.

Beltway Elite

The Elite were not good in the Eastern Open Qualifier, but injuries and player availability in that tournament obscured the fact that this DC-area squad is a threat. PJ Komongnan — former 7s Eagle and all-around wild runner — is playing what is rumored to be his last summer. Sevens is seductive, so don't say "never." Still, Komongnan is hard to stop and impossible to predict.

Beltway has a group of players who know how to hit hard and work the offloads. David Hightower is superb in the air, while newcomer Campbell Johnstone also provides restart security. It's a combination of youth and experience. It's the experience that will see them through.

Bulldog Rugby

Stephen Lewis took a bunch of college kids, plus capped Eagle Tim Stanfill, up into the mountains in Vail and played the Frontier season. It worked out, and the squad — which includes Jihab Khabir, Aaron Matthews, Christian Rodriguez, Marcus Tupuola, Harley Wheeler, and Lorenzo Thomas — reads like a wish list of collegiate 7s impresarios. 

They have assembled a collection of the top collegiate players in the country, but Bulldog is more than that. They've got this guy.

NYAC

For years New York Athletic Club has looked good in July and faltered in August. Wait, was that mean? We meant to say they seem good on paper and fade in reality. OK, no, that really was mean. NYAC is one of the best 15s clubs in the country and has been for the last 13 years or so. But 7s is up and down. 

This season wasn't a great one, but good enough to get NYAC to NYC (which means a short car ride, but whatever). But NYAC loves — LOVES — to be counted out. That's when they play their best.

Our Pick: Belmont Shore. It's about having been there before. Bulldog could shake things up.