With the 2021-22 World Sevens Series concluding in Los Angeles, Calif. on Saturday, one California native will surely seize the attention of fans: Steve Tomasin.
Tomasin will be on the USA Sevens squad for the grand finale of the 2021-22 series, and he’s been one of the better all-around performers on any team during this run.
Here are five facts to know about the 27-year-old forward:
He played as a running back in high school
Some skills between rugby and American football intertwine, and Tomasin learned both early on. He was even voted North Bay League Offensive MVP in his senior year at Cardinal Newman High School in Santa Rosa, but he didn’t stick with football for long.
He switched to college rugby at San Diego State
Tomasin flipped from American football to rugby with the San Diego State Aztecs in college. It didn’t take long for him to catch the eyes of the U.S. men’s rugby team, which called him up that same year.
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He made his U.S. national team debut as a college freshman
As aforementioned, Tomasin quickly made strides within the U.S. national team. He debuted for the squad at the 2013 Gold Coast Sevens in Australia, where the Eagles took home the Shield trophy after failing to qualify for the Bowl or Plate knockout games. He also played in the squad that took home bronze at the 2015 Pan American Games hosted by Canada.
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He contributed to USA’s best World Sevens Series finish in 2018-19
The U.S. men’s team took a long time to turn heads in the World Sevens Series, as it wasn’t on the same tier as the triumvirate countries like New Zealand, Fiji and South Africa. It started to improve in the 2014-15 series, but its best ever placement came in 2018-19 when it finished second, trailing only Fiji in the final table. Tomasin led the team in tackles with 101 and had the second-most tries with 29.
He’s one of the top points scorers in the 2021-22 series
USA currently ranks sixth in the standings heading into the grand finale at home, which is too far from collecting any silverware from the entire series. On an individual level, Tomasin has been tremendous, as he’s currently third in points scored in 2021-22 with 218. He ranks second in two-point conversions made with 69 to go with 16 tries. Let’s see how he performs in front of a home crowd at Dignity Health Sports Park.
