As a persistent drizzle drowned out the last fleeting moment of sunshine, Ben Rotstein scurried from field to field, chirping into his walkie-talkie and assuaging grievances of visiting rugby players, fully immersed in his first experience as the director of the New York Sevens Tournament.

“Looking at the date, the weather, and how far people travel, it’s a little confusing why people come,” Rotstein said. “But rugby is such an incredible sport. A lot of these teams have been coming for a long time.”

The New York Rugby Club has hosted its annual event on the Saturday after Thanksgiving since 1959. This year, 139 teams from across the United States, Canada, Mexico and Fiji descended on the southern tip of Randalls Island in one of the country’s largest amateur rugby tournaments.

Beneath the relentless drone of traffic on the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, the speed of the game was evident. Unlike the traditional 15-a-side rugby union, with two 40-minute halves, sevens is seven-on-seven, played over two seven-minute halves. Men’s and women’s teams register to compete in high school, collegiate, social, club and premier divisions.