by Ted Hardy
As everyone already knows, it was a very busy weekend in Philadelphia. Aside from the CRC, there was a women's CRC bracket, a high school tournament, and multiple clinics and rugby-specific meetings that took place around the CRC. Of the many rugby-related events going on, one that may have gone overlooked was a representative matchup on Friday between All-Star teams from the Atlantic Coast Rugby League and the Big Ten Universities Rugby Conference.
"Both teams were able to provide substantial playing time for their entire rosters, and it seemed like a great experience for all involved," said Clemson and ACRL Head Coach Justin Hickey. "The match was very well supported by the respective conferences, USA Sevens and World Rugby Shop."
"I definitely believe there is a future for cross conference play in both the XVs and 7s codes," added Hickey. "Anytime we can expose young players to a higher level rugby environment, it's a positive thing, and provides a great experience."
The contest was mostly one-way traffic as the ACRL All-Stars pounded the Big Ten 66-10. Game MVP honors were shared by Maryland starts Matias Cima and John Davis. Cima, scored 29 points for the ACRL on three tries and seven conversions. Davis pounded the Big Ten lines from inside center and also scored a try in the big victory.
The first half was dominated by the ACRL as the squad scored 40 unanswered points. The ACRL got on the board first through tries from Cima and Davis, but the Big Ten was keeping the game interesting and the contest stood at only 14-0 with less than fifteen minutes left in the half.
As the half began to wind down, the ACRL All-Stars made a mad charge with four tries in the final ten minutes of the half to extend the ACRL lead to 40-0. Cima scored two of the tries and Clemson teammates Ryan Gilroy (#9) and Justin Warzoha (#13) added two more.
The Big Ten got on the board first in the second half and added another unconverted try in the 23rd minute of the second half, but it wasn't enough to match the ACRL. The second half was again dominated by the ACRL as Maryland's Matt Reilly and Clemson's Eddie Abreu, Matt Fetty, and Stefan Friend each scored second half tries for the ACRL. The effort put the final score at 66-10 in favor of the ACRL All-Stars.
With the seal broken, there appears to be a sincere desire to see more such games take place not only in XVs but also 7s. The ACRL/Big Ten Challenge may have just been the first of many such opportunities that will likely come to fruition in the coming years.
"There have been many informal, stage one discussions regarding bowl type games between specific schools and conferences, as well as joint conference 7s tournaments," said Hickey. "I believe that these are events that can exist along side of each other, and in conjunction with some of the current competitions out there, such as the CRC."
Scoring Breakdown
First Half
ACRL:
Try: Matias Cima (UM) (10) - 8m
Conversion: Matias Cima (UM) (10)
Try: John Davis (UM) (12) - 26m
Conversion: Matias Cima (UM) (10)
Try: Matias Cima (UM) (10) - 30m
Conversion: Matias Cima (UM) (10)
Try: Matias Cima (UM) (10) - 35m
Conversion: Matias Cima (UM) (10)
Try: Ryan Gilroy (CU) (9) - 38m
Try: Justin Warzoha (CU) (13) - 41m
Conversion: Matias Cima (UM) (10)
Second Half
ACRL:
Try: Eddie Abreu (CU) (20) - 7m
Conversion: Matias Cima (UM) (10)
Try: Matt Reilly (UM) (22) - 14m
Conversion: Matias Cima (UM) (10)
Try: Matt Fetty (CU) (6) - 26m
Conversion: Dylan Cunningham (UNC) (19)
Try: Stefan Friend (CU) (15) - 33m
BTU:
Try: (7) - 3m
Try: (2) - 23m
ACRL All-Star Roster
(1) Brett Weaver (Clemson) (2) Dan Collins (Clemson) (3) Max Simons (Clemson) (4) Mic Minichiello (Virginia Tech) (5) James Watson (Wake Forest) (6) Matt Fetty (Clemson) (7) Ben Shafer (Maryland) (8) Keith Snedden (Maryland) (9) Ryan Gilroy (Clemson) (10) Matias Cima (Maryland) (11) Nick Johnson (Clemson) (12) John Davis (Maryland) (13) Justin Warzoha (Clemson) (14) Johnny McMurray (Wake Forest) (15) Stefan Friend (Clemson) (16) Dylan McGowan (Maryland) (17) Matt Whalen (Virginia Tech) (18) Eric Higgins (Virginia Tech) (19) Dylan Cunningham (North Carolina) (20) Eddie Abreu (Clemson) (21) Jack Zimmerman (Wake Forest) (22) Matt Reilly (Maryland)
As everyone already knows, it was a very busy weekend in Philadelphia. Aside from the CRC, there was a women's CRC bracket, a high school tournament, and multiple clinics and rugby-specific meetings that took place around the CRC. Of the many rugby-related events going on, one that may have gone overlooked was a representative matchup on Friday between All-Star teams from the Atlantic Coast Rugby League and the Big Ten Universities Rugby Conference.
"Both teams were able to provide substantial playing time for their entire rosters, and it seemed like a great experience for all involved," said Clemson and ACRL Head Coach Justin Hickey. "The match was very well supported by the respective conferences, USA Sevens and World Rugby Shop."
"I definitely believe there is a future for cross conference play in both the XVs and 7s codes," added Hickey. "Anytime we can expose young players to a higher level rugby environment, it's a positive thing, and provides a great experience."
The contest was mostly one-way traffic as the ACRL All-Stars pounded the Big Ten 66-10. Game MVP honors were shared by Maryland starts Matias Cima and John Davis. Cima, scored 29 points for the ACRL on three tries and seven conversions. Davis pounded the Big Ten lines from inside center and also scored a try in the big victory.
The first half was dominated by the ACRL as the squad scored 40 unanswered points. The ACRL got on the board first through tries from Cima and Davis, but the Big Ten was keeping the game interesting and the contest stood at only 14-0 with less than fifteen minutes left in the half.
As the half began to wind down, the ACRL All-Stars made a mad charge with four tries in the final ten minutes of the half to extend the ACRL lead to 40-0. Cima scored two of the tries and Clemson teammates Ryan Gilroy (#9) and Justin Warzoha (#13) added two more.
The Big Ten got on the board first in the second half and added another unconverted try in the 23rd minute of the second half, but it wasn't enough to match the ACRL. The second half was again dominated by the ACRL as Maryland's Matt Reilly and Clemson's Eddie Abreu, Matt Fetty, and Stefan Friend each scored second half tries for the ACRL. The effort put the final score at 66-10 in favor of the ACRL All-Stars.
With the seal broken, there appears to be a sincere desire to see more such games take place not only in XVs but also 7s. The ACRL/Big Ten Challenge may have just been the first of many such opportunities that will likely come to fruition in the coming years.
"There have been many informal, stage one discussions regarding bowl type games between specific schools and conferences, as well as joint conference 7s tournaments," said Hickey. "I believe that these are events that can exist along side of each other, and in conjunction with some of the current competitions out there, such as the CRC."
Scoring Breakdown
First Half
ACRL:
Try: Matias Cima (UM) (10) - 8m
Conversion: Matias Cima (UM) (10)
Try: John Davis (UM) (12) - 26m
Conversion: Matias Cima (UM) (10)
Try: Matias Cima (UM) (10) - 30m
Conversion: Matias Cima (UM) (10)
Try: Matias Cima (UM) (10) - 35m
Conversion: Matias Cima (UM) (10)
Try: Ryan Gilroy (CU) (9) - 38m
Try: Justin Warzoha (CU) (13) - 41m
Conversion: Matias Cima (UM) (10)
Second Half
ACRL:
Try: Eddie Abreu (CU) (20) - 7m
Conversion: Matias Cima (UM) (10)
Try: Matt Reilly (UM) (22) - 14m
Conversion: Matias Cima (UM) (10)
Try: Matt Fetty (CU) (6) - 26m
Conversion: Dylan Cunningham (UNC) (19)
Try: Stefan Friend (CU) (15) - 33m
BTU:
Try: (7) - 3m
Try: (2) - 23m
ACRL All-Star Roster
(1) Brett Weaver (Clemson) (2) Dan Collins (Clemson) (3) Max Simons (Clemson) (4) Mic Minichiello (Virginia Tech) (5) James Watson (Wake Forest) (6) Matt Fetty (Clemson) (7) Ben Shafer (Maryland) (8) Keith Snedden (Maryland) (9) Ryan Gilroy (Clemson) (10) Matias Cima (Maryland) (11) Nick Johnson (Clemson) (12) John Davis (Maryland) (13) Justin Warzoha (Clemson) (14) Johnny McMurray (Wake Forest) (15) Stefan Friend (Clemson) (16) Dylan McGowan (Maryland) (17) Matt Whalen (Virginia Tech) (18) Eric Higgins (Virginia Tech) (19) Dylan Cunningham (North Carolina) (20) Eddie Abreu (Clemson) (21) Jack Zimmerman (Wake Forest) (22) Matt Reilly (Maryland)