🏉 Friendship Cup delivers

The Friendship Cup lived up to its name.

It was a warm and inviting atmosphere—despite a persistent, cool breeze—and the camaraderie between players was on display all weekend, regardless of which jersey they wore on the pitch.

Speaking of the pitch, both fields were beautiful and well-groomed. A full sized rugby field is something to behold. At Friendship Cup, there were two such battlefields—a real treat for those among us who appreciate good turf and wide open space.

One thing that stood out during the tournament was the excellent officiating. I don’t think I’ve ever been so impressed with a referee crew—at any level in the USA. Notably, the refs seemed to genuinely enjoy their job—engaging in friendly chatter with the players while keeping total control of the game. I heard zero complaints about their work. Well done indeed, sirs!

A huge shout out goes to the men behind the Friendship Cup: Mike Orefice, Santi Cuccarese and Tom May—along with venue manager Brian Silkwood—all deserve massive praise for putting on such a high quality event. Things moved along in a timely manner without feeling rushed, the food trucks offered tasty fare, and the entire tournament felt like a masterclass in combining high competition with good vibes.

And finally, the rugby. Yes, the rugby was excellent.

Let’s take a look at some of the teams, and things that stood out.

Note: You can find all the Tier 1 Boys scores here.

The Charlotte Cardinals are a force. They glided through the competition, giving up only 3 tries and piling up 168 points total.

It’s not hyperbole to say the Charlotte Cardinals are operating on a different level right now. And that’s no discredit to the opponents they faced in Nashville—there were several impressive teams—but the level of confidence and tactical aptitude these guys play with is special to watch.

The Cardinals play by the “smooth is fast” mantra. They never look hurried, but they flow through phases with precision and chew up territory rapidly. Clinical operators, through and through.

Max Colson and Luke Zehmke are the glue that keeps communication on point, while swapping places between 10 and 15 throughout the game. The Cardinals forward pack—led by captain Kai Campbell—is formidable and violent, while the back line is bookended by speedsters Zane Schumacher and Aiden McLaughlin. You can’t doze off even for a second against this crew—they have too many ways to punish you.

Named Team of the Tournament, the Charlotte Cardinals are must-watch rugby.

Similar to last season, The Cavemen (UT) brought a physical brand of rugby that wears you down as the game progresses. It served them well, even if there are things they’d like to clean up before nationals.

Briggs Love is the emotional heartbeat of this crew. The prop touts impressive rugby IQ and neat footwork that belies his stature. He has a way of finishing off drives inside the try zone, even with the opponent fighting desperately to defend their turf.

Luke Vernon stood out at flyhalf, displaying a steady head and a knack for recognizing opportunities promptly. He was a key part of the attack and wasn’t afraid to use his boot when the occasion called.

Ultimately, the Cavemen had a very strong weekend, but I think they know there is room for refinement as Nationals creeps up on the calendar. We heard team leaders preach “the little things” throughout the weekend—the sign of a team that knows they have the talent. They just need to dial things in a little bit to take down a team like the Cardinals.

The Charlotte Tigers surprised us a bit at Friendship Cup—in a good way. We knew they graduated some special talent last year—and had a head coach change over the summer—so we wondered how they would perform against an elite field of opponents.

We didn’t need to wait long.

The Tigers opened the weekend with a gritty, last-second win over Woodlands. You could tell what it meant to these guys, who definitely play with a chip on their shoulder. They went on to drop results to Cavemen and Raptors, but that win over Woodlands is something to hang your hat on and build from.

The Raptors (TN) went 1-2 over the weekend, but they were close in all their matches—and that win was a 14-7 result over the Tigers. They aren’t the largest side, but they make up for it with tenacity, savvy play, and speedy execution. Truly a fun squad to watch—and one to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.

Check out this Raptors try from their game against the Tigers 👇

Woodlands fields a tremendously athletic team. They’ll want a few moments back, where they could have won had not a few key small miscues kept the door open for opponents. But one thing that we were really impressed with was their defense—particularly when defending their try line. There was one series where the Cavemen were threatening inside the five meter for what felt like an eternity. The Woodlands lads repelled them over and over again, phase after phase—until the dam finally broke and Cavemen crashed over. It was a microcosm of the weekend for Woodlands—awesome grit, tackling form, and resilience—but playing a bit too much on the back foot to get into their attacking rhythm.
Still, we wouldn’t count them out on any given week. They have the skills and IQ to play with anyone.

The SC Barbarians, a squad that pulls players from several locales across the Southeast, shone in victories over Pendleton and the Raptors. They showcased a stable of talent that can break a game wide open in a flash. In fact, they did just that on several occasions with tackle-breaking strikes from distance. Their lone blemish was a 40-7 loss to the Cardinals—which likely says more about the Cardinals’ polish than any deficiency in the Barbarians. For a team that we knew little about heading into the weekend, we were pleasantly surprised by their level of play across the board.

Pendleton held their own in every match. Despite an 0-3 record, it shouldn’t be lost that they played Cavemen closer than everyone not named Cardinals. That 22-17 result opened the weekend’s festivities, and opened some eyes in the process.
Noteworthy—Pendleton lost a couple key players in that match to (hopefully not serious) injuries, which may have put them behind the eight-ball to begin the tournament. Nevertheless, the boys from Indiana showed great flashes of skill and made every opponent earn their points.
In short, 0-3 doesn’t tell the story—this team pushed everybody.

Plus, this Pendleton cross-kick try is pretty sick 👇

There were so many notable players and wow moments throughout the tournament, we can’t list them all in an article.

But we’ll be posting more highlight clips on Instagram over the Easter weekend. So go ahead and follow us over there.
And tag your teammates in the clips—we don’t always know who is who out there.

Thank you Friendship Cup organizers for a terrific event, and thank you lads for the excellent rugby played.

In closing, here’s the man of the weekend, Mike Orefice:

Cheers!

-Rugby Riot