🏆Friendship Cup: 7 days (March 28th)

🏉Gonzaga Classic: 22 days (April 12th)

🏔️Montana Invitational: 36 days (April 26th)

🇺🇸Nationals Tournament: 62 days (May 22nd)

🔥Match of the Week🔥

Belmont Shore (CA) vs SD Mustangs (CA)
Saturday, March 22

A game with Nationals implications between two Cali top dogs. 

This used to be a back-and-forth rivalry. But in recent years… well, it’s started leaning heavily in one direction—and Belmont Shore is the one with the magic sauce.

Case in point: Belmont has taken five of the last six meetings over the past four years. That lone Mustang win? It came during the regular season last year—a moment of triumph for the Mustang boys.

The last time these squads met—during the 3rd place match at Nationals—Belmont clinched the bronze with a score in the dying moments. It was another late heartbreak for the Mustangs, who once again found themselves on the wrong end of a tight finish. You can bet they’ve had this rematch circled ever since.

Fun Fact: The last time the Mustangs beat Belmont in a meaningful game (Playoffs or Nationals), this year’s Mustang seniors were still in middle school.

And no, this isn’t a playoff game. But there’s still plenty on the line.

The Nationals committee is only taking two club teams from the region this year. So of the four big contenders (Mustangs, Belmont Shore, Thunder Rugby, SOC Raptors), only two are punching tickets to Elkhart. So this match is basically round one of a three-round play-in.

Things to watch: 

• How will the Mustangs handle Belmont’s electric attack? Belmont tests the gain-line with rhino-esque runners and deadly offloads. You’ve got to commit two tacklers and prevent the mid-tackle offload. If you don’t, they’ll carve you up. 

• How will Belmont deal with the Mustangs’ territory game and clever structures? The Mustangs grind teams down with a clinical combo of kicks, lineouts, and mauls—often in that order. That’s before we even mention their playmaking with ball in hand. They’re smart, structured, and love to frustrate opponents out of rhythm.

We predict this one gets decided in the final 20.

Our question: Who bends first?

Staples (CT) vs Greenwich (CT)

⭐️Nationals Play-in Match

Greenwich hits the turf for the first time this year—Staples looks to bounce back from last week.

This is a fiery way to kick off a season. Not only is it a Nationals play-in game, it’s also a rematch of last year’s Connecticut State Final. Staples won that one—so you can bet the Greenwich boys are looking to flip the script.

Staples fell to Xavier (NY) last weekend, 39-12. But don’t let the score fool you—there were flashes of excellence. They’ve got some big, sturdy runners with real line-breaking potential, and you can assume they’ve spent the week tightening up their defense.

Bottom line: expect hard hits, big carries, and a little extra fire from both sides.

We asked Greenwich Head Coach Jamie Everett which players to keep an eye on 👇

Moeller (OH) vs St. Edward (OH)

⭐️Nationals Play-in Match

St. Edward is coming off a loss to rival St. Ignatius (OH), but the eye test says they’re trending in the right direction. For most of that match, St. Ed’s looked up for the challenge and gave Ignatius plenty to think about. They’ve got several lads who carry the ball like absolute bears, and the team as a whole tackles with intent.

Moeller recently fell to Bishop Dwenger (IN)—a squad that’s looking sharp this year—but they’ve got playmakers and a track record of steady improvement as the season rolls on.

With a Nationals invite on the line, expect both sides to empty the tank in this Ohio clash.

La Salette (IL) vs Penn (IL)

⭐️Nationals Play-in Match

La Salette is a small Catholic boys' boarding school with a student body of just 100. Similar to Gregory the Great (PA) and St. Martin’s (KS), they’ve built a reputation for being well-coached and highly disciplined.

They opened their season with a close loss to St. Ignatius (Blue), then bounced back with a win over Naperville on March 6th.

The Penn Kingsmen, meanwhile, kicked off their year with an impressive 31-0 shutout of Marian (IN).

We don’t have a ton of intel on either team just yet, but both seasons are just getting underway—with a spot at Nationals on the line.

We’ll follow up once the result’s in. 👀

Fort Hunt (VA) vs Vienna (VA)

⭐️Nationals Play-in Match

These two have been circling each other for weeks.

They both faced Gonzaga and Gregory the Great earlier this season, and both showed up to Ruggerfest—but never crossed paths.

Every coach we spoke to in February about Vienna and Fort Hunt said the same thing: “Look out for these guys in a few weeks.” The consensus: Tremendous athletes, strong coaching, and just a little time needed to click.

Well, a few weeks have passed. And now they meet—in a Nationals play-in game.

We’ll be watching this one closely. 👀

Berks (PA) vs Gregory the Great (PA)

This one has Pennsylvania playoff implications written all over it—and it’s a rematch of the 2023 State Final.

Gregory the Great had a strong preseason, going 3-1 with a thrilling win over Gonzaga in D.C. But that was a month ago. Since then, they’ve dropped two straight—first to Xavier (NY), then to Doylestown (PA) in a narrow 17-15 loss. Both games were riddled with uncharacteristic mistakes. Gonzaga hangover? Maybe. Either way, we’re curious to see which version of GGA shows up against a tough Berks side.

Berks, on the other hand, is off to a flying start. They’re 3-0 after back-to-back wins last weekend, and while their roster skews young, these kids can play. One name to know: freshman prop Jerry McArdle. He scored three tries last Sunday against Conestoga and earned a captainship nod this week—as a freshman. That’s rare air.

Berks is banged up in a few spots, but with young guys like McArdle stepping up, they’re still dangerous. GGA, when firing on all cylinders, can beat just about anyone.

So… who’s going to grab the reins in Pennsylvania? We’ll find out soon. 👀

Woodlands (TX) vs Barbarians (TX)

The Woodlands have been stuck in rugby purgatory—ready to play, but with no one willing to answer the bell. Enter the Barbarian Horde.

Previously known as “Katy,” the Barbarians are climbing the food chain in the club scene. They’ve beaten several teams handily and lost a nail-biter to Okapi down in Florida a few weeks ago. The Horde—as they call themselves—are on a mission to put their name on the map, and a strong showing against Woodlands would definitely boost their Nationals resume.

Woodlands is a known quantity—historically, at least. But this season, we’ve seen precious little of the Texas lads, as many opponents have folded before ever setting foot on the pitch with them. Translation: they’ve had a bunch of teams forfeit, leaving their schedule mostly empty to start the season.

Fun Fact: Woodlands has an incredible feeder system—over 300 players from 1st grade up participate in their program. That kind of depth is a big reason for their sustained success

This one should be a proper test on both sides: Woodlands looking to get meaningful minutes, the Barbarians looking to prove they belong with the best.

Think you know rugby? Prove it!

Oddball musings, induced by borderline hypothermia.

🏉 The Haka — Ancient Rome Style. We’re aware of two teams that have created their own Latin-language haka: St. Edward (OH) and Gregory the Great (PA). Let’s keep this simple… give the people what they want: a Latin Haka Showdown (plus a rugby game, of course). Can we make this happen?

🏉 Mascots Are Weird, Right? It just hit me how bizarre it is that we have grown adults dressing in oversized animal costumes and dancing around at sporting events.
Sports used to feature some truly gnarly stuff—think Roman Gladiators.
Now we get a 7-foot furry doing the worm…
The pendulum may have swung a little too far the other way.