January 5 - More than 300 of the country’s top collegiate rugby athletes will compete for the Men’s All Star Championship Saturday and Sunday in Round Rock, TX. The action will be streamed live on the The Rugby Network, with the New England Independents looking to claim a third straight title.
The defending champs, the Independents (Red), are in Pool A with the Great Lakes Thunderbirds, Midwest Barbarians and Mid Atlantic Sharks. The Pacific Coast Grizzlies, runners up in 2022 and 2023, are in Pool B with the Southeast Bears, Tri-State Foundry and New England’s second side, Independents (White).
The Thunderbirds, coached by Marian’s John Harley and Western Michigan’s Sandey Slavatz, feature players largely from the Big Rivers and MAC conferences, with a little bit of Big Ten flair. The back row trio of Aaron Juma (Wheeling), JD Farrell (Marian) and Rua Karimazondo (Wheeling) is formidable. Louisville’s Chris Jensvold, coached by Harley in high school, is a talent in the second row.
With three sides in the competition, the Independents boast a heavy hitting staff of 10 coaches, led by Brown’s Dave Laflamme, Harvard’s Colton Cariaga and Darthmouth’s Kyle Sumsion. Backed by the Major League Rugby champion New England FreeJacks, the Independents have players from a myriad of conferences, including the Liberty, New England Wide, Colonial Coast. Dartmouth hooker Gabe Riordan is a standout up front.
The Barbarians feature players from the Big Rivers, Gateway, Prairie States, Northern Lights and Great Midwest conferences. Heavy influence from Principia and Iowa Central will be seen all over the pitch, with second year program Drury adding a couple of players in lock Cameron Beavers and utility back Drake Poth, both Oklahoma high school products.
The Sharks pull players largely from the Allegheny, Mid Atlantic, Eastern Penn and Cardinals conferences, with a handful of Rugby East players from Mount St. Mary’s. The IUP Crimson Hawks have won three national championships in four semesters, claiming the last two 7s titles and a 15s championship last month, and they’ll have some players on the Sharks, headlined by hooker Cam Taylor.
The Grizzlies represent the Northern California, Northwest, and High Peaks conferences, with some Lone Star and Gold Coast flavor, as well as players from independent Southern Nazarene University. Returning from Small College semifinalist Cal Poly Humboldt is a pair of impact forwards in prop Logan Zampa and lock Logan McDaniel.
The Bears are coached by Queens’ Tyree Reed, Alabama’s Nathan Williams and Tennessee’s Steven Harris, with most of the talent hailing from the Southeastern and Southern conferences. With a handful of standouts from Queens, the Rugby East is also represented. One Royal to look out for is Australian flyhalf Haydon Johnson.
Fairfield’s James Sheridan is the head coach for Tri-State, and he’s assisted by Fordham’s Taye Daniel and Yale’s Craig Wilson. The roster, like the coaching staff, is well represented by the Liberty, as well as the Rugby East, Lake Effect and Tri State conferences. Providing pace and skill on the wing are a pair of Nazareth Flyers in Tony Robinson and Khyree Poole.
The Rising Stars competition features up and comers from six of the aforementioned regional sides. The Great Lakes Thunderbirds lost their tournament opener before winning four straight to claim the Rising Stars title last year. Joining them in Pool A are the Midwest and Tri-State. In Pool B are New England’s third side, Independents (Blue), the Southeast and Mid Atlantic.
In both competitions, Saturday features round robin pool play, and Sunday opens with the quarterfinals and closes with the championship.
