ATLANTA, Ga. - Men’s All-Stars weekend reached its conclusion on Sunday with the Independents Red reclaiming the coveted Shield for the Northeast by defeating the Midwest Barbarians 17-7 at Silverbacks Park. The Independents avenged a 20-10 loss to the Barbarians in pool play on Saturday with physical play from their forward pack, including a rough and tumble try by Dartmouth’s Gjergji Bacuku, and some pinpoint kicking from St. Bonaventure’s Manulua Taula. 

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The Barbarians took a 7-3 lead into the half after a score by Wisconsin Eau-Claire’s Luke Pugh. But the Midwesterners failed to register a score in the final 25 minutes of the match and were forced to settle for a second-place finish. 

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A team from New England has hoisted the Shield three out of the four years of the competition’s existence, their dominant run interrupted only briefly by a talented team from the Great Lakes region at last year’s tournament. The Thunderbirds seemed destined to repeat this year after going undefeated in pool play, but they narrowly escaped a hungry Pac-Coast Grizzlies team 11-10 in the quarterfinals and ultimately fell in the semis after a score by Holy Cross Crusader Jackson Evarts put the Independents ahead in the waning seconds of the match. 

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Dartmouth’s Jamie Phillips was named the All-Star Finals MVP for the Independents. Phillips led all competitors with five tries over the two-day tournament.

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Great Lakes fell to the Southeast Bears 29-24 in the third-place match. Clemson’s Benjamin Thompson scored two tries in the match for the Bears who, as a team, scored an even 100 points total on the weekend. 

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The Tri-State Foundry were the Rising Stars champions, needing two overtime periods to defeat the Midwest Barbarians’ Rising Stars side 15-10. Prop Miska Young scored the game-winning try for the Foundry. Fly-Half Quinten Pienaar was named the game’s MVP.

Though the bar was set incredibly high, 23 players distinguished themselves, according to a committee of selectors and scouts, by elevating their play across a weekend of high-quality rugby and were named to this year’s All-Tournament team. 

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The runner-up Midwest Barbarians had four players selected including Pugh and Iowa Central’s Takudzwa Musingwini who was the points leader on the weekend with 48.

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Cal Poly Humboldt’s Logan Zampa and Connor Malauulu out of MiraCosta College, two Division III standouts, were selected to represent the Pac-Coast Grizzlies on the list. 

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2025 Men’s All-Tournament Team

Lasha Asanidze - Mid-Atlantic Sharks - Kutztown University

Matthew Beacom - Southeast - University of Tennessee

Jordan Chappell - New England Red - Endicott College

James Coffey - Mid-Atlantic - Christendom College

Liam Concannon - New England White - UMASS Amherst

Cameron Donlon - Great Lakes - University of Louisville

Sohl Gafa - Midwest - Missouri S&T

Bensen Han - Midwest - Carleton College 

Pete Hayes - Southeast - Clemson University

Harvey Hogan - Tri State - Siena College

Kevin Kirklin - New England White - Providence College

Connor Malauulu - Pacific Coast - MiraCosta College

Filimone Manu - New England Red - American International College

Jake Morrison - Southeast - University of Alabama

Michael Muleya - Great Lakes - Wheeling University

Takudzwa Musingwini - Midwest - Iowa Central CC

Jamie Phillips - New England Red - Dartmouth College

Luke Pugh - Midwest - Wisconsin-Eau Claire

Asa Rosenmeier - New England White - Brown University

Bautista Saint Bonnet - Great Lakes - Thomas More University

Manulua Taula - New England Red - St. Bonaventure University

Braden Thompson - Tri State - Syracuse University

Logan Zampa - Pacific Coast - Cal Poly Humboldt