UHart Men’s Rugby

This past Saturday, April 27, the University of Hartford’s men’s rugby club traveled to Babson University to compete in the NEWCRC finals. The team was off to a great start as they defeated Southern Connecticut in their first match of the day. Then the team had to get ready to face WPI who had proved to be a tough opponent in previous tournaments against the Hawks. However, the Hawks were able to beat WPI by a single try which placed them first at the end of pool play. This allowed the Hawks to enter into the semi-finals of the tournament against UNH. UNH had been on top of their game throughout the day as they beat Westfield and BU. However, the Hawks were able to battle it out and get another win against UNH. This put them into the finals against Coast Guard Academy. This would mark the third year in a row that these two teams would battle one another for the NEWCRC championship. Coast Guard scored early in the first half and then the Hawks replied with a try of their own. That held until the last seconds of the game as the two teams went into over-time. The time on the clock reached 0:00 as the Hawks kept trying to get the ball beyond the try line. After numerous attempts, a quick sacrifice pass by Liam Shea to Jacob Hierl finally got the Hawks that victory try. This marks the third year in a row that the Hawks have won the NEWCRC championship game against Coast Guard and the third year that they will be traveling to the national tournament. This year it will be in Tucson, AZ and will take place from Friday, May 24, until the following Saturday. “We knew the season was going to be tough. We had to pick ourselves up, level up and learn the game without guidance of a coach; and, in the end, we finally pulled it all together with team chemistry, heart, and determination by winning the NEWCRC Cup. It was a heartfelt battle against Coast Guard Academy, but in the end we came out on top” says John Harkin ’19, captain of the UHart’s Men’s Rugby Team. Be sure to support these ruggers these next few weeks as they fundraise to help finance this road to nationals.