The National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) Division I National Championship is down to Univ. Michigan and Notre Dame College – the only two teams to top the weekly Coaches Poll this fall. They meet in Houston’s AVEVA Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 4 at 2 p.m. CDT, and the title match will be live-streamed via NCR’s YouTube Channel.
Notre Dame College and Michigan are located within a three-hour drive of each other, but it’s not until the post-season that there are means of comparison in terms of common opponents. Michigan is on the eastern edge of the Big 10 conference. Notre Dame College had just two league games in the Allegheny and filled the rest of its schedule with competitive friendlies that did not include any Big 10 teams. But there’s little debate as to whether these two teams are the best in Division I, and the title match will be a nice cap to a weekend that features the Small College and Division II national championships as well.
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In terms of background, the 2022 finalists are very different. In the past decade, Notre Dame College has competed everywhere from USA Rugby’s Division II to the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA, the country’s NCAA varsity league). There have been peaks and valleys as coaches transitioned in and out of the program, but current head coach Jack Nece is steeped in positivity, and today the players seem to compete with a lot of confidence. The women’s rugby team is governed by the athletics department, so there is an elevated status there. Framed team photos line the gym facility hallways and a banner celebrates the team’s 2014-15 USA Rugby DII National Championship.
Notre Dame College played four friendlies before its two league games, and the match against Davenport University was a turning point. The team had been winning handily and then faced an NCAA team that would go on to finish runner-up at the NIRA D2 National Championship (a game decided in overtime!). The Falcons lost that game but reaped a lot of insight and vision for the future. Notre Dame College beat Kent State and Pittsburgh by a combined 132-5 to win Allegheny, and then traveled to Reading, Pa., for the DI Round of 8/4. The Falcons beat Clemson 57-5 on Nov. 18 and Iowa 41-19 on Nov. 20 to book its spot in the national final.
The Falcons featured in the 2021 national semifinals, finishing 3rd overall, and many influential players have returned in 2022. Junior prop Alivia Leatherman has blossomed in leadership, buoyed by the confidence that comes with a USA U20 tour (Canada, summer 2022). Grad student Kelly Wallenhorst brings maturity to the pitch and set piece stability from the second row. Scrumhalf Aubrey Boing continues to be the hinge around which the team operates and is an excellent pairing flyhalf Bella Gullatta. The freshman halfback has a boot that not only adds points off the tee but controls the territory game with aplomb.
The majority of the first-years are in the back line, and keep an eye on freshman Alexis Smerek attacking out of the backfield and St. Bonaventure transfer Gabby Dispenza, who brings tenacity to both sides of the ball.
Michigan may be new to NCR but the Wolverines have been playing rugby for more than 40 years. Head coach Jamie Frech started her rugby career as a player in 1997 and returned to lead the Wolverines in fall 2018. The team has been making steady gains in the Big 10 and post-season ever since. The team made regional playoff appearances in 2019 (USA Rugby) and 2021 (CRAA), and then in 2022 the Big 10 decided to leave CRAA for NCR. The move, Frech explained, hinged on the desire to expand the league and lessen drive times to matches. There are no CRAA teams in the Midwest (read more).
Michigan played a mix of league games this fall, from big shutout wins, to gritty contests against in-state rival Michigan State. A key turning point, however, was the away game against Indiana. Several A side players were unavailable, and so a couple of B side players in key decision-making roles and completely new players were called upon. The depth not only prevailed but produced a shutout win against a very physical opponent. The team was all about it.
The talk is always “the team,” and captain Lauren Kuffel is the culture-setter there. There’s a really nice 7-8-9 connection between seniors Kuffel, Gianna Torres and and Sarai Magallon, and then sophomore flyhalf Katie Gale releases a back line that has a lot of quality time together this fall. Ember Larson is the senior and the USA 7s camper does damage from fullback.
The Wolverines booked their spot in the national final after beating Iowa State 36-17 in the quarterfinals and ’21 national runner-up Northern Iowa 31-14 in the semifinals. Both of those games were heavy hitting, and the final will be the same. Michigan needs to match that physicality and find a way to play the pacey game it prefers.
Is there a favorite? Tough to say. As far as the Coaches Poll is concerned, the voting group had Notre Dame College at No. 1 until the final week, when Michigan swapped with the Falcons. Both programs take the rankings with a grain of salt – nice recognition, mild motivation – but Sunday’s title match will settle the debate.