florida gators challenge tennessee volunteers for spot in the Usa rugby national championships
Arkansas State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Florida to compete in D1 South Collegiate Championship
Gainesville, Fl, March 26, 2010 – The USA Rugby South Collegiate Championship will take place in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on Saturday, March 27, to qualify for the Final 16 of the USA Rugby National Championships.
The University of Florida Men’s Rugby Club (17-1) is poised for redemption after Tennessee eliminated Florida from the competition with a come-from-behind victory by 1 point in January 2009. “Losing to Tennessee last year was truly a heartbreaker” stated club president Ian Foster. “Since that loss, we have focused on improving and preparing for the rematch that will get us into the national championships.” And improve they have. Since that loss to Tennessee, the Gators lost only 2 of 23 games over two seasons.
On Saturday the Gators (#14) will square off against Tennessee (#15) in the first round of the USA Rugby South Championships. The winner of Saturday’s game will clinch a spot in the Final 16 of the USA Rugby National Championships to be held April 16-18, 2010. Arkansas State (#5) will face South Carolina (#21) to determine out the other seed. Saturday’s winners will meet on Sunday to sort out the final seeds. The top South seed will travel to Santa Barbara Ca April 16, while the second seed will play in Atlanta, Georgia. The final four will meet in Steuber Rugby Stadium, Stanford University, Palo Alto, Califonria, April 30-May 1.
The South Championships will be held at the MTSU Sports Complex 2111 East Main Street Murfreesboro, TN, 37132. Schedule information details can be seen at this website: http://www.varsityrugby.com/2010/2010playoffschedule.pdf.
