Is the Rugby East the best collegiate rugby conference in the USA?
We’ve discussed this before and while there are some other contenders, depending on your criteria, Rugby East has to be in that conversation.
Two of the last three D1A national champions. Two of the last three NCR D1 champions. Three (!) of the last three NCR D1 losing finalists. Those three facts make a compelling argument.
CRAA Fall Classic: Rugby East teams went 2-1 in bowl games. Add in the fact that Life University made the D1A semis
So we know that not only are the top teams good, but the teams behind them are good.
It’s also competitive. Of the 35 games played within in Rugby East in the fall of 2023, 10 (28.6%) were within a try or a tie. That’s a very impressive rate.
The upshot is that every game is difficult, and that is why teams want to join. Belmont Abbey is the newest team in the league, and it’s highly likely we’ll see more programs join for 2025-26. Hopefully the league won’t collapse under its own weight.
Belmont Abbey
After being the only school-supported program in the Southern Rugby Conference, Belmont Abbey has opted to find a more challenging conference. They were a young team in 2023-24 and because of that return pretty much their entire starting 15.
With a solid recruiting effort, new Head Coach Genaro Fessia has a pretty good chance to do well this fall.
“We are eager to get started,” Fessia told GRR. “Having been included in the East conference is a reward for the efforts of everyone involved in our program and we are convinced that the team will be up to the task in the tournament, despite its youth.”
Navy
At the top of the conference is Navy, which won D1A in the spring of 2023 in a very close game and then lost the D1A final in the spring of 2024 in a very close game.
And while the Midshipmen graduate some very important players, their tenure as a full varsity program only began two years ago so their recruiting classes from 2023 and 2024 are still there. Returning impact players (and we asked Head Coach Gain Hickie for this list) are: Drew Baublitz, Ian Bullock, Avion Ganse, Roanin Krieger, Ed Soeder, Austin Taylor, Will Webb, JD Bengston, Jake Cornelius, Aidan Gerber, Austin Taylor, Mike Kalalau, Kade Williams, Tanner Russell, Max Smith, Michael Strehle, and AJ Young.
Many of these players played an important role in Navy’s run to the 2023-24 final, especially Krieger (fullback), who set a points-scoring record for the program, and Bullock (hooker), who scored a key try in the semifinal.
The recruiting class is strong, too.
They will have to be because Hickie has put together, as he judges it, “the toughest schedule in the country.”
Their conference schedule is bolstered by a tilt against BYU and then they open their winter/spring schedule at Cal in February.
Physical, hardworking, but also capable of opening the game up, Navy is once again a favorite.
On September 28 Navy takes on Army in a clash of the 2022 D1A champs and the 2023 D1A champs.
Army
“We will look a bit different,” said Head Coach Matt Sherman. “A core group that's been with us for many years has graduated to begin leading our nation’s Army, and we couldn't be more proud of, grateful for, and excited for them. Despite this loss, we have strong depth and competition throughout the returning team. In particular, the rising sophomore class showed tremendous promise last season. We will need new players to step up, but we have faith in their ability to do so, and if we improve at the rate we strive for, we believe we can be a nationally competitive team and are excited to get started.”
Coming off a 2-4-1 season in Rugby East Army still managed to beat Cal at West Point during the spring. That was a signal that perhaps that they were stronger than the record first appears. And if you look at their results, you’ll see a tie with Notre Dame College, a three-point loss to St. Bonaventure, and a 23-21 loss to Navy.
Eight points the other way and they’d be 5-2.
