Wheeling, W. Va. - Fall sports rage on at Wheeling University and the start of 15's Rugby season is kicking off this weekend. The Wheeling University Rugby team (0-0, 0-0) hit the road to kick things off as they take on the Queens University of Charlotte in a non-conference match on Saturday at 1 PM. It is the inaugural season of the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) Big Rivers Rugby Conference (BRRC), and Wheeling is looking forward to their first of two non-conference opponents to help them prepare.
Last season, the program enjoyed a lot of success as they put together the best season in program history. They broke the single season win record, going 34-8-1, while also making two trips to the National Stage. During 15's season, they qualified for the inaugural NCR Rhino Rugby Bowl where they battled Iowa Central Community College. They would bring home the first piece of Division I hardware in program history, defeating the Tartans 29-24. Then, as the calendar moved towards 7's season, they once again found success, winning four of the six tournaments they went to during the season. It was enough to lead the team to the NCR CRC 7's tournament in May and they were able to finish as the sixth best team in the country.
Many of last year's leaders return to lead the way again in 2022 as they look for similar success. Leading the offense are a couple of backs in Sophomore Chief Chipfumbu and junior Mohamed Haddar. Chipfumbu had a big freshman campaign with the team earning the program's first NCR Division I All-American Award. He was second on the team in tries last season and scored one in the NCR Rhino Rugby Bowl. The man who led the team in tries was Haddar using his speed to get down the field. In the 15's season opener against Franciscan last season, Haddar led the way with four tries and never looked back. Both players will be relied upon to get the offense going again in 2022 as they get set to kick off 15's play.
In the kicking game, the Cardinals have two returners who were reliable in their respective seasons. Joe Iye started things off, kicking during 15's season and was almost automatic after tries. He also plays a key role in the Cardinals passing game, flipping the ball to his backs for open runs down the field. Ayoub Jalli handled most of the kicking duties during 7's season and will kick occasionally in 15's. As he enters his junior year with the Cardinals, he is looking to continue his offensive success in 15's season as he creeps towards the 500-point mark for his career. He will join Haddar and Chipfumbu during this 15's season as leaders on the offensive side of the ball as they look to get back to the national stage.
The 2022 season marks Wheeling Rugby's first as an official conference member as they, and five other teams, formed the NCR Big Rivers Rugby Conference. With two weeks before the start of conference play, the team looks to use these first two weeks to gauge where they are at and prepare for the heavy competition they face. They play their home opener in just one week and will look to put on a show in front of the home fans.
The Matchup
Saturday will mark the first-ever meeting between the Cardinals and Royals as Wheeling makes the long trek down to North Carolina. In last year's 15's schedule, Queens University of Charlotte played 10 games and went 6-4 in those matches. They had wins over North Carolina State University and Southern Virginia University among others and will provide a test for the Cardinals in their season opener.
The Details
The opening kick for Saturday's game is scheduled for 1 PM at the Queens Sports Complex on the campus of Queens University of Charlotte. You can watch the game live on the team's Facebook page by clicking HERE.
