Wheeling, W. Va. - After winning their first-ever Big Rivers Rugby Conference (BRRC) Championship two weeks ago, the Wheeling University Rugby team earned an automatic bid to the 2023 National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) 15's National Championships. They begin their run on Saturday at Bishop Schmitt Field as the Cardinals play host to St. Bonaventure in the Quarterfinal round with kick-off scheduled for 1 PM. The Cardinals look to chase down their first-ever National Championship as they kick things off at Bishop Schmitt Field.
The Cardinals are coming off the momentum of their last second BRRC Championship win two weeks ago when they beat Principia 22-17. After falling behind 3-0 in the fifth minute of the game, the Cardinal's offense would get going, scoring three consecutive tries to go ahead 10-3 at halftime and 15-3 by the second half. However, the Jaguars would not stay down for long as they scored 14 unanswered points and took a 17-15 lead with 20 minutes to go. With their backs against the wall, the Cardinals needed a big play and got it in the 76th minute. The Cardinals forced a ruck and Rua Karimazondo would get the ball in his hands. After he broke the tackle, he flipped the ball to Aaron Juma, who ran over 30-meters to cross the try-line and give the Cardinals the conference championship.
Leading the way for the Cardinals throughout the postseason has been Juma, who has scored a team-best four tries during the postseason run. He put together his second multi-try effort of the playoffs against Principia, including the game-winning try in the 76th minute. After scoring just two tries during the regular season, Juma has turned it on in the playoffs, where he has been the Cardinals leader each of the last two seasons. In last year's NCR opening round match, Juma scored one of his team's three tries against Belmont Abbey and added four tries during the 7's National Tournament. He looks to start this year's NCR playoff run with a bang as the Cardinals chase down a national title.
Along with the strong offensive effort, the Cardinal's defense has helped lead them through the playoffs this season. Since entering the BRRC Tournament, the Cardinals held opponents to 20 points or less in two of the three playoff matches. Since entering BRRC play, the Cardinal's defense has held opponents to sub-20-point games three times in five games and they look to continue that success against some of the top teams in the nation. The defensive effort has opened opportunities for the offense to thrive, with Rua Karimazondo and Alex Nyamunda each benefiting with three tries each. Both have had their first collegiate multi-try games this playoff season and look to continue their success into the National Tournament.
2023 will be the second consecutive year that the Wheeling Rugby team finds themselves in the NCR National Tournament. In 2022, the Cardinals made it into the play-in round of the tournament, where they hosted Belmont Abbey at Bishop Schmitt Field, picking up their first-ever NCR 15's National tournament win. This season, they do not have to play in that play-in round, after earning a bye week with the BRRC Championship win and advance right to the NCR Quarterfinals. They look to advance farther than they did in last season's playoffs and earn their ticket to Reading, Pennsylvania for the 2023 NCR DI 15's National Tournament Semifinal round on December 2nd.
The Matchup
The Cardinals and Bonnies will be meeting for the 11th time in program history on Saturday, with the Cardinals leading the all-time series at 6-4. Of those 10 meetings, six have come during 15's play, with the Cardinals holding a 4-2 record in those matches. It will also be the two teams' first-time meeting in 15's play since the 2018 season, with the Cardinals trying to break a two-game losing streak against the Bonnies. The Cardinals will welcome St. Bonaventure to Bishop Schmitt Field for the fifth time in program history, holding a 2-2 record in the four previous meetings.
The last meeting between the two teams came at the Terrapin 7's last season, as the Cardinals picked up a 24-12 win over the Bonnies. Former Cardinal Simo Haddar led the way in the game with three tries on the day as part of the 24-point outburst. Haddar also added a 5-7 day on conversion kicks as the team went 5-9 on kicks on the day. The Cardinals also had tries from Aaron Juma and Lawula Bata as they rounded out their offensive day.
The Details
Kick-off for Saturday's NCR Quarterfinal game is scheduled for 1 PM inside Bishop Schmitt Field. You can watch the match live by clicking HERE.
