Wheeling, W. Va. – In 2024, National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) is teaming up with the France-USA Rugby Centennial to honor 100-years since the last Olympic Rugby match. To celebrate the organization is putting together a 2024 college showcase tour, with three games scheduled in France in mid-June and early July. Three Wheeling Rugby players will participate in the tour, with Mohammed Haddar, Joe Iye, and Aaron Juma set to compete.
The USA-France Centennial will feature three different games competing across France. The first game will be played on June 23rd in Dunkirk, France, followed by games on June 27th (Bayeuz, France), and July 4th (Paris, France). The tournament represents the NCR's commitment to providing high-performance opportunities for men's and women's student-athletes and strengthening the talent pipeline for the 2031 and 2033 Men's and Women's World Cups. The team consists of a 30-man all-college roster, spanning all three divisions of the NCR. Of the 30 players on the team, 11 come from the Big Rivers Rugby Conference (BRRC), with Wheeling having three of those. They have the most participants out of any of their conference opponents, with Notre Dame College and Iowa Central each having two participants.
Leading the way for the Wheeling participants is Aaron Juma, coming off a strong performance at the Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC) 7'S national championships. Juma was the Cardinal's second leading scorer at that event, with nine tries, and finished second on the team in scoring behind Shadreck Mandaza. Juma was one of two All-Americans for the Cardinals this past season, earning the second NCR DI All-American nod of his career. Joe Iye, came through big for the Cardinals both in 15's and 7's season. In the CRC 7's, he would push across four tries for the Cardinals, and has handles a lot of the kicking duties for the Cardinals throughout his career. Mohammed Haddar missed the 15's season, but was back for 7's play and made his mark at the championships. He would score three tries in Boyds, Maryland and used his speed and power to help claim the national Title.
The 2024 USA-France Centennial is set to kick-off on Saturday, June 23rd, with the NCR All-Americans vs. The Belgium U23 National Team.
