Maddogs win the Bowl at the National Sevens
Four straight wins on day two, ending with a last-play win over Cal Poly, gave NU ninth place in the country.
Day one started with the Dogs up 14–12 over the Arizona Wildcats at halftime. The second half was a different story: as Coach Ed put it, “we made a few small mistakes, and Arizona scored on each of them,” and the perennial powerhouse won 38–14. The Dogs then lost a close, hard-fought game to Ohio State, 21–14, before putting it together with a great 33–12 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Day two started with a 19–10 win over the USC Trojans, then a 21–0 shutout of Minnesota in the semi-final. The Maddogs capped the weekend by beating a tough Cal Poly side 17–12 on the last play of the game, bringing home the Bowl trophy and securing ninth place in the D1 tournament.
“Golden Boot” Ryan Connolly was named first-team all-tournament hooker and Darren Chan second-team all-tournament scrum half. Niall Carlson, David de Luzuriaga and Matt Urrea also had very strong weekends.
In other Northeastern rugby news, the Lady Maddogs took home the Bowl trophy in the women’s D1 tournament, and an all-NU alumni coaching staff led Babson in the women’s D2. Congratulations to all!
The Dogs now break for the summer before coming back for fifteens double sessions in September. Mark the weekend of October 5 for the annual alumni golf outing, the weekend the Dogs play BC.
Our condolences to NU Old Boy Jed “Jedi” Hannon on the loss of his dad, John J. Hannon, a great friend and supporter of the club.