By Grace Malec, Sports Editor
AQ Men’s Rugby takes runner-up title – Photo by Aquinas Men’s Rugby
The Aquinas Men’s Rugby team showed out in the Sunshine state. The team headed to Gainesville, Fla. to compete in the Sunshine Seven’s tournament.
The Saints took on the Clemson Tigers for their first game of the tournament. The Saints showed a gritty performance, taking the match 43-5.
Riding the wave of the first game success, the Saints headed into the second game of the tournament against the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Saints battled through the first half of the match, with a halftime score of 0-14 with the Gamecocks on top. Liam Inman led the comeback of the team, with a final score of 14-14 and a draw result.
Game three, the Saints would take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. Inman led the Saints early in the match, converting three as the Saints took the match 26-10.
The fourth game brought the Saints to a historically tough battle against the Indiana Hoosiers. Gavin Thompson set the tone for the Saints; testing the Hoosiers’ defense and allowing the Saints to take the lead and ultimately win the match 12-5.
“Most people really don’t like it (Rugby Seven’s) because of the conditioning and grind that you need to have in order to be good at Seven’s,” Thompson said. “It is a very mental sport and who really wants it more basically will win the game. The thing about Seven’s is you have at least six other teammates on the field to help push and motivate you to see who wants it more.”
Thompson plays in a match for the Saints – Photo by Grace Malec
For their final match of the tournament, the Saints would take on the Fighting Irish of University of Notre Dame. Notre Dame dominated the first half of the match, taking a 0-12 lead at halftime. Trayvon Mathis made a resilient effort for the Saints and closed the gap in score to bring the Saints to a final score of 5-12.
“We have had a good start to the season, finishing second at our first national qualifier of the year,” Mathis said. “We have another qualifier coming soon that all the boys feel ready for.”
The Saints return to the field for a rematch game against the University of Notre Dame on the road on March 28 before heading to the Big Rivers Sevens Tournament on April 11.
The Saint 