For the Wolverines, the 2018 7s season was a time of growth. UMWRFC entered the season with nearly half of the players coming off of their first season of rugby. Opportunity for young excellence and leadership abounded, and the rookies stepped up at every chance. The team practiced and played with intensity and intention to improve that showed.

The season began with a friendly round of 7s against Davenport University, where UMWRFC was met with tough competition. Thanks to the efforts of the C-side, ensured that Michigan showed up on the board. Playing against Davenport provided many new rookies to compete in a Michigan jersey for the first time!

After facing off against Davenport, UMWRFC travelled to Kent State University for two 7s games and 15s game. These matches were the first between the two schools since Fall of 2015, and the team enjoyed reconnecting with Kent State as solid competitors and as a team with outstanding sportsmanship. Playing 15s in the middle of UMWRFC’s 7s season proved to be a challenge. Despite making a good effort, UMWRFC wasn’t able to answer to Kent State’s 39 points. The team felt more comfortable in the 7s games, playing more effective defense against Kent State, and even answering with some tries of their own. Despite an improved effort from the 15s matchup, UMWRFC was not able to secure a win over Kent State. Coincidentally, both the A and B sides finished with the same score: 5-20.

The only home competition of the season was Wolverine 7s: UMWRFC’s annual 7s home tournament. This year, the team hosted 5 other BIG10 teams, all competing for first place, which earns the winning team a spot at the USA Rugby College 7s National Championship. Read more about Wolverine 7s here.

In light of a cancelled last contest against Grand Valley State University, UMWRFC organized to compete in one final tournament of the season. The team travelled to Charleston, South Carolina to play in Wench Fest 7s! This tournament provided an exciting preview of rugby life after college. As the tournament as a Nationals qualifier for DII women’s clubs, UMWRFC only participated in the pool play part of the tournament. UMWRFC played against Clemson, and while the matchup was close, UMWRFC could not match Clemson in the second half, which resulted in a 12-20 loss. The second match was against a club that Michigan Rugby had never before faced: the Savannah Shamrocks. The Shamrocks proved to be tough competitors and outplayed UMWRFC for a hard-fought final score of 12-19. Lastly, the Wolverines faced off against another new opponent, the Women of Mayhem, who prevailed over UMWRFC (12-19).

This season provided endless opportunities for UMWRFC to learn from their opponents. UMWRFC looks forward to applying the learning from this 7s season into 15s.

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