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COTTAGE GROVE, Wisc. – Davenport outscored Wisconsin 26-5 in the second half to pull away from the Badgers for a 34-11 victory to advance to the Final Four of the USA Rugby D1-AA National Tournament. The Panthers will meet Dartmouth in the Final Four on May 18^th in Sandy, Utah.
 
The first half showcased both teams strength on the defensive end as neither team was able to get things going offensively. Wisconsin got the first opportunity to get on the board but missed the penalty kick.  Davenport responded with a successful penalty kick by Jean-Pierre Eloff a few minutes into the half to give the Panthers the early 3-0 lead.
 
Wisconsin came right back with a penalty kick of their own to tie the game at 3-3 but again failed to take the lead on Davenport when they missed another penalty kick several minutes later.
 
With about seven minutes left in the half, Ryan Hargraves scored the first try of the game to give Davenport an 8-3 advantage after the missed conversion. Just before the half, Wisconsin missed a penalty kick but due to a Davenport penalty they were able to re-kick.  The Badgers made the second attempt which cut the Davenport lead to 8-6 heading into the half.
 
The Panthers were able to put some distance between them and the Badgers early in the second half. JP Eloff scored a try a few minutes into the half off a great pass from Anthony Whelmers and then a couple minutes later Demecus Beach scored a try to push the Davenport lead to 22-6.
 
After being held in check for several minutes, Davenport again had two quick strikes with Jean-Pierre Eloff and Ryan Hargraves both scoring their second tries of the game. Griffin Benson made one of the two conversions to give Davenport a 34-6 lead.
 
With a few minutes left in the game, Wisconsin scored their first try to cut the deficit to 23. Davenport went on to win 34-11.
 
JP Eloff led all scorers with 17 points scoring two tries. Eloff made one of two penalty kick opportunities and went two for three on conversion attempts. Ryan Hargraves also had two tries for the Panthers while Demecus Beach had one try. Griffin Benson made one of his two conversion attempts.
 
Davenport will face Dartmouth in the National Semifinals on May 18 in Sandy, Utah. Dartmouth advanced by defeating Shippensburg and Stony Brook to win the Hanover, N.H. regional.
 
Post-Game Quotes – Head Coach Kruger Van Biljon
 
Thoughts on game – “We knew Wisconsin was going to throw everything at us. That first half speaks volumes of how they came out and they tried to dominate us and we just couldn't get going and they shut us down in every corner.  They played some really good defense and I don't think we've faced a side like that yet. In the second half, we went back to structures and we played out game and the gaps started opening up.”
 
On what it means to go to the Final Four two years in a row – “It's great for the players and for Davenport. It's great for Davenport, a small school that's out there in the rugby world right now. For the guys, obviously two years in a row is not an easy task to do and they'll throw everything at it and see if we can bring another one home.”
 
Post-Game Notes
 
Davenport outscored their opponents this weekend 121-11 and allowing only one try…The Panthers are 9-0 this season and have held their opponents to 15 points or fewer in every match…Davenport advances to the Final Four of the USA Rugby D1-AA National Tournament for the second consecutive year.