KENNESAW, Ga. - On the second day of the USA Rugby 7s Collegiate Championship our Panthers faced Central Washington and Lindenwood in the Gold Division. Davenport came into these matches with confidence and mutual respect for both teams. They wanted to keep their focus on maintaining possession of the ball, and bringing intensity to the field. The final score against Central Washington was 12-7 resulting in another win for the Panthers in the quarterfinals. Tries for the Central Washington match were made by Enrique "Kiki" Carmona and Mat De Villiers. Defense included some big hits from Sam Evans. Securing this win took them to the cup semifinal match facing Lindenwood University.

In the locker room they reassured each other that they will all have each others backs and play to their best ability. Their first try in the game was scored by De Villiers which gave them a sense of confidence on the field. Ethan "Moose" Howard was able to break through the defense resulting in another try for the weekend. Two conversions were made by Sean Nolan with ease. This match in particular showcased a lot of skills that the boys have including our jumper Christiaan Van Der Westhuizen for his lineouts, Takunda Makiwa for his run and Garrett Hill for his lifting skills and ruck support.

During the first half of the match, Davenport was one try ahead of Lindenwood. Nearing the end of the match, Lindenwood pulled through, breaking the tie and resulting in the final score of 28-14 to the Lions. Although they did not come out with the result they wanted, Davenport finished in the final four of the Rugby 7s Championships, and cheered on the Lady Panthers in their win later on in the matches. The team has taken their placement as an opportunity to work on their skills and make a comeback at the Rugby 7s Collegiate Championship next year. 

 

Scoring Breakdown for Day 2 is as follows:

Sean Nolan - 3 conversions

Ethan Howard - 1 tries

Enrique Carmona - 1 try

Mathew De Villiers - 2 try

Coaches Corner
How do you feel about going into day 2?

"I'm excited for both of the teams, it's really hard to get into Nationals but I think if they work together, support each other and communicate they can win this whole thing!" - Assistant Coach Chris Hathaway

How do you feel about the rest of the day after your win against Central Washington?
"All of this tournament has been tough, with everything said, we want to play for everyone back home. We have a few injuries and a couple boys that could not make it here, but we have them in our thoughts and we just want to put Davenport's name on top of rugby" - captain Enrique Carmona
 

Story by: Taylor Badal