NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Norwich University men's rugby team won its fifth straight conference 15s title with a 29-14 victory over UMass Lowell on Saturday afternoon at the Dog River Rugby Pitch.
Junior captain flyhalf Leo Clayburgh (Brussels, Belgium) scored three tries and went 3-for-4 on conversions, as well as added one penalty kick to account for 24 of the Cadets' points.
Norwich (7-1, 5-0 NEWCRC) won its inaugural New England Wide Collegiate Rugby Conference (NEWCRC) title after winning three straight Rugby Northeast titles and one New England Collegiate Rugby Conference (NECRC) title in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and now 2021.
Clayburgh opened the scoring just 2:30 into the match with a try to make it 5-0. He added the conversion to push the lead to 7-0. UMass Lowell had a penalty kick attempt at the 10:44 mark by Nathanael Taylor pushed the kick wide left.
Norwich made it 12-0 at the 16:50 mark with Clayburgh touching down for the try after a pretty off-load pass from senior scrumhalf Travis Bartniski (Cypress, Texas). Clayburgh added the conversion with a long conversion attempt that split the uprights from a wide angle.
UMass Lowell got the on board at the 20:10 mark with David Hamel Sellman diving over the try line to cut the deficit to 14-7.
However, Norwich added three more tries before halftime with Yandres Cintron (Vegabaja, Puerto Rico) scoring off a long off load pass that skipped multiple players before Cintron took it in for the score to make it 19-7. Clayburgh added the conversion to make it 21-7.
He then touched down for his third try of the half at the 37:25 mark to make it 26-7 heading into the halftime break.
UMass Lowell (6-1) got a try at the 58:00 mark to cut the deficit to 26-12. Taylor added the conversion to make it 26-14, but that's as close as the River Hawks would get.
Clayburgh capped the scoring at the 79:10 mark with a penalty kick to make it 29-14 Norwich.
Norwich now advances to the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) Division II National Tournament. The Cadets will head to the Cherry Hill, N.J. regional on Nov. 19 and 21 as the top-ranked team in the country. Norwich will take on the Allegheny Rugby Union champion on Nov. 19. Kent State and Indiana University of Pennsylvania will face off for ARU title on Sunday, Nov. 7.
Norwich's conference-mate Univ. of Vermont will play in the play-in round next weekend and could join the Cadets in the Cherry Hill, N.J. regional with a victory.
