The Norwich men's rugby team traveled to Springfield, Mass for the New England Wide Collegiate Rugby Conference (NEWCRC) Conference Championships Saturday afternoon where they took first place in their pool en route to becoming runner up.

The first match of the day consisted of a showdown of two medaling teams in last year's National Tournament as the Cadet took on Springfield. Norwich was the victor in a back-and-forth match where they used their speed and quickness on the outside to overcome Springfield's hard-nosed attack. Kyle Krebs and Michel St. Juste combined for three scores with two conversion kicks by Logan Perry.

The Little Army-Navy game came next, as Norwich faced rival Coast Guard. Norwich's perimeter scores, Krebs and St Juste combined for another three tries in this one as well as Jacob Sherman adding another. Perry added three crucial conversion kicks adding another six points. Norwich also showcased some resiliency on defense, in which Jered Robertson, Perry and Jeff Pappalardo upheld a try, preventing the Bears from getting back into the match. The Cadets held on in a gritty rivalry match against the Bears yielding a 26 -17 victory.

After going two for two in pool play, Norwich took on UMass Lowell. It was a slow start for the ruggers as the scoreboard read 5-0 Norwich after the first seven minutes. However, Norwich got rolling in the second half scoring 21 second half points compared to Lowell's five in an all-around team effort with a strong defensive effort complimenting the scoring in the 26-5 semi-final victory.

In the finals, Norwich faced the other pool champion, The University of Maine in a NEWCRC 15s championship rematch from the fall. Perry, Sherman, and St. Juste combined for 19 points, however the Black Bears held off the Norwich attack until the final whistle and securing the sevens title.

After earning runner up in the NEWCRC Championship, Norwich secured a berth in the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) 7s National Tournament in Gaithersburg, Md. on Apr. 25.