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A big day from Ethan Manuel helped Rio Grande to a pair of wins on Friday at the NCR Collegiate Rugby Championship 7s in Boyds, Md.
A big day from Ethan Manuel helped Rio Grande to a pair of wins on Friday at the NCR Collegiate Rugby Championship 7s in Boyds, Md.
Posted: Apr 25, 2025

Rio wins two of three at CRC 7's

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Rio Grande Sports Information
     BOYD, Md. - The University of Rio Grande rebounded from an opening game loss with a pair of victories and remained alive following Friday's action in the Men's Premier division of the NCR Collegiate Rugby Championship National 7s at the Maryland Soccerplex.
     The RedStorm, who were seeded sixth in the Midwest bracket, fell to No. 3 seed American International College, 17-7, in their opening match before posting a 19-14 win over seventh-seeded Fordham University and 24-12 triumph over No. 5 seed Aquinas.
     The victories put head coach Brad Sandig's squad in the semifinal round of the Bowl bracket in the division where it will face Virginia Tech on Saturday at 3:40 p.m.
     A victory would precipitate a match with the winner of Walsh and Fairfield in the Bowl final - for 17th place in the 32-team division - on Saturday at 5:10 p.m.
     A loss to Virginia Tech would mean the RedStorm would square off with Walsh-Fairfield loser at 5:30 p.m. for 19th place.
     In Friday's opener, Rio Grande trailed 17-0 inside the first 10 minutes of the contest, but avoided a shutout on a try by junior Ethan Manuel (Durban, South Africa) and a conversion by sophomore Thibault Carrere (Dax, Landes, France).
     The RedStorm also trailed Fordham, 7-0, just under three minutes in, but rallied with a pair of tries by Manuel and two conversions by Carrere to take a 14-7 lead.
     The Rams tied things up with just under five minutes left, but a try by freshman Justin Falken (Cape Town, South Africa) with just under three minutes to play gave Rio the victory.
     Against Aquinas, the RedStorm grabbed a 7-0 lead just 30 seconds in thanks to a try by senior Solomone Ahoia (Los Angeles, CA) and conversion by Carrere.
     The Saints rallied, though, scoring the next 12 points to take the lead, but Rio closed the contest with 17 unanswered points.
     A try by Manuel and conversion by Carrere put the RedStorm in front to stay, while tries from sophomore Sunny Staffieri (Lostwithel, England) and Carrere set the final score.
     Live video of Saturday's match with Virginia Tech will be available through National Collegiate Rugby's You Tube channel.
     The Bowl final can be seen at www.therugbynetwork.com.
     If Rio loses to Virginia Tech, its final match will air on NCR's You Tube channel.