Although the first side faltered to finish seventh, the second side shined in the developmental pool of Illinois 7s.
Michigan’s first side failed to take advantage of its preliminary draw (losing to Illinois 17–14 and beating Northwestern 26–0), earning a low playoff seed and a tough path to the finals. Blowout losses to Indiana (43–0) and Kentucky (31–0) were rectified by a 28–5 avenging of the loss to Illinois, good for seventh place in the top flight of competition. Co-captain George Janke and freshman Shea Loughnane led the team with three tries each.
On the other hand, Michigan’s second side swept the developmental bracket, defeating Indiana’s second side (24–7), Dayton’s second side (22–5), and Michigan’s third side (43–0) in preliminary competition and Indiana’s second side once more (33–0) to clinch the Development 7s trophy. Their dominant performance was truly a team effort. Matthew Daines contributed highlight reel tackles and Conor McNabnay led the team with five tries, while Simon Tessier connected with McNabnay on a behind-the-back pass for a try that was the best play of the day. The future of Michigan rugby is bright!
Next week, Michigan travels to West Lafayette for the Purdue 7s tournament, which is the second leg of the Big Ten 7s series. Plenty of conference points and Collegiate Rugby Championship bids are still at stake. Follow along on our Twitter and Youtube for live updates and match content!
