ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The top-ranked Navy men’s rugby team (17-1) looks to win its second-straight national title when it takes on third-ranked St. Mary’s (17-0) on Saturday in the Collegiate Rugby Association of American (CRAA) Division IA National Championship. The match kicks off at 8 pm ET (7 pm local time) at Sabercats Stadium in Houston, Texas.
Fans can watch the match for free on the Rugby Network with the link provided on NavySports.com(.)
“We are absolutely delighted to head back to the National Championship. Obviously, we want to win this game, but this year’s team has already won the ultimate prize in that we have maximized our time together this season,” said the director of rugby Gavin Hickie. “It’s a privilege to have spent almost every day together since August. Massive thank you to all our Midshipmen, our athletic trainer Keri Carmack and coaches James Willocks and Dallas Elliston. We hope we have done our amazing supporters proud.”
Ticket Information
Tickets can be purchased through the Houston Sabercats ticketing system HERE. Fans can purchase a single-day general admission ticket for $20 and watch Saturday’s matches. Fans can also purchase a weekend pass for $30 to watch all matches on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. All tickets will be general admission.
Last Time Out (vs. Life)
The Mids secured their second-consecutive berth to the national championship with a 27-17 victory over second-ranked Life on April 20.
Landon Opp set up Navy inside the 22-meter zone for the first time with a 50-22 kick in the seventh minute. The Running Eagles were issued a penalty shortly after the lineout to give the Mids a free kick. Late the kick out of bounds inside the five-meter line. Navy formed a maul after winning the lineout and powered William Webb into the try zone in the ninth minute for the first score of the match. Roanin Warrior gave the Mids a 7-0 lead with a successful conversion kick.
Life drove inside its offensive five-meter line twice over the next 14 minutes, but Navy’s defense prevented a score on both possessions. The Running Eagles eventually scored their first points with a penalty kick in the 21st minute to make the score 7-3.
The Mids committed a knock-on shortly after a lineout deep in their defensive zone in the 25th minute. Life shoved the ensuing scrum forward 10 meters and ran inside the five-meter line with another strong carry. The Running Eagles floated multiple passes to the right half of the pitch and their wing stretched across the try line for a score in the 27th minute. Life then took a 10-7 lead by nailing the conversion kick.
Navy received a free kick from a penalty in the 30th minute to establish possession in its offensive zone for the first time since its try. Life was issued another penalty in the 32nd minute and coach Hickie opted to go for a penalty kick. Krieger made the kick to tie the match, 10-10.
Opp pinned the Running Eagles deep in their defensive zone after booting a kick out of bounds at the five-metre line. Life’s next lineout throw was deemed not straight to award Navy an offensive lineout near the try zone. Jake Cornelius brought in the first pass out of the maul. He was initially brought down short of the try zone, but he stood back up and dove across the line for a score in the 37th minute. Krieger added two more points by making the conversion kick to give the Mids a 17-10 advantage.
A short clearing granted Navy possession inside its offensive 22-meter zone for the first time in the second half in the 53rd minute. The Mids began to shift their attack to the left out of a scrum and a Running Eagle defender stepped in front of a pass to steal the ball back. Life sent a low kick across the pitch into its offensive 22-metre zone and outran Navy to recover the ball. The Running Eagles hoped to attack the left sideline with the Mids out of position, but dropped the ball backwards. Aidan Gerber then kicked the ball back inside Navy’s offensive five-meter line. A Life player scooped up the loose ball and Gerber immediately shoved him down to the ground. He jarred the ball free on the hit and Ian Bullock picked it up to score a try in the 56th minute. Krieger gave the Mids a 24-10 lead after nailing the conversion kick.
Navy was gifted a free kick in the 61st minute to send the ball into the 22-metre zone. The referee called another penalty on Life in the 63rd minute and coach Hickie decided to attempt another penalty kick. Krieger lined the short attempt right down the middle of the uprights to put the Mids ahead by 17.
Navy’s three-score lead was short-lived due to surrendering a try less than a minute after the penalty kick. The Running Eagles broke multiple tackles to gain over 50 meters on a carry down the left sideline. Life executed another two offloads to advance inside the five-meter line. Andrew Baublitz brought down the ball carrier to prevent a try, but he was issued a yellow card for a high tackle. The official also gifted the Running Eagles a penalty try for the foul to make the score, 27-17.
Life kept the pressure on over the final 15 minutes, but Navy made multiple defensive plays down the stretch to grind out a 10-point victory.
Navy Team Notes
• The Mids are making their third appearance in the national championship. Navy made its first trip to the finals in 1994 and won its first title last season over Cal (28-22)
• The Mids will be looking for a better start than they had in last year’s title match. Navy fell behind, 15-0, midway through the first half and trailed for over 60 minutes
• The Mids can become the first team to win back-to-back national championships since Life in 2018 and 2019 with a win on Saturday
• Navy has outscored its three playoff opponents, 62-7, in the second half
• The Mids are competing away from home for just the second time during the spring season and only the fifth time overall
• Navy is averaging 49.3 points per game and allowing just 12.2 per match
• The Mids have surrendered only six tries in their last four contests after allowing a season-high seven against Cal
• Saturday will be just the second night game for Navy during the 2023-24 campaign
• The Mids compiled a season-high 1,742 meters kicked against the Running Eagles. Navy averaged 39.6 meters per kick
• The Mids had excellent tackling numbers two weeks ago, making 157 of their 197 tackle attempts (87.7)
• Navy was perfect in its set piece, finishing 13-13 on lineouts and 3-3 during scrums
• The Mids also shone in their lineout defence. Life was successful on only 13 of its 23 lineouts
• Navy’s defense compiled four breakdown steals in the victory
• Another big difference in the game was success in the 22-metre zone. The Mids scored a try during three of their six opportunities inside the 22-metre zone. The Running Eagles only scored a try during two of their 13 possessions inside the 22-meter zone and committed seven turnovers
Navy Individual Notes
• Eight mids totaled 10 or more tackles, six of which finished with a 90 percent or higher success rate against Life. Both Webb (24) duck Ben Haugh (18) played the entire match without missing a tackle
• Krieger posted a team-leading 12 points in the match. He has scored in 10 straight games, which is a new program record
• Vaughn Schmitz played a huge role in lineouts on both sides of the ball against the Running Eagles. The senior totaled eight lineout steals and caused Life to commit two penalties during its throw-in attempts. Schmitz also gathered in nine of the 13 offensive lineouts for the Mids
• Webb went 15-straight games without scoring a try following his hat trick the first week of the season. He has scored three tries in the last two games
• Although Baublitz didn’t score in the contest, he still played a vital role on defense by leading the team with three tackle turnovers
• Navy’s freshmen class has played a major role in scoring this season. Baublitz leads the team in tries and is second in scoring with 65 points. Jake Cornelius is fourth in scoring with 47 points
• Baublitz (13), Avion Ganse (7), Cornelius (5), Bullock (5), Dalton Sand (3) and Gerber (3) have accounted for 36 of the 131 tries scored by the Mids this season (27.5 percent)
• Up, Sean McLaney and Webb all scored a try in last year’s national championship
• Opp was the hero for the Mids, scoring the game-winning try in the 68th minute
Hear From Coach Hickie
Head coach Gavin Hickie spoke with Pete Medhurst this week on the Navy Sports Magazine to reflect on this season and what it means to be back in the national championship game. Fans can watch the full interview on the Navy Athletics YouTube page.
Haugh Featured On The Rugby Rundown
Team captain Ben Haugh was featured on this week’s episode of the Rugby Rundown with hosts Alex Corbisiero and Will Hooley. Haugh is joined by St. Mary’s captain Pono Kayoshi to preview the title match. Fans can watch the full episode HERE.
Championship Coverage
Fans can stay updated with everything in Houston on the Navy Athletics X, Instagram and YouTube accounts. Director of Multimedia, Luke Slabaugh, will preview the championship match from Sabercats Stadium on Friday and provide pregame coverage before kickoff on Saturday.
Quick Glance At The Galels
• St. Mary’s earned the top seed in the west bracket thanks to an undefeated regular season. The Galels’ regular season was highlighted by victories over playoff qualifiers Grand Canyon (79-8), Arizona (48-15), UCLA (58-5), Central Washington (27-26), BYU (38-21) and Cal (38-31)
• St. Mary’s won its first-round contest against eighth-seeded Grand Canyon, 78-7
• The Gaels then met fourth-seeded Cal in the quarterfinals and claimed a 34-16 victory
• St. Mary’s took care of third-seeded BYU in the semifinals by a score of 48-31 to secure its seventh trip to the national championship
• The Gaels advanced to the title game five-straight years (2013-17) and won three championships (2014, ’15, ’17) during that span
• St. Mary’s last appearance in the finals was in 2022 when it lost to Army, 20-8
Tags: Mens Rugby Travels Houston Face Marys National Championship Game
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