A battle of Division III unbeatens from the Great Midwest conference takes center stage on Friday Night Rugby, with Wisconsin Stout traveling to Wisconsin Eau Claire Friday at 7:00p.m. EST. While this is a crucial conference clash, it’s also a relative first, as the Blue Devils and Blugolds haven’t met in XVs in recent years, with Stout making the move from the Northern Lights to the Great Midwest this fall.
Stout and Eau Claire have faced three common opponents; Platteville, La Crosse and Northern Michigan, resulting in lopsided wins for both the Blue Devils and Blugolds on every occasion, but slightly more lopsided in favor of UWEC. Having conceded just one score so far this year, Eau Claire appears to be a slight favorite heading into Friday.
“It’s been nice having them in the conference. It almost gives us a crosstown rivalry,” Eau Claire head coach Matt Krische said of Stout. He played for UWEC as an undergrad, and back then, Stout was in the same league. Despite their campuses being just half an hour apart; these neighboring programs haven’t played a competitive XVs match since Krische took over as head coach seven years ago.
While the Bluegolds and Blue Devils play similarly; both are known for a smashmouth, physical style played by strong athletes, one big distinction is Stout’s lack of a coach. Kaleb Bruce, Francis Kaunda and Briar Burds all help as player/coaches.
“A lot of teams we play against say we're a very hard-nosed team. The Wayne State coach once told us we play old school rugby, and we wear that with pride,” said Bruce. “But even though we don’t have a coach, we have been installing more higher-level rugby tactics, running a 1-3-3-1 and trying to hone in our skills.”
Kaunda is a tremendously skilled player, having grown up playing in Malawi. He’s known for taking games over as an equally skilled runner, passer and kicker. And tighthead prop Ian Sheetz is a massive chore to tackle.
“We know their pack is always going to come up hard, and we’re aware (Kaunda) is an extremely good athlete,” Krische said.
“We’ve watched their film. They’re a well-coached team,” said Bruce, giving his scouting report of Eau Claire. “They ruck and counter ruck hard. They run the ball very well.”
The Blugolds take a lot of pride in their defense, which is led up front by openside flanker Benja Niesen, vice captain Andrew Boucher in the second row, and No. 8 Luke Pugh. Cal Schmitz captains the team from scrumhalf, and inside center Ben Beckmann is a standout freshman.
“We don't give up many points,” said Krische, whose Blugolds have enjoyed back-to-back undefeated Great Midwest seasons. “We have a lot of guys who understand the fundamentals of defense, staying low, and a couple who really understand jackaling.”
Friday’s winner secures the top seed going into the Great Midwest semifinals November 2, with the loser coming in as the second seed. The conference championship, and potential rematch of Stout versus Eau Claire, is slated for November 9 at the Wisconsin Rugby Sports Complex in Cottage Grove, WI.
Stream this match for free, live on The Rugby Network.
