ATLANTA, Ga. - The stars aligned for top-notch rugby on day one of the Men’s All-Stars National Shield Challenge, where the best college rugby players in the nation put their skills on display over the course of three pool-play matches.

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The Great Lakes Thunderbirds continued their unbeaten streak from 2024, going a perfect 3-0 with a point differential of +89, by far the highest of any team. The Midwest Barbarians were also perfect in pool play, capping their dominant day with a 20-10 win over the New England Independents Red. 

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Several players had standout performances, including:

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1. Takudzwa Musingwini, Midwest Barbarians

As Pat Clifton said on The College Rugby Show, you can’t spell Musingwini without “win.” The Iowa Central Triton was a huge reason for the success of the Midwest Barbarians on day one of the competition. The fly-half was deadly accurate from the tee, converting five penalty kicks and four conversions. Musingwini scored a try of his own to help the Barbarians best the Independents Red in the team’s final match of the day. The sophomore scored 28 of the team’s 63 total points on Saturday.

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2. Braden Thompson, Tri-State Foundry 

The 6’1” 205lb center must have had his Wheaties for breakfast as he was dominant in the Foundry’s first game of the day against the Mid-Atlantic Sharks. Outside of some hard running and staunch defense, the senior from Syracuse University went eight of nine on conversions over the course of three matches, five of six against the Sharks, giving him a total of 16 points on the day.

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3. Clay Peters, Great Lakes Thunderbirds

A hat-trick for the hard-charging center out of Avon, Indiana made him the top point scorer on a team that had no shortage of offensive output. It also made him the top try scorer on the day, tied with Mid-Atlantic’s Colin Warner. The senior was also willing to drop his shoulder on defense, participating in an impressive showing by the Thunderbirds who surrendered only 15 points across three matches. The well-rounded effort showed why Peters was a star for the Marian Knights and why he earned the invite to the Shield Challenge.

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4. Colin Warner, Mid-Atlantic Sharks

The Kutztown Golden Bear tied Peters for the most tries scored on the day with three. The winger turned in his finest performance of the day against Peters’ Thunderbirds, scoring a brace against arguably the stingiest defense in the competition. He crossed the whitewash once more against the Tri-State Foundry to cement his status as a premier finisher. 

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View tomorrow's brackets.

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