September 21 - North Carolina State and North Carolina renew their rivalry at Hooker Fields in Chapel Hill, NC, under the lights for Week 3 of Friday Night Rugby. This is a statement game for both teams, as UNC and NC State are ranked 16th and 18th in the country in the most recent DI-AA NCR Coaches Poll.
NC State comes in with a 1-0 record after beating Eastern Carolina 32-12 in the season opener. UNC also enters 1-0, taking down UNC Wilmington 24-12 last weekend.
The Wolfpack have something to prove as they return to the DI-AA after finishing third in Division II last fall. They were in DI-AA the season before, but due to hardships brought on by the pandemic, the team failed to score a try all season.
“It was a great feeling for the team to come off a tough season and try to build back NC State rugby to all the great stories we had heard from previous years of success,” said club president Dan Bennett.
Restoring the high-level performance has happened relatively quickly for NC State, and after a two-point loss to the Tar Heels last season, this Friday means a lot to the Wolfpack.
“UNC is a huge rival for us,” said Bennett. “They’re nearby, it's a historic rivalry … we are really excited to come back and change things and grab a win for the Wolfpack.”
Fullback Henry Jones is the vice president and captain of the team. Flanker Alex Tomlinson is returning from a broken femur and also provides leadership on and off the pitch. Two of the promising new members of the Wolfpack include flanker David Scott, an exchange student from South Africa, and No. 8 Datuna Giorgadze, who played for the Georgia U16 National Team.
While NC State has limited outside expectations moving up a division this season, North Carolina is the reigning top DI-AA team in the Southern Conference. The Tar Heels only lost two games all last season, both to varsity and Division I Belmont Abbey. Now their in-state rivals stand between them and a return to the postseason.
“I don’t want it to be chippy, but it probably will be,” said UNC head coach Claude Hughes.
Hughes says his team needs to find the right balance between intensity and restraint, especially against the Wolfpack.
Tar Heel flyhalf George Condra and flanker Elias Arana are captains who lead by example, and they’re comfortable at many different positions on the field. Sophomore transfer Tye Mendenhall has already shown some leadership ability as well.
Hughes believes that this match will show the country how strong the Southern Conference is, not only in DI, but in DII and Small College as well.
“We want to put on a very good performance,” said Hughes. “We aim to win, we expect it to be close, and we want it to be a really good match to show everyone across the country what we can do here in the Southern Rugby Conference. It means everything to us. The Chance to play in front of a rugby community across the country and have this great game featured is just really exciting for the team.”
Written by Joey Knese
