Clarion, Pa. -  After a 4th place finish with a 2-2 record at last weekend's Pittsburgh 7's qualifier, the Franciscan Barons ruggers needed to win this past weekend's ARU 7's Conference Championship to get an automatic bid to Nationals. An at-large bid was still in play, but that would limit their chances at making Nationals. The Barons started out well, beating Clarion 36-5 and University of Pitt-Johnstown 50-0 in pool play to earn a spot in the semifinals. They went up against their rivals in 15's, Slippery Rock University. Franciscan knew that they had to win to move into the finals and have a shot at the automatic qualifier. SRU has had Franciscan's number recently in 7's and the only way for the Barons to get a win was to play mistake-free rugby, stay focused and not crumble when things go awry. Franciscan started things off by making an error that was easily avoidable and turning the ball over in the first 15 seconds. SRU was able to capitalize on it and score first. Once again, the Barons committed an easy turnover and led to the Rock scoring another easy try. The Barons were quickly in the hole 12-0. Franciscan was finally able to keep ball retention for a little bit but, whether it was pressure to execute the game plan or nervousness to not mess up, they once again gave the ball away and Slippery Rock was up 17-0. The Barons were able to advance the ball deep into SRU's territory with no time left in the half but again, turned the ball over and with the whistle, the first half was over. Franciscan, however, didn't panic, and played better in the second half. They scored quickly to cut the lead down to 12, with the Rock having a 17-5 edge with plenty of time left. Both teams had chances to score but neither could capitalize on turnovers and with the Barons pressing hard due to time running out, SRU was able to dot down a try near the end of the match for a 24-5 win. The Barons know that they beat themselves and that they need to work on following their structure and game plan more efficiently. In the third-place match, they faced off against Robert Morris University, and thumped them 52-0 to win third place. It was not the result that they had hoped for, but they did have a great day overall, finishing with a 3-1 record.

The Barons were notified late Sunday night that they have qualified for Nationals at DC as an at large team.   Be sure to tune into the selection Saturday Show on The Rugby Network 7:00pm this Saturday Night April 20th for the bracket release.  The Rugby Network is free to sign up.  

Here is the link for more information and tickets to the CRC 7's Nationals:

https://www.collegiaterugbychampionship.com/

Scores and highlights

Vs. Clarion 36-5

The Barons started out a little slow and was up 12-5 at the half on tries by Vincent Prezzia and John Thibault. Thibault made the lone kick after conversion. Franciscan then took over with 5 tries by four different players-Andrew Normandin, Liam Phelan, Jorge Cebreros and Thibault's second try of the day. Prezzia converted two kicks and Sebastian Bise missed his two kicks.

Tries: Thibault (2); Prezzia (1); Phelan (1); Normandin (1); Cebreros (1)

Assists: Prezzia (2); Thibault (1); Luke Hall (1)

Kicks Conversions: Prezzia 2/3; Thibault 1/1; Bise 0/2

Vs. UPJ 50-0

While no one wants to see a score like this, UPJ put up a valiant effort but they just couldn't get the ball and keep it long enough to develop a rhythm. Phelan led the way with a hat trick, scoring three tries, followed by Matt Orsay with his first two tries of the day. The Barons were loose and confident, maintaining possession of the ball. Normandin punched in a try, as did Hall and Jeremy Lemaignen.

Tries: Phelan (3); Orsay (2); Hall (1); Normandin (1); Lemaignen (1)

Assists: Normandin (2); Thibault (1); Prezzia (1); Phelan (1); Bise (1)

Kicks Converted: Thibault (4/6); Prezzia (2/2)

Vs. Slippery Rock University - Semifinals 5-24

The Barons faced off with their rival Slippery Rock in the semifinal match with a chance to advance to the finals but they continued to stub their toes against them. Franciscan committed simple errors and turned the ball over, helping SRU score easy tries. While the Rock applied pressure, which they do very well, the Barons could not play within their structure and got away from the game plan, enabling Slippery Rock to advance to the finals to face off against John Carroll. Normandin was the lone try scorer with an offload by Thibault.

Tries: Normandin (1)

Assists: Thibault (1)

Kicks Converted: Thibault (0/1)

Vs Robert Morris University -Third Place 52-0

After the tough loss in the semis, the Barons had to turn it around quickly and play longtime rival RMU to win third place and try to impress selectors for the at large bid. Franciscan handily beat RMU 52-0 by maintaining possession of the ball and making plays. Bise, Normandin and Thibault paced the effort with two tries each. Phelan and Orsay scored once each. The win gave the Barons a 3-1 record on the day.

Tries: Bise (2); Normandin (2); Thibault (2); Orsay (1); Phelan (1)

Assists: Prezzia (3); Thibault (1)

Kicks Converted: Thibault (4/5); Prezzia (2/3)

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