Montclair Wins Social Division at 49th Can-Am Rugby Tournament

The Montclair Men's Rugby Football Club made its annual trip to the largest rugby tournament in North America a memorable one by going 5-0 and winning the Social Division. The Norseman won the 32 team bracket with a mixture of hard running forward play interchanging with a dangerous backline and a stout defensive throughout the weekend. Sporting a roster with players hailing from England, Ireland, Canada, Argentina, Tonga and Zimbabwe as well as much local born talent, Montclair outscored its opponents by a 176-50 margin.

Playing in beautiful Saranac Lake, New York; Montclair started the preliminary round with a decisive 47-7 victory over Queens which was followed up by a 29-12 win over local rivals; Morris. The Norseman then knocked off the Rochester Colonials 42-7 advancing to the Championship Semi-Finals. Montclair booked its place in the Finals by beating Shaymuks 26-10.

Kyle Quigley’s 3rd minute try in the Finals set the tone early as Montclair struck for 3 more tries to lead the Lumberjacks by a 28-0 margin after only 17 minutes. The Norseman held on for a 36-14 victory to clinch the hardware. Captain Daniel Zielke led the club by playing every minute of each game, while young Leroy Sengeledo won Player of the Weekend honors for his stellar play at Scrumhalf.

The club is actively recruiting new and experienced players as it prepares for the Fall league season which begins on September 10th. In-season practices are held at Colgate Park in West Orange every Tuesday and Thursday at 7:30 PM. For more information, log onto www.montclairrugby.org.

Montclair Rugby is sponsored locally by English Guy Personal Training, Tierney's Tavern in Montclair, Le French Dad Boulangerie in Montclair, Jersey Mike’s Subs in West Orange, United Rentals and Keown Insurance Group.