By Alyssa Fama

The official Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC) kicked off this year on Friday, May 30 and

broadcasted live on NBC.

In total, 20 men’s rugby teams ranging from the University of California to KU were competing for the championship.

There were 12 teams competing on the women’s side, and all were competitive and heart-racing matches to watch.

The rugby ball soared into the sky at 9 a.m. with both men and women’s rugby teams ready to play.

There were a total of 30 matches on Friday with scores as high as 50 points. On Saturday, May 31, tensions were even higher between teams, all knowing the cup was in sight.

Temple won the shield final against Boston College 19 to 12, Notre Dame won the bowl final against St. Joe’s 22 to 17, and UCLA dominated in winning the plate final against Dartmouth 33 to 5.

It all came to the University of California versus KU for the cup final.

With five seconds left in the game, a KU player, Bilal Hassen, made a crucial mistake by body-slamming a California player, Paul Bosco, on his back after a fight for the ball.

Hassen received a yellow card, keeping him from playing the rest of the game.

In the end, California won the game 17 to 12.

On the other side of the park, the women were playing just as hard.

There were 10 matches played on Friday, and only five played on Saturday.

KU women’s rugby placed in seventh place after a tough round of games.

Penn State won the final against Lindenwood 24 to 7.

The two day tournament also featured high school boys and girl’s teams, both with impressive strategy play and scores.

While most matches were played on the outside fields, some high school teams got the chance to play in the stadium.

Both teams trained throughout the fall for this championship.

With rugby growing in popularity, the CRC continues to grow each year with new teams competing for the title.

Teams are already preparing for next year’s tournament, some training for revenge and others training to keep their place as number one.