Sometimes in life it’s helpful to ease into a new situation slowly, to take some time to get your bearings and figure things out before you start to ramp up. Fortunately for college rugby fans everywhere, National Collegiate Rugby does not subscribe to that theory, at least when it comes to scheduling prime time rugby matches. The opening game of the 2025 Friday Night Rugby is instead one that will kick your front door down and make itself at home on your couch with a bowl of chips before you’ve even had time to ask its name.
On the couch with a bowl of chips is where you’ll certainly want to be this Friday night when two blue blood collegiate rugby programs in DI Notre Dame (#10) and DIAA Texas A&M (#8) clash on the hallowed ground of Stinson Rugby Field in South Bend, Indiana. The match represents an early-season test for two sides that expect to make deep playoff runs in their respective divisions, and a win would go a long way for either team as they look to establish their respective identities.
Before we get to the product on the pitch, we have to talk about the two men who will be leading their respective programs from the sidelines. The head-to-head coaching matchup features two of the more accomplished program builders in the history of collegiate men’s rugby in Notre Dame’s Justin Hickey and A&M’s Tui Osborne.
Hickey joined The Fighting Irish as Director of Rugby and men’s head coach in 2016, after taking the men’s rugby program at Davenport University from creation in 2009 to back-to-back DIAA National Championships in 2011 and 2012. His squad finished as the runners up in the Big Ten last season, a result they hope to improve upon in 2025.
His counterpart, Osborne, is in his first year at the helm for the Aggies, fresh off a stint as an assistant coach for the Miami Sharks in Major League Rugby. A distinguished player for the USA Eagles in both 15s and 7s, Osborne also has a proven track record of winning at the collegiate level, leading Life University to a 7s National Championship in 2011 and a 15s National Championship in 2015. He also brought home some hardware at St. Bonaventure University, defeating Penn State 19-18 to win the 15s National title in 2021.
While this will be the first real test for A&M under Osborne’s leadership, the coach said he isn’t worried about any lack of cohesion after a solid preseason with universal buy-in from the squad. There might be no better example of group buy-in than the Aggies 85-6 demolition of the Baylor Bears last weekend, an improvement on their 64-20 victory over the Bears in 2024. Osborne said his side accomplished their goal of establishing a scoring platform off of strong set pieces in the match, but that they would be striving in practice this week to improve their ground work and rucking ahead of their clash with the Irish.
Notre Dame has already played two competitive matches, opening the season with a tight 24-20 win over Big Ten rival Michigan, followed by a 38-17 loss to #5 Walsh last weekend. Despite the results, the team felt better about their play in the 21-point loss to Walsh having played the Cavaliers to a 7-7 tie in the second half by controlling play, possession and territory. The Irish will work this week to better capitalize on trips inside their opponents 22-meter line having converted only 1 of 9 opportunities in their game against Walsh. They have also yet to settle on a scrumhalf-flyhalf pairing as they cycle through a number of talented options in the number 9 shirt.
The key to this game for both sides is going to be maintaining possession and completing tackles in space as each squad boasts a stable of talented runners with ball in hand that can do some real damage in the open field.
For the Aggies, keep an eye on outside center Jace Hernandez, the team’s man of the match against Baylor. Hernandez is a strong runner and steel trap defensively. Loose forward Ethan Scott is another key cog for A&M, running hard and hunting turnovers. This will be a real test for young Aggie flyhalf Carim Daher who has to figure out how to best deploy the team’s talented carriers to create plenty of go-forward ball.
On the Notre Dame side, the charge will be led by the forward pack and the likes of Jack Waterhouse, Brendan Lucey, Luke Ingle, sophomore captain Andrew LaFrankie, and Matt Williams.
Whatever the result, the atmosphere at kickoff is sure to be electric under the bright lights on a beautiful Friday night. The Aggies are excited to get out of College Station and show what they’re made of against a DI opponent while the Fighting Irish can’t wait to prove they’re for real in front of a raucous crowd at home. Make sure to tune in early for a LIVE broadcast of The College Rugby Show ahead of the game’s 7pm EST kickoff.
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