At fair Notre Dame’s Stinson Rugby Field is where we once again lay our scene for this week’s Friday Night Rugby clash between two top-five women’s Division I-AA powerhouses, both alike in dignity … and in dominance.
The ancient grudge between #1 Notre Dame and #4 Michigan will surely break to new mutiny this week as these Big Ten behemoths battle it out for conference playoff positioning. Currently it’s the Fighting Irish who sit atop the standings, and the Coaches’ Poll rankings, with an unblemished 3-0 record while the Wolverines (2-1) nip at their heels in second place.
The fact that Notre Dame, coached by Ricardo Ramirez and Dawn Smith, has managed to keep itself clean in what has been a Big Ten conference bloodbath so far this season is a testament to the team’s potential. The Irish opened their season with a commanding 75-12 win over Purdue – referred to by The College Rugby Show’s Pat Clifton as “the Spoilermakers” after upsetting the Ohio State Buckeyes who, earlier this Fall, beat Michigan 22-17. They proceeded to roll past Michigan State (71-14) and Indiana (64-7) all the while climbing their way up the national rankings.
ND is led by two superstars in Mia Blocher and Isabel Henderson, drivers of the backline and forward pack respectively. Blocher, despite her relatively short collegiate career to date, has years of experience with the sport after starring in high school. The versatile back has the rugby IQ to play multiple positions, is devastatingly quick, and packs a ferocious amount of power into her 5’ 4” frame.
Henderson, on the other hand, had zero rugby experience before joining the team last Fall but has taken to the sport like a Leprechaun to shoemaking (it’s an important part of Leprechaun lore that they make shoes for other fairies, look it up.) The number 8 has the size, speed, and tenacity to impact the game on both sides of the ball.
Both Blocher and Henderson shone on the international stage this summer during the All-American World Cup tour and have brought plenty back from that experience to help bolster the rest of the roster. Forwards captain and All-American Megan Tremblay has also been a force in the engine room for the Irish, while Lauren LaMena and Robin Sanders have helped to provide some dynamism in Notre Dame’s attack.
The catch here is that much of what Blocher and Henderson gleaned from their time overseas came from practices and film sessions that were meticulously planned and prepared by Michigan head coach Jamie Frech, who oversaw the tour along with University of Northern Iowa’s Meghan Flanigan.
Frech has had to use every bit of her coaching acumen this season as her Wolverines opened the year with a three-score loss (15-0) to preseason #1 Virginia, followed by the aforementioned upset at the hands of the hated Buckeyes two weeks later. But things appear to be getting back on track for Michigan, with some of those early season struggles chalked up to bad luck with injuries and illness. Despite this being a self-described ‘rebuilding’ year for the Wolverines, they’ve managed to insert themselves back into the national conversation with combined 135-0 shutouts of Indiana and Michigan State. Captains, and Michigan natives, Avery Haynes and Anna Rimatzki have been instrumental in keeping the team on track. The backline pair will certainly have their hands full on Friday as they try to keep Blocher and the rest of the Irish backs in check.
In last year’s matchup between these two teams it was the Wolverines who pulled out the 21-14 win at home on their way to a playoff berth at Regionals. But the Irish are the favorites this time around, and have been champing at the bit for a signature win to boost their momentum heading into the postseason. These teams match up incredibly well athletically, they’re both well coached, and they are certain to leave everything out there on the pitch – the perfect recipe for a sumptuous showdown where the only missing ingredient is you.
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