After a successful 2024 7s campaign, where the team finished 23-9, claiming the Bowl Title at the National Collegiate Rugby 7s Championship, and finishing 4th place in the Big Ten Conference, the Fighting Irish rugby team is eager to return to the field of play this fall. The Irish are motivated to rid their mouths of the bitter taste from a challenging 2023 XVs season, and are excited to get back on track this year. The team will play host to 6 home matches this fall, with multiple signature events on the docket. On Friday, October 11 the team will host 2023 D1AA XVs & 2024 D1 Club 7s National Champions, University of Louisville for the Parseghian Cup, benefiting the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Fund. The program will also host the annual alumni reunion the same weekend to enjoy what is sure to be full of plenty of rugby and football action.
In 2023-24, the Irish finished 7th among the 8 team Big Ten XVs conference, dropping 3 key conferences matches on the final play of the game, along with 2 more tight games. The team will look to rebound this fall, and again set its sites on a Big Ten XVs before advancing through to the National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) post season play. On Sunday, November 10 the Irish will play host to the Big Ten Rugby Conference Championships at the world class Stinson Rugby Field. Multiple matches will be played throughout the day, including the Big Ten Championship match. The conference semi final will be played at the home of hte highest seeded team the week prior. The Irish will kickoff the season with an August fixture for the second year in a row, this time at home v. MAC Conference power Western Michigan University. The team will also conference foes Michigan and Michigan State in September, before traveling to Big Ten rival Ohio State in early October. Once again, a centerpiece to this year's fixture list is a neutral site meeting with 2024 D1A National Championship Runner Up, United States Naval Academy. The two teams will meet in a venue to be determined on Friday, October 25, in the Tri State area ahead of the Notre Dame v. Navy gridiron football game the following day. A top 2 conference finish is likely the measure for earning an NCR Playoff Bid in November. For updates including kick off time, match locations as well as live stream information provided by ND Studios check in at rugby.nd.edu. We look forward to seeing you all home and on the road this fall. Go IRISH!