Season Review: Spring 2025

The 2024-25 rugby season for Springfield Rugby Football Club was electric! It was a campaign of grit, growth, and brotherhood. The Mudpuppies finished valiantly as #2 in USA Club Rugby’s Mid-American Rugby Union D3 competition. From the fields of Westwick to the muddy pitch of St. Charles the men did the badge proud. Whistle to whistle.

Our first match was a friendly, against MARFU D2 Champions Kansas City RFC, where we devoted time to develop our newest players. City overtook us 22 - 8, although every one of our players saw meaningful time on the field, establishing essential game-speed experience and confidence. Some new faces showed out, Dalton Brown and Jake McGrath among them. Experienced players like Quinnton Beaumont provided on-field leadership, while Connor Finn showed off his crafty boot.

On March 22 we dominated our first spring divisional match against the Belleville Rowdies 44 to 3. A big home crowd helped the Mudpuppies in this convincing win against the #4 side in the division. Kenny ‘TK’ Changara gets man of the match and veteran Jack Hume puts the cherry on top of the day with the last try. Tip of the hat to Luke Byrd, Max Bullock, and Danny McGuire for a great match in front of the home crowd as well.

For our last regular-season match on April 5th we headed to St. Louis to play against the #3 seed in the league, Sunday Morning RFC. We took the lead, 3-0, in the first half, although the match was called a draw, due to lightning, at the 50-minute mark. As a result, Springfield retained the #2 seed in our region, and the privilege to host Sunday Morning for the regional semi-final.

On Saturday April 12, Sunday Morning RFC made the trip to Springfield for the semi-final, with the chance for a championship on-the-line. In front of our home crowd, Springfield put on an overpowering display, winning 49-12. This was a total team effort but our depth and experience was bolstered having two back-row forwards, Daniel Cardoso and Clayton Donohoe, back from injuries. For the 2nd time in 3 years, Springfield would go on to meet the Royal Ramblers in the Mid-America Championship.

April 19’s Championship match in St. Charles was rain-soaked and saw high quality rugby throughout. The first half ended with a 3-3 tie, a testament to the solid tackling and close attention both teams had brought to the game. Springfield’s fly-half, Christopher Thomas, put on a masterclass on offense, flipping the field with pinpoint kicks, line-breaking runs, and defense logging 10+ tackles and drawing penalties at the breakdown. Forwards like Max Messer, Ben Ferrand, and Jake Rieken provided immovable strength in the scrum and at the point-of-contact at the gain line. Despite SRFC’s spirit, missed opportunities and the skills of a crafty fullback led the Ramblers to pull away late for a 24-3 final score in their favor.

Springfield again proved they belong among the top teams in our region, and fans should be excited to know about the massive improvements shown by our side’s core of future players. We still have the greatest fans, alumni, and sponsors in the competition, a culture unmatched by other rugby groups.

Although this season didn’t end in a championship for SRFC, the energy and growth continue to trend up. Thanks to efforts by our club, Springfield, MO will be hosting the Northern Super Regional Championships for USA Rugby—one of four sites of the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 for all club rugby in the USA. Later in May, we will host an Old Boys’ Tournament, which is growing in its second year to host twice as many teams! The summer will see the return of a regional cornerstone: Springfield 7s will feature 20+ teams (including one all the way from Utah) across Men’s, Women’s, and HS divisions!

Thank you for all the support so far and go Mudpuppies!!!

Take a look at more photos from our photographer Charles Watwood:

https://www.imagetaker59.com/client-area/ For full matches and highlights please visit our Youtube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@SpringfieldRugby