WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Rugby-wise, things are definitely on the upswing at both the collegiate and youth levels in the Wilmington area, and the best is yet to come.
Panther Rugby Academy / USA Rugby South
Coach Jim Wiseman guided the Panther Rugby Academy / USA Rugby South team to the U23 men’s title in the recent Tropical 7’s event at the Tampa Bay SportsPlex, and the stakes are getting even bigger. Wiseman’s club squad at the University of North Carolina Wilmington will soon be competing for the National Collegiate Rugby 7’s Championship.
Those two significant developments are related. Wiseman’s roster for the Panther Rugby Academy’s title run in an event that drew 200 teams, including several from outside of the United States, included nine players from his UNCW squad. Three of the other five members of the team played for Wiseman when he coached the high school-aged Cape Fear Rugby Club.
“We were at Tropical 7s last year with some of our Cape Fear players playing for the Panther Rugby Academy / USA Rugby South when we discussed bringing a Willmington area team down,’’ said Wiseman. “The Panther Rugby Academy has been so open to us, so we jumped at the chance to play for them. Representing the USA Rugby South brand was something all our players were excited to do.’’
Those players are:
UNC Wilmington:
Ryan Swan, Crispin Flemming, Marshall Wiseman, Danny Zawalich, Brenden Hurley, Carey Cortes, Zay Arrington, Michael Shrewsbury, Adam Caple
Cape Fear High School Alumni:
Max Buckingham (Belmont Abbey College), Wayne Robinson (UNC Charlotte), Jack Aley (UNC Charlotte)
Non-Wilmington Players:
Matthew Wright (Lander University), Charlie Taylor (Eastern Carolina University)
UNCW team president Marshall Wiseman organized the men’s team that went to Tampa. The Panther Rugby Academy had a big presence there as two of its girls’ teams the U16’s and U14’s — also won titles. The U14’s were champions in both 2023 and 2024.
The champion U23 Men went 5-0 in pool play and took down Montauk (NY) 19-7 in the final. During the title run, the Panther men outscored their opponents 173-38.
Giving an indication more such successes could be in the offing, the Panthers’ Boys U18 had a 5-1 record and runner-up finish in Tampa and the Boys U16 and U14 teams also made strong showings. All three teams have Cape Fear Youth High School players on their rosters.
UNCW Rugby and National Collegiate Rugby 7’s Playoffs
UNCW Rugby worked tremendously hard this season, and the work has paid off. They were the No. 1 seed from the Southern Rugby Conference for the Division II National Collegiate Rugby 7’s playoffs.
National Collegiate Rugby announced their pairings for the tournament last Saturday, April 20, much like it is done for basketball and March Madness. It’s a massive competition with 144 teams with both men and women competing in four divisions: Small College, Division II, Division I Club, and Premier Level.
For the first round, UNCW drew Northern Iowa. The game will be played on Friday, April 26th at 10am in the Maryland Soccerplex in Boyd, Maryland. “The University of Northern Iowa has consistently been one of the stronger programs in the country over the past 5 years,” said UNCW Coach Jim Wiseman. “I have always been very impressed with how aggressive they play while staying fundamentally sound. The whole excitement of going to a national tournament is you get to test yourself against the best, and we will be facing one of the best right out of the gate.” UNCW’s appearance in the National Collegiate Rugby Tournament will trigger more local interest in rugby, and the sport’s growth in the area is expected to continue.
Cape Fear Youth Rugby
The Cape Fear Youth Rugby was revived with free clinics on Sundays during the summer with the goal of teaching youngsters the fundamentals and raising awareness for the sport. Pandemic concerns factored in but the cancellation of school sports may have actually been helpful to the rugby enthusiasts.
“We decided to push through it,” said Jim Wiseman. “That first season we were playing with masks on and we were going through a lot of hand sanitizers. We took a break for spring football in 2020 but we did participate in the BODYARMOR State Games for the first time and brought home the bronze medal. By the fall of 2021, word had spread and we had a large group from Laney High School as well as a few other local schools.’’
This time the player numbers hit 35-40 and a full 15’s season was held in the spring of 2022. That high school group finished second in the state, winning the silver medal in the BODYARMOR State Games.
By 2023 Cape Fear had 62 youngsters, two full high school teams and a middle school team. Coaches Jim Wiseman and James “Buck” Buckingham also had a large group of assistant coaches, all of them volunteers. Six neighboring high schools – Laney, New Hanover, Hoggard, Ashley, South Brunswick and Harrells Christian Academy – all had participants in the program.
Cape Fear 7’s Tournament
Cape Fear Rugby Club will also be hosting its annual Cape Fear 7’s Tournament June 21st – 23rd at Ogden Park in Wilmington.
This event is one of the largest 7’s tournaments in the country and historically has showcased sides from England, Wales, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Hong Kong and from both coasts of the United States. Teams will compete in five divisions: Men’s Elite, Women’s Elite, Men’s Social, Women’s Social, and the recently added High School Division.
Cape Fear Rugby Club 50th Anniversary
To celebrate their 50 year anniversary, this fall Cape Fear Rugby Club is hosting both a Golf Tournament on October 25th and a Gala Dinner on October 26th. These special events are dedicated to not only reminiscing about the glorious moments and the bonds forged on and off the field but also to embarking on a new journey together. The proceeds from both the gala and the golf tournament will lay the foundation stone for a dream that the entire Cale Fear rugby family shares: building a new clubhouse. This clubhouse will be more than just walls and a roof; it will be a testament to the legacy of Cape Fear Rugby Club and a hub for the rugby community.
Stay tuned. There’s lots more rugby on the horizon in the Wilmington area.
Story Compiled by Len Ziehm longtime sports writer from Chicago and rugby’s newest fan.