Troy Hall knew his team had the experience and athleticism necessary to take the next step as a program. But with the bar raised significantly for Clemson University men’s club rugby following a breakout fall season, it begged the obvious question — how much further could the Tigers go?
The team exceeded mounting expectations in resounding fashion. By almost every statistical measure, 2024-25 was a banner year for the men’s program.
“Every year, we’ve gotten appreciably better,” says Hall, who completed his fifth year coaching at Clemson. “This was the best year we’ve had since I came in 2020.”
Perhaps it’s no coincidence, given the sheer number of veteran athletes on the men’s roster who took the program to new heights during the spring term. It didn’t come without adversity, either. One of the team’s international standouts missed the entirety of the season with a pulled hamstring. In the team’s first 7s tournament in January, another player went down — this one with a head injury.
No matter. The Tigers continued to fight … and put together strong results.
Clemson finished runner-up in the Sunshine 7s in Gainesville, Florida. A few weeks later, it was fourth place (out of 10) in the Atlanta Peach Cup, compiling wins over Indiana, Kentucky and Saint Louis. On March 22, the team took to Rock Hill, South Carolina for the Ruck the Rock 7s and were third overall, notching wins over Queens and South Carolina.
It all culminated on Saturday, April 12 in Greer, South Carolina for the Southeast Collegiate Rugby Conference Championships. Clemson won each of its four pool play matches — beating Auburn, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi State — including a dramatic triumph in overtime as senior industrial engineering major Will Perritt scored the game-winning try to knock off the Volunteers. Their opponent in the championship final? Perennial league favorite South Carolina.
“If we were going to win the championship, of course we had to take down the Gamecocks,” Hall laughs. “They had won the championship a few years in a row. It’s obviously a rivalry, but to go out and shut them out 19-0 in the final was a pretty good feeling. That was a nice one for the guys.”
Clemson used the momentum from its SCRC victory to earn a high seed in the Premier Cup, the top division of the National Collegiate Rugby Championships. The Tigers got off to a strong start, beating Purdue 26-7 behind strong matches from Perritt and Pete Hayes. After dropping a contest to St. Bonaventure, the Tigers responded with a 17-10 win over Marian. Perritt again shined with seven points for the Tigers. Clemson would go on to fall to a strong Kutztown team, placing 10th in the 32-team bracket.
Over the course of the academic year, five players were selected to compete at the National Collegiate All-Star Tournament. Hayes and Campbell van Rooyen were named All-Americans following their performances. Hayes, a sophomore transfer in construction science and management, says the biggest reason for the team’s consistent performances in 2024-25 has been a winning culture.
“When you have someone like Coach Troy hop into a drill and he passes the ball or sprints down the field, it’s done with a purpose — he’s not just yelling at you or telling you to constantly run sprints,” he says. “He knows the path to put us on to create a successful team.”
It appears so. Just ask the 2024-25 men’s rugby team.