Iowa rugby fans are up in arms after the Iowa Central Community College sevens team was recently denied an invitation to play in the Collegiate Rugby Championship this summer.

Why the Tritons' eligibility for the CRC was even a question comes down to last weekend's Heart of America Classic tournament in Kansas City, KS, which was supposed to provide an automatic qualifier to the CRC (as did the Las Vegas Invitational tournament). That was how everything came together in 2017 when AIC won the HOA Classic and advanced to the CRC. But this year, it all changed.

ICCC entered the tournament with the understanding that winning would send the Tritons to the CRC. But prior to last week's event, United World Sports (which runs the CRC) decided that Iowa City CC could not qualify for the CRC, which takes place June 1-3 at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, PA.

"It was always the intention [of the CRC] that it be a competition for four-year institutions," CRC tournament director Jon Hinkin told FloRugby. "We didn't even know that two-year colleges were playing rugby."

Hinkin, a California native, has at least two prominent two-year schools playing major college rugby in his state: Santa Barbara City College and Santa Rosa Junior College— SRJC has actually won a national title and SBCC competed in the LVI (run by UWS) at least once.

Both ICCC head coach Brent Nelson and Hinkin say that a call was made to Nelson the week before the tournament to tell him that his team would not be able to play in the CRC. Nelson said he still felt there was a chance to change some minds, and so his team competed anyway, beating Clemson, NEC, Davenport, and, in the final, AIC.

"We've got a good team, and we played some really good rugby, and I think we'd be a great underdog story for the CRC," Nelson said. "We hoped the door was still open to play in the CRC."

Small College, Big Dreams

The Tritons are in the National Small College Rugby Organization 15s championship bracket and won a quarterfinal 126-3 the week before the HOA Classic. Nelson pointed out that NSCRO teams can produce talent—current USA Sevens player Kevon Williams helped New Mexico Highlands to an NSCRO title. 

"All we want to do is play the best rugby we can play," said Nelson, who added that when he entered his team some months ago he understood the tournament to be a CRC qualifier. However, he also understood that UWS might not be happy with a two-year school getting that spot.

Company-Wide Decision

As it was, once United World Sports found out that Iowa Central was playing in the Heart of America Classic, Hinkin and UWS chief marketing officer Jeff McDowell asked tournament director Pat Clifton (who also works for UWS as a writer for Rugby Today) to call Nelson.

"He was the tournament director, so in that role he was the one to call," Hinkin said. "The decision [to deny ICCC] was a company-wide decision."

Clifton told FloRugby that he was perfectly happy to be the one to call Nelson.

"I have a relationship with Brent Nelson," Clifton said. "It seemed to me the easiest convenient option, and I recruited him to the tournament anyway. If somebody else had called him, his first call would probably have been to me anyway."

Asked if this chain of events made UWS look bad, Hinkin said. "I can't answer that question."

They Knew Beforehand (Maybe)

It does, however, seem clear that Iowa Central knew well beforehand that there was a chance the CRC qualifier wouldn't apply to a two-year college. Clarity on that issue, however, wasn't achieved until a few days before the tournament.

Now ICCC is on a public campaign to pressure UWS into letting the Tritons into the CRC. It won't happen, said Hinkin. The decision is final.

Currently, 22 teams are listed as participating in the men's CRC:
Arizona, Arkansas State, Army, Boston College, Dartmouth, Indiana, Iona, Kutztown, Life, Lindenwood, Maryland, Mount St. Mary's, Navy, University of Notre Dame, Penn State, South Carolina, St. Joseph's, Temple, Delaware, UCLA, Virginia Tech, and Wisconsin.

ICCC is listed among the six teams in the NSCRO event at the same venue, and so will be part of the event in some what, regardless.

There are two spots remaining for the men's CRC. Notably absent on the list is five-time defending champion Cal, which has reportedly applied for an at-large bid to USA Rugby's championship in Glendale, CO.