Aspen’s Gents roll to their third straight Ruggerfest championship, beat Water Dogs in final
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
After back-to-back finals that required dramatic rallies to win, the Gentlemen of Aspen Rugby Club was able to coast to its three-peat title on Sunday in the finale of the 55th annual Ruggerfest tournament.
Played on Aspen’s Wagner Park, the Gents cruised to a 46-12 win over the Denver Water Dogs for a third straight championship in the men’s open division.
“It’s really special. It’s only been done two other times in the history of the club,” Aspen player and coach Ben Mitchell said. “For the boys that have won three in a row and been part of those teams, I think it’s really special and it’s a little slice of history for us.”
Indeed, this is Aspen’s first three-peat in its home tournament since winning four straight from 2006 to 2009. The Gents’ best run came when they won Ruggerfest seven straight years, from 1996 to 2002, a stretch that also included the club’s national championships.
This was the 24th overall Ruggerfest title for Aspen. The tournament dates to 1968, when the Kansas City Blues beat the Denver Barbarians in the first Ruggerfest.
“Thanks to the Water Dogs. What a game. Thanks for showing up, boys. We really appreciate it,” longtime Gents player Darren Barth told the crowd when accepting the championship trophy. He then turned to the Aspen players, his voice rising with excitement. “Finally, I would like to end off, thank you to your Gentlemen of Aspen.”
The open division began play Saturday with five teams. Aspen was nearly untouchable, beating Boulder (38-12), the Water Dogs (42-17), Provo Rugby Academy (38-19), and the Barbarians (39-0) to advance to Sunday’s final, a rematch with the Water Dogs.
The Gents led 29-0 at halftime of Sunday’s championship game and were barely tested en route to the win.
“You can only beat what’s in front of you, right?” Mitchell said. “It wasn’t as competitive as it has been the last few years, but we played really well in the first 20 minutes. Didn’t have a great second half, but we came away with the win and that’s all that matters.”
The Gents beat the American Raptors in the final the prior two years, rallying from deficits midway through to earn the wins. The Raptors did not come to Ruggerfest this fall, leading to a somewhat watered down field of teams.
Among the players to return to Aspen this past weekend was New Zealand star Brad Hemopo, who helped the Gents beat the Raptors last fall in his Ruggerfest debut. He enjoyed it so much that he made the long trek back this year and hopes to continue doing so into the future.
“Aspen is such a beautiful place. I’m really blessed to be invited back to this tournament and hopefully do what I can to help the team win, and we won again. I’m really proud of the boys,” Hemopo said. “I want to grow the game of rugby in America. The more people that play it, the better it’s going to get globally. If I can bring some of my experience back and hopefully teach some of these boys a few things, it’s really going to be good in the long term.”
Both Mitchell and Hemopo agreed that maybe it wasn’t the best showing for the Gents in the final, especially after the first 20 minutes. But it was enough to secure the easy win, the cherry on top of what was another strong summer season for the Gents.
“It was a really successful summer,” Mitchell said. “We had over 40 players turn out for the club this summer and it was great. A lot of those guys saw the pitch today in the final and that’s what it’s all about. It’s about making sure we are developing players.”
The Gents actually won two championships on Sunday, with the men’s 40s side also winning its division. The Sister Wives dominated the four-team women’s division for that title.
Among the week’s festivities was Friday’s Hall of Fame celebration, which saw a handful of new names get inducted. This year’s class included Ed Pfab, Gary Krill, Fleming Trane, Tony Grant, Scott Davis, Ian Skilton, and former Aspen Times reporter Dale Strode.
Sunday’s awards ceremony included a short speech from Aspen Mayor Torre, who celebrated the visitors while also commending the Gents for the impact they have on the town.
“On behalf of Aspen, thank you for being here,” Torre said. “To the Gentlemen, thank you for representing us so well with everything you do. These guys work their asses off all year. They don’t just show up here and play this well for nothing.”
Ruggerfest 56 is scheduled for Sept. 19-22, 2024, or the third weekend of September, as is tradition.
“I’m really proud of how we went as a team and came together,” Hemopo said. “I’d love to come back next year and get a four-peat. I would love to come back.”
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