Santa Fe Santos Capture Fiesta 10s Rugby Title

September 03, 2023 -DW

Santa Fe Rugby Club’s Santos won all four of their matches Sunday to claim the 2023 Fiesta Tens Tournament at the Municipal Recreation Complex. Santa Fe beat New Mexico Tech, 2022 winners of national small college rugby titles in both the 7-man and 15-man, in the championship match by a 42-7 margin.

Los Santos displayed a promising mix of skill, pace, and power as they approached their upcoming 2023-2024 Southwest Rugby Union season with lopsided wins over Albuquerque Brujos (36-0), University of New Mexico (29-0), and Albuquerque Aardvarks (43-5) to reach the final. NMT advanced with impressive wins over men’s division clubs El Paso, Aardvarks, and Brujos.

Santa Fe’s advantages in size and experience allowed the Santos to overpower their young opponents in the final, scoring four five-point tries to roll to a 22-0 halftime lead. As the locals added three more tries in the second half, Tech gamely tallied two of their own, hinting why Santa Fe’s 21-man tournament roster listed no fewer than six former New Mexico Tech players.

Santa Fe hooker Ryan Means received one of two best tournament forward awards, while teammate and scrum half Elijah Naranjo, who played on both of NMT’s national championship teams, was named one of the competition’s two best back line players.