The Temple University rugby team might well be forgiven for having a chip on their shoulder.

After all, the Owls have endured several years of criticism for, of all things, showing up. 

"We've been told for years that we should be at the CRC, and we don't deserve to be there," said Coach John Sciotto. "But we've been working hard to get better, and now that we've won a few games on the Sunday, the guys are out to prove they belong."

So it was that Temple won the Keystone Rugby Conference Series this spring, finishing off the series with a 2nd-place finish at the third tournament in West Chester. Temple, which had won the 2nd tournament in Philadelphia, knew they had won the series by the time they got to the final with West Virginia, and got some time for some non-starters in that game.

But don't be fooled, the Owls like winning.

"We've lost only two games this series," said Sciotto, "to West Virginia and James Madison. We've got a nice, balanced team, with good forwards, some hard runners up the middle and some finishers. This is a good, competitive series, and I am pleased with how we've done."

Sciotto said the experience at the past CRC tournaments, where Temple sometimes struggled to win even one game, has been valuable in the long run.

"We've got guys who've been to three or four of those, and their experience in keeping everyone calm and not pressing when things got rough was the difference-maker for us," said Sciotto. "We've been playing this series and the City 6 Series during the week. It's a lot of rugby, and good competition, but that's how we get better."

And so Temple will go on to play in the CRC once again - a tournament they have become a fixture in in part because their fans have been loyal and vocal - but Sciotti said he's also looking at the USA Rugby Championships in Cary, NC. Since Temple is based in Philadelphia, traveling to the CRC isn't a hardship, and maybe one more tournament, and one more chance to prove themselves, is in the cards.

St. Joseph's took the Plate, Pitt the Bowl, and Villanova the Shield.

See full tournament scores here.