KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- Four members of the Kutztown University men's rugby team were invited to tour France in late June and early July as part of the France-USA Rugby Centennial, in partnership with National Collegiate Rugby (NCR).

Representing the Golden Bears on the NCR All-Americans team were centers Mate Kvirikashvili (Kutaisi, Georgia/Monroe Woodbury (N.Y.)) and Benedict Quinn (York, England/St Peter's School), back row Kevin Swanton (Milton, Mass./Milton) and scrumhalf Aidan Smith (Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull).

The tour celebrated the Franco-U.S. relationship honoring both the 80th Anniversary of D-Day and the 100th Anniversary of the last Olympic rugby match. It also signified NCR's commitment to providing high-performance opportunities for men's and women's student-athletes and strengthening the talent pipeline for the 2031 Men's World Cup and 2033 Women's World Cup in the U.S.

The All-Americans team completed an undefeated three-week tour of France with a thrilling 25-19 victory over the French Universities in Paris on July 4. They opened the campaign with a 36-20 defeat of the Belgium U23s on June 23 in Dunkirk, followed by a 17-7 victory over the French National Guard, Gendarmerie Nationale, June 27 in Bayeux.

Kvirikashvili had a second half try in the comeback victory over Belgium U23s, while Quinn served as captain in the match against Gendarmerie Nationale.

Read NCR's full account of the trip HERE.