Carnage and Camaraderie at the Carnival

The Water Dogs wrapped up the spring season with the third annual Carnage Carnival, hosted in partnership with Rocky Mountain Rugby Union. At Cook Park under a roasty early-summer sun, five teams from across Colorado came together for a full day of rugby to celebrate the oncoming summer and pay tribute to Cristian Sarmento, a Water Dog teammate whom we lost in 2024.

The day kicked off with a clash between the Water Dogs and Queen City, while the Colorado Rush, Boulder RFC, and Grand Junction Misfits all took the field throughout the day in a round-robin format. As many teams were light on players at the end of an intense spring, matches proceeded in either 10s or 15s formats according to availability – even the Water Dogs’ roster was filled out by some young talent from the Parker Titans and DU rugby teams.

The tournament came down to the very last match where the Water Dogs squared off against Boulder, the last two teams undefeated until that point. The Water Dogs claimed the victory in that contest, but it was decided that the tournament trophy would go to Boulder, who had played the greater number of 15s matches throughout the day and performed valiantly in all of them. After the scheduled matches were complete, the true meaning of carnage was on display as some 100 hungry players and fans tore into the mountain of barbecued pork and refreshments provided by Water Dogs players and staff.

Water Dogs and Boulder players celebrate a great day of spring rugby at the end of competition.

The Water Dogs sincerely thank RMR for their continued support of the Carnage Carnival. Next year, we plan to continue growing the tournament for teams around and beyond Colorado, including hopes to add a women’s division. We are also grateful to all the teams, players, coaches, and spectators who attended and made the Carnage Carnival a smashing success.

The Water Dogs now enter a brief break before diving into summer 7s and a shot to reclaim the trophy at Cowpie in July, with an eye toward a fall season brimming with opportunity for Denver’s greatest rugby team.