NBC Sports Group Sets 15 Hours of Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship Coverage

NBC, NBCSN and Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia will combine to present more than 15 hours of RUGBY SEVENS action from the annual Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship from Talen Energy Stadium in Philadelphia, Pa.

Coverage begins on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN with live preliminary-round matches, followed by live coverage on NBC at 4 p.m. ET. Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship coverage continues Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN, and shifts to NBC at 4 p.m. ET with live coverage of the Championship Final.

Todd Harris will serve as the play-by-play commentator for all telecasts. Harris will be joined in the booth by former USA Sevens captain and USA Rugby World Cup participant Brian Hightower. Tracy Wilson will report all the action from the sidelines.

The seventh annual Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship will be held at Talen Energy Stadium and features 24 teams from various colleges, including three-time defending-champion California, two-time tournament champion Dartmouth, and two-time runner-up Kutztown. Click here for a full list of the colleges and universities participating in the Collegiate Rugby Championship.

All matches will consist of seven players per team, playing on the same size pitch as a traditional 15's rugby match. Teams will compete in one of six pools and will play seven minute halves, with a two-minute halftime.

Rugby makes its return to the Olympics at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio for the first time since 1924. A majority of the players on the Team USA Rugby men's and women's teams participated in the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship at one point, including Madison Hughes (Dartmouth) and New England Patriots defensive back Nate Ebner (Ohio State).

NBCSN PRESENTS RUGBY RISING PRESENTED BY PENN MUTUAL SATURDAY AT 1 P.M. ET, FEATURING AN EXCLUSIVE LOOK AT TEAM USA AS THEY PREPARE TO DEFEND GOLD IN RIO

NBCSN will present a one-hour special this Saturday at 1 p.m. ET - Rugby Rising Presented by Penn Mutual - leading into live coverage of the Collegiate Rugby Championship at 2 p.m. ET. The special will include features on Team USA standouts Madison Hughes and Kristen Thomas and an in-depth look at the dominance of the Cal Golden Bears, who have won the past three Collegiate Rugby Championships. NBCSN will air an encore presentation on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, leading into coverage at 2 p.m. ET.

COMCAST SPORTSNET PHILADELPHIA AND THE COMCAST NETWORK TO PROVIDE COVERAGE OF THE COLLEGIATE RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP

Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia and The Comcast Network will provide coverage of the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship with encore presentations airing next week, beginning on Wednesday, June 8 at 7 p.m. ET on CSN Philadelphia. Coverage will feature local colleges and universities, including Drexel, Temple, Penn State, St. Joe's, and Kutztown.

2016 PENN MUTUAL COLLEGIATE RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP TELECAST SCHEDULE ON NBC AND NBCSN

DATE	COVERAGE	TIME (ET)	NETWORK
Sat., June 4	Rugby Rising	1 p.m.	NBCSN
	Pool Play	2 p.m.	NBCSN
	Pool Play	4 p.m.	NBC
Sun., June 5	Rugby Rising (Encore)	1 p.m.	NBCSN
	Playoff Rounds	2 p.m.	NBCSN
	Playoff Rounds	4 p.m.	NBC
Wed., June 8	Pool Play*	7 p.m.	CSN Philadelphia
Thurs., June 9	Pool Play*	7 p.m.	CSN Philadelphia
Fri., June 10	Pool Play*	7 p.m.	The Comcast Network
	Pool Play*	9 p.m.	The Comcast Network

*Encore presentation

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