National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) has released its weekly Coaches Polls for its three women’s divisions, and TRB has added in scores and other notes for context.
RELATED: Women’s Rugby Scores: Oct. 1-2
These polls are important in that they educate the general rugby community as to which teams are performing well this fall, but the exact order should be taken with a grain of salt. There’s a bit short-term memory, which is understandable when the voters themselves are also managing their own in-season teams. In Small College, for example, Baldwin Wallace leap-frogged Gannon, which had defeated the Yellow Jackets 35-19 just two weeks ago. And Lee University fell from #1 to #7 after defeating UGA and Kennesaw State by a combined 109-0 last weekend. But no one seems too bothered by the reordering and appreciates the work that goes into these weekly recaps.
One will also notice some forfeit wins, and those are important to note as well – one, because “forfeit” doesn’t necessarily mean a game wasn’t played, just not a full-length regulation 15s match. Second, teams aren’t totally out of the pandemic yet in terms of its effects on numbers.
SMALL COLLEGE
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Rank (previous rank) Team – Last week’s results
1 (3) Northern Michigan – Forfeit win v UW Stout
2 (10) Endicott – Defeated Colonial Coast rival Salve Regina 41-0
3 (2) Cortland – Defeated Upstate New York’s Clarkson 53-5
4 (11) Niagara – Defeated unranked Geneseo 47-5
5 (4) St Bonaventure – Forfeit win vs. Buffalo State
6 (6) Chicago – First game of the season: 77-0 W v DePaul
7 (1) Lee – This drop is truly baffling, considering Lee played a 40-minute half vs. UGA and won 66-0, and another 40-minute game vs. Kennesaw State and won 43-0.
8 (5) South Dakota – 35-5 loss to DII Wayne State College, the reigning Small College 15s National Champion
9 (14) Baldwin Wallace – 85-7 W v Denison
10 (2) Salve Regina – Lost 41-0 v Endicott
11 (9) Hamilton – Forfeit win vs. Oneonta
12 (12) Gannon – Lost 71-14 v DI Pitt
13 (7) Ithaca – Idle.
14 (13) Loyola (Md.) – Forfeit win v Gettysburg
15 (16) MSU Moorhead – Gustavus Adolphus was on the schedule but it doesn’t look like this game came to fruition
16 (20) Rochester – Forfeit win vs. Fredonia
17 (unr) East Stroudsburg – 61-22 W v Shippensburg
18 (unr) Plymouth St – 49-5 W v UMaine Farmington
19 (18) St Scholastica – Idle.
20 (15) Middlebury – Curiously, Middlebury has remained on the list despite a 64-0 loss to unranked Keene State, a fellow small college in Rugby Northeast, last week. Keene State did receive votes, however, for a top 20 spot.
DIVISION II RUGBY
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1 (2) Marquette – Forfeit win vs. UW Oshkosh, which had 13 players and played the first half to a 60-0 scoreline.
2 (3) Roger Williams – Idle. Game vs. Colby was canceled.
3 (4) Wayne State College – Defeated Univ. South Dakota (small college) 35-5
4 (1) Grand Valley State – Beat Calvin (small college) 45-5 in 10s
5 (5) UW Eau Claire – Played UW Stevens Point for 20 minutes to a 39-0 scoreline and then a forfeit followed.
6 (6) Bowling Green – Defeated Saginaw Valley 47-29 (11)
7 (8) Cincinnati – Defeated IUPUI (12) 43-24
8 (7) Coastal Carolina – Idle. Game vs. Georgia Tech postponed for Hurricane Ian
9 (9) Texas Tech – Lost 31-12 to DI Texas A&M
10 (10) Western Michigan – Defeated Central Michigan (20) 41-12
11 (11) Saginaw Valley – Lost 47-29 to Bowling Green (11)
12 (12) IUPUI – Lost 43-24 to Cincinnati
13 (14) Georgia Tech – Idle. Game vs. Coastal Carolina postponed for Hurricane Ian
14 (13) UT San Antonio – Lost 55-33 to DI Texas
15 (15) Ferris State – Beat Oakland 116-0
16 (16) Illinois – Chicago – Season opener vs. Northern Illinois was a forfeit win
17 (17) Loyola – Chicago – Season opener vs. Western Illinois was a forfeit win
18 (18) UW Oshkosh – Had 13 players for its game vs. Marquette. Played the first 40 to a 60-0 deficit then a forfeit followed.
19 (19) Illinois – Idle.
20 (20) Central Michigan – Lost 41-12 to Western Michigan (10)
DIVISION I RUGBY
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Current Rank (Previous Rank) Team – Last week’s result
1 (1) Notre Dame College – Defeated Colgate (9) 49-10
2 (2) Michigan – Defeated Iowa (6) 34-22
3 (3) Southern Nazarene – Idle.
4 (6) Iowa State – Defeated Winona State 70-0
5 (5) Northern Iowa – Defeated Wisconsin 66-0
6 (4) Iowa – Lost 34-22 to Michigan (2)
7 (unr) Indiana – Replaced Notre Dame on the list with its 46-12 win vs. Ohio State. (Notre Dame lost 34-36 to unranked Michigan State)
8 (8) Texas A&M – Defeated DII Texas Tech 31-12
9 (7) Colgate – Lost 49-10 to Notre Dame College (1)
10 (10) Clemson – Idle.