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National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) conferences have already started naming champions and awarding spots to the next stage of playoffs: 15s regional playoffs. From Friday-Sunday, Nov. 14-16, four different locations will host DIAA, DII and DIII knockouts, while DI will hold its semifinals at the higher seeds’ homes. Expect full details and brackets from NCR, and then follow bookmark Dec. 6-7 for the national 15s championships at SaberCats Stadium in Houston, Texas.
The brackets won’t be released until the second week of November, when all of the conferences have concluded their championships, at-large berths have been awarded, and teams have confirmed their participation at regionals. It is not uncommon for a team to have an unexpectedly good season, qualify for regionals, and then withdraw due to lack of funds or player availability. So it’s most prudent to wait for NCR to make official announcements regarding match-ups, etc. With that said, teams have already started booking spots for these playoffs, so it’s time to at the very least know the locations (*):
Regional Championship Locations — Divisions Present
Obetz, Ohio — DIAA, DII, DIII
Springfield, Mo. — DIAA, DII, DIII
Canton, Mass. — DII, DIII
Georgetown, Del. — DII, DIII
(*) For the restructured Division I, which is for varsity and varsity-like programs, playoffs begin at the semifinal stage on Nov. 15-16. The most likely semifinal pairings are as follows, but again, await for NCR’s confirmation:
BYU (West #2) @ Wheeling (East #1)
Penn State (East #2) @ Southern Nazarene (West #1)
The higher seed hosts their respective semifinal and thus aren’t folded into the other competitions’ regional tournaments.
DIAA begins at the quarterfinal stage, while DII and DIII start at the Round of 16. Note that only two locations — Springfield and Obetz — will host three divisional competitions, while Canton and Georgetown will host DII and DIII only. TRB will likely attend the Delaware location.
The following have technically earned automatic berths to regionals thus far:
DIA: Northern Iowa (Midwest)
DII: Bowling Green (Great Lakes), UW Eau Claire (Great Waters #1), Northwestern (Great Waters #2), Univ. Texas San Antonio (Lone Star), Roger Williams (Rugby Northeast)
DIII: Colby (Rugby Northeast), Univ. Wisconsin Platteville (Great Waters #1), Univ. Wisconsin Stevens Point (Great Waters #2), Univ. North Dakota (Northern Lights)
Stay tuned for more info from NCR and as local leagues continue to hold their championships. Check out TRB’s scores page for live results.