West Chester won the closest match of the weekend / Photo: Doreen Madalian
Three close games have moved the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) rankings around in the fifth iteration of the list. (Links redirect to the respective athletic departments’ write-ups).
There were two games in Tier 1 but they reiterated the current rankings: Army West Point beat Dartmouth 39-19, and Harvard defeated Quinnipiac.
In Tier 2, the two undefeated teams remained so, but just barely. Top-ranked Queens beat AIC 33-24 in Maryland, and West Chester held off Mount St. Mary’s 15-14. Both of those strong performances saw the losing sides advance in the rankings, but upcoming games will offer opportunity to judge whether those are well advised moves. Mount St. Mary’s heads to Brown on Saturday, while Queens and West Chester face off on the 19th.
In Division III, Bowdoin and Norwich exchanged leads before the Polar Bears surged ahead in the latter part of the match for the 27-17 win. The outcomes sees the teams swap places in the rankings.
