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National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) has officially ended its 2025 regular season, and now the Division I and Division II/III semifinals can be confirmed. Higher seeds will host their respective playoff matches on Saturday, Nov. 15, and then the finals will be contested at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., on Saturday, Nov. 22.
Top-ranked and undefeated Harvard University will host #4 Dartmouth College (5-2) on Nov. 15 at 4 p.m. ET. The 2024 DI championship rematch will live-stream on ESPN+. The last time these two teams met on Sept. 27, Harvard won 36-33.
RELATED: DI Power Rankings
Lindenwood University (6-1) sits in second place and thus enjoys its first DI NIRA playoff match at home in St. Charles, Mo. The Lions will host #3 Army West Point (5-2) in a Week 1 rematch, a game that went 34-22 in Lindenwood’s favor.
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The combined Division II/III competition has also wrapped up its regular season, and top-ranked American International College (AIC) will host #4 Frostburg State (3-2). The teams did not play each other this fall, so the Nov. 15 semifinal will be a first of 2025 season.
RELATED: DII/III Power Rankings
DIII Bowdoin College (3-1) finished second in the Power Rankings and will thus host #3 West Chester University (4-2). The teams played each other on Oct. 4, splitting the travel distance at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The Polar Bears won 37-27.
Davenport University was deemed ineligible for the postseason, which is unfortunate for many reasons, especially since the Grand Rapids, Mich., program played AIC to its most competitive decision (28-21).