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There is one more Division I match and a handful of cross-divisional games this weekend, and then National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) will be done with its regular season and playoffs with be finalized. With that said, the Division II/III standings are locked in and semifinal pairing and host locations are set. All NIRA semifinals will be held at the higher seed on Saturday, Nov. 14, and the championships are Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 21-22 at Army West Point in New York. [lead photo c/o AIC Athletics]
Reigning NIRA champion Harvard University sits atop the standings at 6-0 and will host its semifinal on Saturday, Nov. 14. The Crimson closed out its regular season against American International College (AIC) last Saturday, and the Yellow Jackets actually took a 17-14 lead into halftime. Harvard regrouped for the final 40 to win 38-24.
AIC must make up its postponed match with Queens University of Charlotte Saturday at the Naval Academy, and then its regular season will conclude. The Yellow Jackets are favored against the Royals, which are winless against DI competition, and a win will guarantee a fourth-place finish in the standings. AIC would have to travel to Cambridge, Mass., for the Nov. 14 semifinal against Harvard. Interestingly, Harvard head coach Mel Denham is a former head coach for the AIC women’s rugby program, making for a fun full-circle moment for the NIRA long-timer.
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That would mean that #2 Dartmouth will host #3 Army on the other side of the bracket. The Big Green ended its regular season with a 53-5 win against Brown, and the Black Knights won the Army-Navy match 36-5. These teams met early in the season, Sept. 5, and Dartmouth won that match at home 41-8. Since then, however, Army has shown growth, defeating Lindenwood 12-5 most notably, and the semifinal rematch in Hanover, N.H., should be a good one.
Division II is set. Top-ranked Davenport is hosting #4 West Chester on Nov. 14, and DIII Bowdoin is traveling to Frostburg State. Note that there is also a DI Bowl game occurring on championship weekend, but details as to which teams are competing is TBA.
In non-conference action this weekend, Bowdoin is hosting DI Princeton in Maine, and West Chester is welcoming DI Long Island to Pennsylvania.
For more information, check out nira.rugby for a full look at standings and the master schedule with standings-impacting games.