Last weekend was big, at every level of the U.S. girls and women’s rugby game. Champions have been named, and teams’ postseasons have been extended. Check out the results themselves here, and read the following for some context into what those scores mean.
USA
The Eagles finished their WXV2 campaign with a 30-8 loss to Italy and went 1-2 overall in South Africa. Scotland won the WXV2 title and leap-frogged over the USA (now ranked 9th) in the World Rugby rankings. The tour also marks the end of Milton Haig and staff’s interim status with no replacement currently announced.
HIGH SCHOOL
Three state champions were named … Divine Savior Holy Angels beat Catholic Memorial 38-7 for the Wisconsin 15s trophy and its JV team took 3rd. Interestingly, DSHA’s JV team actually won its semifinal 15-10 against the Crusaders, but league rules prohibited a Dasher vs. Dasher final. Badger Kings did an excellent job documenting the entire day of rugby. • Repeat titleholder Cedar Falls went 3-0 during the Iowa 7s championship and beat Waverly Shell Rock in the final. Macie Graves was named championship MVP. • Medina won its first-ever Ohio 7s state championship, going 4-0 on the day and beating Brunswick 19-5 in the final.
A new regional 7s tournament occurred in Meridian, Idaho, and drew single-school teams from five western states. After two days of competition, Owyhee High School beat Idaho 7s state champion Rocky Mountain 22-17 for the title. • North Carolina runs a three-stop fall 7s series in October. Raleigh Cobras beat Hough for the Tier 1 trophy, and the Highlanders beat the Cobras’ second side for the Tier 2 trophy.
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COLLEGE
NIRA … Conference semifinals are Nov. 11, so there’s one more week of league play to influence the semifinal pairings. Remember DI has introduced power rankings; however, at the time of print, they weren’t updated for last weekend’s results. Nevertheless, one expects the Dartmouth vs. Brown match to be influential. The Bears lost 22-10 for one of the Big Green’s most competitive matches this fall. Army beat Navy 42-22 and Quinnipiac beat Mount St. Mary’s by 32 points, two results that fit with expectations • In DII, Davenport started 11 freshmen in its 64-17 win against AIC and is the leading contender for the DII title. • In DIII, the Bowdoin vs. New England match was postponed out of respect for the mass shooting in Maine. Both will feature in the post-season, as will Adrian and Norwich.
NCR … Last weekend was huge, as several DI, DII and Small College competitions named their champions and reps to regional playoffs on Nov. 10-12. This weekend will fill in the final spots, as the Great Waters, New England Wide and Tri-State conferences hold their respective championships. This piece lists the conference champions, any additional reps to regionals and pools. Keep in mind that NCR is the final word and will release brackets and at-large berths.
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CRAA … Three big matches drew attention. Lindenwood remained undefeated in the DI Elite, but Central Washington pushed the visiting Lions in the 25-10 decision. • Northeastern and UCONN were undefeated heading into their DI Northeast match, and the Maddogs battled to a 15-8 victory. • And Colorado Mesa suffered its first loss of the DI Rocky Mountain season, as Montana State won their match in Utah 65-24. • Read more for details on the DI Fall 15s Championship weekend. • Also, the spring-based Pacific Desert conference held its 7s championship at UC Irvine last weekend and DII Claremont Colleges took home top honors.
SENIOR CLUB
TRB was eying three main competitions or games. The Midwest drew top billing, as Division II moved into conference semifinals. The Eastern Conference went off without a hitch – Akron beat Uticuse, and South Buffalo beat Fort Wayne – and the two victors will meet in the eastern final this weekend. The Western Conference saw two forfeits, and they came on the backs of previous forfeits. Palmer College was ineligible for the post-season heading into the fall season, and the Twin Cities Amazons also passed on the playoffs. The teams that replaced them subsequently forfeited their Saturday games against Wisconsin and Grand Rapids, who will now contest the DII Western Conference final this Saturday. • Also of note, Pittsburgh Forge held onto a 22-21 win against Cincinnati to end Premiership play.
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In the Division I East Coast, NOVA and Philadelphia entered their match Saturday with undefeated records, but the Piranhas kept theirs intact with a 27-12 victory. NOVA and Philly also field second teams that compete in Capital and EPRU, respectively.
And in Division II, St. Louis and KC Jazz played their first league game against each other. They’re the only DII teams in Mid-America, and they’ll play two games against each other (and a third if they split games) to determine the rep to Northern Super Regionals in the spring. The Sabers won 43-20.
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