Schedule

Venue: Hamilton College, Clinton, New York

Dates: April 26-27, 2008

Forward: The National Men's Collegiate Division 3 Rugby playoffs and championships are run under the governance of the National Small College Rugby Organization (NSCRO). NSCRO founders and directors are Steve Cohen (president@epru.org) and Chip Auscavitch (chip@nerfu.org). It is run independently from the USA Rugby National playoff system (since USA Rugby does not have a Collegiate Division 3 playoff system) but with the knowledge and acceptance of USA Rugby.

Attached to this email you will find the format and results of the entire D3 playoffs including identification of all competing clubs in each LAU that were eligible to win the Championship.

Summary: Congratulations first goes to all collegiate Division 3 clubs that began this journey, some last August with "summer" practice sessions. Secondly, congratulation to Plymouth State for winning this National Championship as well as the other finalists.

This is no doubt that D3 collegiate rugby, primarily based in "small colleges" has proven itself worthy of recognition by the USA Rugby community as being a worthy endeavor by student-athletes. While a sizable portion of the country does not have the depth / numbers of college clubs playing rugby as found in the "eastern" United States that allows them to establish more than 2 collegiate divisions, this does not mean that "small college" should be left out of event such as this that recognizes their efforts on and off the field of play. The event began in 2002 as the "East Coast" D3 Championship and  in 2007 became a "National" championship. Similar "small college", D3 and D4 National Championships are held for the Women.

While many folks look for a way to best and fairly define collegiate rugby clubs as D1, D2 and D3. The NSCRO at this time simply looks to the LAUs governing these clubs to identify the division that best suits the needs of their clubs.

Clubs or Unions that are not currently participating in a D3 collegiate league that is included in the NSCRO structure and would like more information about it should contact Steve Cohen.

Preparation: The prep work that went in was extensive and cooperative. Dave Thompson and all of the offices at Hamilton did a fantastic job bringing this tournament to life. The field was beautiful. Medical staff was professional and accessible. Bathrooms were provided. Parking was easy. Everyone got directions to the field in advance. A scoreboard was made available. An accapella group was found to do the national anthem. The weekend event programs were excellent. Todd Miller from Longwood University received a moment of silence. Every detail was well scripted and it is little surprise that the weekend ran as smooth as silk.

Game Play: What a fantastic display of Rugby put on by all. These teams played at an incredible level for Division 3 Rugby.

Game 1 SemiFinal: Plymouth State (New England RFU) 38 vs. Hamilton (NY State RC) 8
Game one showed just how high a level of Rugby is coming out of New England. Plymouth was large, fit, disciplined, and very skilled in the art of rugby. Hamilton played a solid game but showed some positional weaknesses as well as a general lack of continuity. While Hamilton was missing 6 starters from the fall due to its abroad programs, the high caliber of the PSU skills was undeniable. They overloaded Hamilton offensively and defensively and beat them squarely on their home field.

Game 2 SemiFinal: Furman (Palmetto RU) 31 vs. Widener (East Penn RU) 20
Game two was fast paced, hard hitting, and long lasting. While the speed and creativity of the Paladin backline was quick and frustrated Widener. But the East Penn boys in their yellow socks refused to go away. The Widener fullback hit a drop goal during running play. The Widener forwards broke tackles and disrupted Furman's offense. The Widener spirit showed its tenacity despite the sizable deficit right up to the final whistle. In the end Furman was just too much. They were, in my opinion, the most fit and offensively dangerous team at the tournament.

Game 3 3rd Place: Widener 33 vs. Hamilton 17
The final score at the end of this game was a question of drive. Hamilton came out fairly flat and Widener came out blazing. Hamilton fell behind early and Widener never let up. Now Hamilton did do an excellent job of keeping its cool under pressure. Oppositely, several Widener players found themselves in the sin bin over the course of the game. Mike Walsh, Widener 8-man, played a complete game showing both skill and leadership. He was awarded him a game ball for his efforts.

Game 4 Final: Plymouth State (PSU) 22 vs. Furman 17
Sensational game play for 80 minutes. Furman jumped up early using its creative backline and powerfully aggressive forwards. PSU spent a good deal of time on its own goal line. Still, in the second half, PSU would not be denied. With less than 20 minutes to go, PSU closed the gap and tied the game with 3 minutes to play. I did not see the controversial pass that lead to the PSU go-ahead-score, but I will say it happened after the clock had expired. In those moments I cannot possibly blame a referee for going with his gut reaction to the situation rather than second guessing. The game was hard fought. Furman's 8-man got the game ball and Rob Howe (PSUs fly half and captain) got the MVP.

Team trophies were awarded to the top 3 finishers.

The NSCRO wants to extend its thanks to Brad Jones (Head Coach, Hamilton College RFC) for leading the effort in hosting this event along with his club, Dave Thompson and all other Hamilton College, Event Co-Directors, Dillon Prime and Allen Horak (Hamilton College alums), match officials and the NY State Rugby Conference along with everyone else responsible for making this an "excellent" rugby experience for all involved.

The NSCRO appreciates the financial support of the LAUs that the participating clubs that allows clubs to compete without entrance fees.