Rugby Heads to National Playoffs

With an undefeated season, the Franciscan University rugby team heads to the national playoffs this Saturday, November 13, at Ithaca College. This is the first time the Barons have advanced to the playoffs since 2001.

Hosted by the National Small College Rugby Organization, the Sweet Sixteen matches the number one team from each regional conference against one another. Franciscan represents the Allegheny Rugby Union with a 5-0 season after defeating Grove City College 46-12 in the ARU Finals. Representing the New York State regional conference, Ithaca also stands 5-0 on the season after defeating the University of Buffalo 41-0 in the NYS Finals.

Franciscan sits among the top 16 teams in the NSCRO Division III out of 136 teams that are spread throughout four regions. Region one is the New England Conference, region two is the Western Conference, region three is the Southern Conference, and region four is the New York-Penn Conference. In region four, the Barons will battle Ithaca for a spot in the Elite Eight match.

Following the Elite Eight, each region’s champion will travel to Virginia Beach for the national semi-finals to be held on Saturday, April 30, 2011. Region one and three will faceoff while region four and two take the pitch against one another. The two remaining teams will qualify for the NSCRO National Championship on Sunday, May 1, at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Stay tuned for more news and updates as our Baron Rugby team makes history!