Two Ivy League Champions in 2010?!
Changes are-a-brewing in USA collegieate rugby lately which positively affects the newly-formed Ivy League Rugby Conference. First, Dartmouth College Rugby Club has opted in to their invitation to participate in the inaugural season of USA Rugby’s Division I Premier Championship which kicks off this Spring (see College D1 Schedule set for Dartmouth). Second, the Ivy League Rugby Conference has been invited and approved to participate in the Men's Collegiate Division 1 Playoffs (see Men's Collegiate Division 1 Playoff Structure Finalized).
Dartmouth has dominated the Ivy League for the second straight year and with a win over Harvard this weekend will clinch the Ivy League championship. With Dartmouth in the Premier League, the second place finisher in the Ivy League will represent the Ivies in the D1 playoff competition this Spring.
Wildcard Weekend-Nov 6 and 7
The Ivy League Competitions Committee has recently finalized plans to play a one-weekend four-team playoff on November 6th and 7th to determine the second place finisher in the league. The playoffs are scheduled to be held at the home field of the highest seed of the second to fifth place finishers with 2 playing 5 and 3 playing 4 on Saturday and the winners battling it out on Sunday November 7th for the D1 playoff championship bid.
On Tap this Weekend
Dartmouth at Harvard in Soldiers Field Park Saturday at noon is for all the marbles in the Ivy League. Winner takes all.
Cornell at Columbia, 3:00pm kickoff on Wards Island Field 75 is key for both clubs, if Cornell could find a way to win the contest, grab the extra bonus point and combine that with a Brown loss, they'd be in. A Columbia win, bonus point and Harvard loss just might propell Columbia into hosting the four team playoff at Baker Field.
Yale versus Brown on Yale Rugby Pitch at 1:00pm again has playoff implications for both squads. Brown is fighting for their playoff lives. A win puts them in but the best they can do is fifth. Yale, like columbia can still grab the second seed and host the playoffs.
Penn versus Princeton in West Windsor Park, kickoff 1:00pm is the only match on the slate without playoff implications. The match is for pride.