The question of what to do when some college rugby teams are part of National Collegiate Rugby and some are part of USA Rugby-aligned groups like the ACR has been brought into sharp relief in the NCRC.

The Northwest Collegiate Rugby Conference has seen its D1AA Conference cut down to six with Idaho and Gonzaga changing conferences. But that’s the least complex aspect of the conference. With Boise State and Washington State announcing they have joined NCR. Meanwhile, Western Washington, Washington, and Oregon have committed to USA Rugby affiliation.

And that leaves Oregon State, which has decided to sign up with both organizations, paying the extra money (which is several thousand dollars) to be full members of both.

So, what that means is that the NCRC will be divided into an NCR Division and an ACR Division. The NCR Division of Oregon State, Boise State, and Washington State will see those three play each other twice.

The ACR Division of Washington, Oregon, and Western Washington will see those three play each other twice. But right now, there are no plans to cross over.

Only Oregon State will be able to make that crossover, and OSU does indeed have plans to play the three ACR teams. 

Will we see an agreement between NCR and USA Rugby by the spring? If so, maybe we’ll see a DIAA NCRC playoff. But right now, we’ve got a collegiate conference where, according to USA Rugby policies, not every team can play every other team.

NCRC 2021-22 DIAA Schedule