One of the most competitive leagues in Men’s DII College Rugby has to be the Southern Conference Premier League, but on team is shaking up that notion early on.

The conference split this year into a top tier and a second tier, and the result it, no one gets an easy game.

This week, East Carolina found that out as the Pirates were edged 12-5 by The Citadel. 

The Bulldogs hadn’t been practicing much (who has?) but showed up on the defensive side of the ball. The Citadel held the defensive line well and scored off a turnover after a period of ECU attack. Chris Werder scored the try.

ECU came back in the second half to tie it. With two minutes to go, Werder crashed over for his second, and Gage Gibson converted to seal a dramatic win.

Also in the SoCon Premier League, North Carolina defeated UNC Wilmington 24-15. Wilmington led 10-0 at halftime, but the Tarheels inched their way closer in the second half. Still, UNCW led 15-7 and then 15-12. It wasn’t until the final 15 minutes that North Carolina took control.

After a long delay for an injury on the pitch, North Carolina scored wo tries to win the game. UNC can thanks its better set piece for the win.

Furman took on Appalachian State and ran away with a 49-5 win, looking every bit a team that returns a solid chunk of its lineup. Furman beat South Carolina and Georgia in warmups this late summer, and so maybe this score shouldn’t be a surprise. They can put in the tries.

In the Challenge League, Elon put together a nice result, beating UNC-Greensboro behind a strong game from Casey McCauley in the rucks and a play-of-the-game performance from Joe O’Keefe, who scored twice and set the tone in the front row.