There Is No Doubt Now

So this is not to run down the other teams out there. They are trying their best; the coaches are trying their best; the players are trying their best. But the daily competition, and the competition we have seen these players go through is so much tougher week after week makes a difference.

We saw it this past week. Southern Nazarene, the defending NCR D1 champion, just played Lindenwood. And SNU is not a bad team—they are in fact a very good team—and has a laudably difficult schedule. 

But Lindenwood beat them 51-0. Lindenwood is a NIRA team, the runners-up in 2025. And it wasn't close.

This is a good thing. This shows that NCAA status matters. It makes top players better.

Now, there is something that can be done about this. First off, take a look at SNU's schedule: Lindenwood, Lindenwood, Auinas, Dallas Harlequins, BYU, Oklahoma, Walsh, Brown, Life, and Air Force.

Good for them. They play Lindenwood twice (next time is September 19), and Life and three other strong teams. And that's what you do. Don't back down, play lots of games, and play tough games. Championships? What do they mean if you won the trophy by squirming past the best competition?

Grand Canyon is going that. BYU we think is doing that (they have a small fall schedule but we expect them to be active in the spring, too). 

The other thing that can done? Make a push within your collegiate organization to get teams into the NIRA world again. Aquinas, Adrian, Lander, SNU, Walsh, and others should be NIRA teams. The pieces are in place. 

If we want the USA to be back on top of the heap in women's rugby, NIRA will take us there. If we want to get there and stay there, more college programs need to be like them.

There's a place for club teams in college rugby. There's a place for club teams that are very good at what they do. But at the elite level the future is NIRA.