Maybe a lithe bit of a surprise team, UMass-Lowell enters the Men’s DII College Round of 16 on a tear.

After going 2-2 in the opening four weeks Lowell reeled off six straight victories, including the Rugby Northeast playoffs, to win the conference. Having had must-wins for two months, Lowell isn’t too scared off by Rowan, but they will have to work very hard against the MARC champion. Rowan went 8-0, including conference playoffs, in MARC play, and gave up 48 points. Twenty-seven of those came in one game, against York, when they kind of thought it would all just fall for them. Only two others scored against them, and points will be at a premium in this matchup.

With Larry Quinn stealing scrum put-ins, Rowan is solid at the set piece, and their defense comes in part from an ability to dominate possession. Lowell has a pretty good hooker in Nick Mogren and scrumhalf Matt Chrest was their player of the game in a surprisingly dominat win over Roger Williams in the Rugby Northeast final. 

In the other side of this bracket in Pittsburgh, Towson takes on Coast Guard. Towson won the Capital Conference with a 13-10 rain-soaked victory over Salisbury. That game, Towson players would acknowledge, had a tinge of luck to it, as it would have had Salisbury won - it was just one of those games. But having said that, on a drier track and a nice wide pitch at Founder’s Field, Towson could well expose Coast Guard out wide. Towson leans on another scrumhalf in Eric Sweeney has gotton plenty of GRR press of late, and it's been as much for his leadership as anything else. When things get tough, Sweeney keeps it under control.

Coast Guard Academy, however, have proved their mettle in playoff rugby, having beaten IUP in the play-in. It wasn’t easy, but CGA some kept a slim lead all the way through the game, showing a crucial ability to close out a tough game.

It’s one of the most competitive, top to bottom, brackets in the playoffs.

If we go with the rankings, Rowan (#4) should beat Lowell (#17), and Towson (#5) should beat Coast Guard (#21) but it’s playoff rugby, and injuries, momentum, and, sure, a little bit of luck, all play their part.