The Boise State Broncos launched themselves squarely into the NCRC playoff conversation with two victories in the Northwest Collegiate Rugby Conference this weekend.

In a physical clash on Saturday, Boise State held off Gonzaga University 27-14. And then turning around for the Sunday game, Boise State held off a determined Eastern Washington squad 41-36.

Freshman scrumhalf and team Captain Zack Stolz was outstanding over the weekend and has emerged as an excellent leader despite his youth.

“He is starting to understand our system and his decision making ability gets better with every match,” said Boise State Coach Matt Genetti. 

Flanker Nico Lutu was a spark for a forward pack that dug deep.

Boise State in blue, Gonzaga in stripes. Photos Jeff Moeser

“We played two solid teams this weekend and we're proud of the way our team came out on Sunday,” said Genetti. “The two-match weekend started to take its toll late in the match as EWU came on strong, but the guys battled through it to earn a hard fought victory and with that end the weekend with 2-0.”

Western Washington continued its good run of results with a 31-18 defeat of Washington State, handing WSU their first loss of the NCRC league season. 

The University of Washington remains in first place with a 4-0 record. UW restarts their NCRC season next weekend against Boise State and then the Huskies take on Western Washington a week later. The entire regular season finishes with the WSU v UW rivalry match March 26. That game could also have its say in how the semifinals pan out.

Everyone except Western Oregon is still mathematically in it. Gonzaga, at 3-3 with one game to go, sits 4th but could have trouble holding onto that spot. Still, having moved up from the lower division this year, the Bulldogs have done very well. UW and WWU should make it to the top four, but there will be an almighty sprint for those other two spots between Gonzaga, Boise State, Washington State, and the always dangerous Oregon.