NIRA Finals: Bowdoin Unity, Davenport Speed, Harvard Drama
The National Intercollegiate Rugby Association crowned their champions Saturday at Harvard's Mignone Field, with DI, DII, and DIII winners celebrated.
Harvard Takes Sparkling NIRA DI Final Over Dartmouth
In a game that lived up to the hype, Harvard defeated Dartmouth to win the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association DI varsity championship.
Paced by two tries from wing Lennox London and one from flyhalf and game MVP Brogan Mior, the Crimson won thanks to an adventurous attacking style and a determined goalline defense that made Dartmouth work enormously hard for their points.
Big Scores and Close Ones in NIRA Semifinals
This coming Saturday's NIRA Finals Day matchups are now set after this weekend's semifinals.
Here's what happened:
Harvard and Dartmouth
Harvard defeated Sacred Heart in impressive fashion 60-5. Sophomore Lennox London scored three tries to lead the Crimson.
Harvard Secures NIRA #1, Ivy Title in Dramatic Win Over Dartmouth
Harvard scored at the end of the game to win a key NIRA game on the road at Dartmouth, securing themselves as the #1 seed going into the playoffs.
This was a bit of a slog of a game in cold, wet conditions. While both teams wanted to play some wide open rugby, it wasn't easy to accomplish and as the game progressed it became more of a forwards' game.
How This Weekend Might Have Affected the NIRA Power Ratings
NIRA action outside of DI was relatively quiet as many teams played cross-divisional matches, but in DI it was a big weekend, one with potentially significant ramifications within the new Power Ratings.
Let’s take a look:
