It’s been non-stop rugby for James Madison this fall. With the Cardinals Conference teams getting one bye weekend, JMU might have expected a break in the middle of the season, but instead they got their bye weekend at the end, right at the time where they needed to gear up for the playoffs.

 

As a result, Head Coach Mark Lambourne set up his side to face Kutztown University’s 2nds in an attempt to get them ready for the increased physicality of the national playoffs. It must have worked, as JMU saw off Rowan 55-14 and Towson 17-6 in a game that some might say wasn’t as close as the score indicates.

 

Maybe there’s something to be said for not interrupting momentum. 

 

“We just went about our business,” said Lambourne. “We didn’t play particularly well on the Saturday - we didn’t have any real emotion in the game. On Sunday we dominated possession but we weren’t as clinical as you need to be in the playoff rugby. I was very pleased with out forwards on Sunday. They showed that, facing the best forward pack they’d faced all year, that they had the capability to play well.”

 

JMU pinned Towson in the Towson end of the field for most of the game, but could only punch in three tries. That is, perhaps, a source of worry for Madison. Lambourne has taken his team in the past to face the likes of Cal and St. Mary’s (2nd teams) to give them the message that there’s always somebody better.

 

“It’s hard when you don’t play week-in and week-out a physical game,” he said. “So I would say we’re the underdogs.”

 

Maybe so, but they are on a role, and shutting down Towson was impressive an example of controlling the tempo of a game as any DII team has shown this fall. JMU now faces defending champs Minnesota-Duluth, another team that might argue that they haven’t played a lot of tough games. No one’s saying Saturday will be easy.