GRR: Washington State University
The four semifinalists in the NCRC are settled after this weekend’s games, but the final seedings are yet to be decided.
In the game between the top two programs, Western Washington defeated Washington 26-17 to jump into a tie for 1st. Nate Muir led the way for the Vikings up front, powering into rucks and also scoring a key try.
The playoffs beckon for Washington State University, but there’s still work to do to get there.
At 3-1-1 the Cougars sit third in the Northwest Collegiate Rugby Conference, where the top four go into the semifinals. But two games remain on the schedule - 3-2 Oregon this weekend, and 5-0 Washington two weeks later. The good news for WSU is that both games are at home.
The Western Washington Vikings opened up their Northwest Collegiate Rugby Conference with a 49-7 defeat of Oregon Saturday.
Played at WWU’s Harrington Field, the game dropped Oregon to 0-2 and raised WWU to 1-0. Western played well despite the heartbreaking loss of Louie Henson, the team’s captain and powerful try-scoring prop. He is out for his senior season with a knee injury.
After a soft opening, the Northwest Collegiate Rugby Conference gets down to business with four games this weekend.