RUGBYMag.com has updated its Single-School Boys High School rankings. The rankings are the result of our best work in researching the teams, their competition, and their results.

This is an op-ed column by Eamonn Hogan, one he himself bills as very tongue-in-cheek. 

By weekend’s end, we’ll know who’s heading to the Women’s DII National Championship, and so an updated ranking is order. In some cases, teams didn’t necessarily deserve a demotion, but post-season results forced a drop in the rankings as teams proved their worth.

For big drops, like St. Michael's from #12 to #24, consider that the last time the colleges were ranked, it was just before the fall season's end. The Rugby Northeast team lost big to American International College in the final, but has started to rally back with some wins against local teams.

MARFU named its champion, Shippensburg, last Sunday after a tough 12-3 win over Temple, which also jumped up in the rankings. Shippensburg might not be the second-best team in the nation at the end of nationals, but we’ll have a better idea how strong the Pacific Coast leaders – Washington State and Western Washington – are progressing after this weekend’s PCRFU championship.

The South also named its two seeds. Reigning champ Lee University walked away with another title, but Appalachian State gave them an excellent run in the title match, losing only 12-5 and earning a spot on the rankings.

There was a little controversy in the West DII playoffs, as Texas A&M was deemed an ineligible DII team. The union had been operating under the belief that the Texas Cup Match winner (University of Texas) would be the region’s DI representative, and the second-place team would be its DII rep. That scenario didn’t work out in the end, and the Eastern Rockies received a second seed (Mesa State) to the West semis instead. The two ERRFU teams met in the final and Wyoming walked away with the 18-0 victory.

And the Southern California season came to an end as well. Cal State Northridge emerged from the pack with a 7-1 record, and its lone loss came at the hands of Arizona early in the season. In the rematch, Northridge defeated the Wildcats 22-17. It's an incredible achievement for the first-year team.

Around the rest of the region, Pittsburgh has been very active in its friendly season. The team competed against DI team at VWIT, and won the Cherry Blossom and Coopers Lake tournaments. Northeast champion Norwich has been lining up the difficult opponents in preparation to nationals, and played to an impressive 35-30 loss to DI finalist Penn State. Rugby Northeast champ American International College is going to play DI’s Brown and UConn this weekend, and we’re eager to see how the varsity program matches up against the next tier of play.

Stay tuned for results from this weekend’s playoffs and some more moves on the rankings.

Women DII College Top 25 - April 4, 2012
1 (1) Norwich (8-0) (8-1). #1 in Northeast; won first USA Rugby College 7s Championship; played Penn State to 35-30 loss.

2 (3) Shippensburg (12-0). Won MARFU after playoff wins against Catholic University 45-0, Mary Washington 27-10 and Temple 12-3 in the final.

3 (4) Washington State (6-0) (9-0). Won Pacific Northwest; top seed at Pac Coast playoffs

4 (5) Western Washington (5-1). 2nd Pacific Northwest, lost to Washington State 17-12.

5 (unr) Winona (10-1). Won Midwest Championship after defeating Grand Valley 32-26 in semis then Pittsburgh 31-10 in final; won Fools Fest after 20-15 win v DI's Minnesota in final.

6 (2) Grand Valley (10-1) (11-1). Lost to Midwest champion Winona 32-26 in Midwest semis; defeated UW La Crosse for third. Defeated Notre Dame 68-7 in preseason friendly.

7 (15) Temple (6-2). Finished 2nd in MARFU after defeating William & Mary 42-5, George Washington 22-19, and losing to Shippensburg 12-3 in final

8 (unr) Vassar (6-3) (9-3). 2nd in Northeast; defeated DI's Boston College 56-0 and Yale 102-5

9 (10) Pittsburgh (17-1). 2nd in Midwest; recently won Cherry Blossom and Coopers Lake tournaments

10 (9) AIC (6-0-1). Won Rugby Northeast

11 (7) Rutgers (8-1) (8-2). 3rd in NRU; lost to DI's West Chester 26-12

12 (6) George Washington (7-1). Finished 3rd in MARFU, defeating Delaware 34-17, losing to Temple 22-19, and defeating Mary Washington 27-13

13 (19) Lee University (6-0). Won South Championship after wins against Eckerd (60-7) and Appalachian State (12-5)

14 (22) Humboldt (4-0). #1 seed out of Northern California

15 (unr) Texas A&M (2-2). Finished 2nd in Texas; defeated Texas 32-29 and Texas Tech 39-0 in last two rounds. Excluded from West DII Championship.

16 (17) Mary Washington (6-3) (8-6). Finished 4th in MARFU. Defeated St. Mary's 29-5, lost to Shippensburg 27-10 and George Washington 27-13

17 (unr) Appalachian State (5-1). Finished 2nd in South after defeating College of Charleston 48-10 and losing 12-5 to Lee

18 (14) Delaware (6-3). Lost to George Washington 34-17 in MARFU Quarterfinal.

19 (unr) Wyoming (6-0). Won West Championship with a 57-0 semifinal win over Truman State and 18-0 win v Mesa State in final.

20 (18) Bowdoin (7-3).Finished fourth in NRU

21 (8) UW La Crosse (7-2). Finished fourth in Midwest, losing to Pittsburgh and Grand Valley State

22 (unr) Cal State Northridge (7-1). Won Southern California. Dropped lone match to Arizona early in season.

23 (25) Arizona (6-2). Finished season 2nd in SoCal; split games with CSU Northridge (43-24, 22-17)

24 (12) St. Michael's (5-2) (10-2). Lost to AIC 47-0 in RNE final; defeated Vermont Law 10-0, Siena 17-12 and Wellesley 31-19

25 (20) Stonehill (4-2) (4-3). 3rd in RNE; lost to DI's Rhode Island 17-12

The Mid-Atlantic and South held their respective women’s DI college championships this weekend, and the results forced some movement in the national rankings.

The University of Texas has been the most exciting team to follow. After winning the Texas seed to the South play-ins, the Longhorns went on a 4-0 undefeated streak to win the South Championship over defending champion North Carolina – and by no small margin: 36-3.

So it made sense to swap UNC’s and Texas’ rankings, and also drop Central Florida a couple of pegs after its 22-7 semifinal loss to the Tar Heels.

In MARFU, Virginia proved less competitive than years past. The 2011 Final Four team finished third in MARFU, defeating West Chester 10-0 in the quarters, losing 32-5 to Navy in the semis, and then defeating Maryland 29-5 for the final seed.

Other major moves include California, which finished second in the Pacific Mountain North Conference after Stanford. Why were the Golden Bears slotted in front of Midwest champ Northern Iowa? UNI’s ranking was established after they won the Midwest in November 2011. Since then UNI hasn't responded to any requests for information on their pre-season fixtures or results. Cal, on the other hand, has been active all year, and frankly, it’s easier to gauge progress when results are circulated.

You’ll also notice that Michigan has slipped in front of Ohio State. Very early in the season, the two teams played a friendly in which Michigan won 17-7. Since then, UM has stayed active, traveled to the East Coast for spring break, played in the Virginia Women’s Invitational Tournament, and logged some nice time on the pitch against teams like DI women’s club Detroit (17-all tie).

OSU, however, has been plagued with game cancellations as Mother Nature has prohibited its two true games against Tennessee and Indiana during the last month. It’s upcoming schedule isn’t looking too promising either, and it’s very likely that the top 15 will not be on the same pitch in a real match before nationals.

“We’re playing women’s club Scioto Valley this weekend, but some of our players are heading out of town for Easter,” OSU coach Philip Payne said. “The following week is the Midwest U23 tournament. It’s a shame since we have a really talented, but very young team that could do really well if we could play. We’re going to the Sweet 16 raw and untested.”

And finally, UC Santa Barbara joins the rankings after finishing second in the Pacific Mountain South Conference. The team fell to PMSC champ UCLA twice during league season and will attempt to snag that sixth and final seed to nationals this weekend during play-ins. UC Santa Barbara will have to get past Chico State, who we’ve ranked just below the Top 25 newcomer. Should they exit the semifinals unscathed, UCSB will face the winner of Colorado State v UC Davis for the berth to the Round of 16.

After the play-ins conclude, there will be little movement in the rankings before the first round of nationals, which are set to occur April 20-22 in four locations countrywide.

Women DI College Top 25 – April 3, 2012
1 (1) Penn State (3-0) (10-2). Won MARFU Championship with a 136-5 win over Maryland in semis and 32-5 win over Navy in final.

2 (2) Brown (7-0), (10-3). Defeated Boston College 70-7; went 2-1 on tour defeating Glasgow 50-5 and Watsonians 45-0, and losing to Edinburgh women 33-27

3 (3) Women's Cougar Rugby (BYU) (4-0) (8-2). Lost to WPL's Glendale 39-22 and Canadian university Lethbridge 5-3.

4 (4) Army (6-1) (7-2). Defeated women's DII club Brandywine 47-0 and lost WPL's Beantown 29-0 at Four Leaf 15s

5 (6) Stanford (4-0), (9-0). Won Pacific Mountain North Conference.

6 (7) Navy (2-1) (7-2-1). Defeated Virginia 32-5 in MARFU semifinal, lost to Penn State 32-5 in final.

7 (8) Eastern Illinois (5-0), (10-0). Idle

8 (5) Virginia (3-1) (7-3-1). Lost to Navy 32-5 in MARFU semifinal, defeated Maryland 29-5 for 3rd.

9 (15) Cal (4-1). Finished second in Pacific Mountain North Conference.

10 (11) Northern Iowa (7-1). Won the Midwest championship.

11 (14) Texas (7-1). Won South Championship with a 52-33 semifinal win over Georgia Tech and 36-3 final over North Carolina.

12 (12) Colorado (3-1) (11-6). Lost to Colorado State 19-10 in scrimmage.

13 (10) UCLA (5-1). Won Pacific Mountain South Conference but lost final league game 22-19 v UC San Diego

14 (9) North Carolina (7-1) (7-3). Defeated Central Florida 22-7 in South semifinal, lost to Texas 36-3 in final

15 (16) Michigan (6-2), (11-5). Tied Detroit Women 17-17.

16 (13) Ohio State (7-2), (7-3). Had lost to Michigan 17-7 but both real games vs Tennessee and Indiana canceled due to weather. raw and untested!

17 (17) Princeton (6-2) (10-3). Went 1-1 on spring break tour to England.

18 (20) UC Davis (2-2). Finished 3rd in Pacific Mountain North Conference.

19 (19) Colorado State (2-2), (3-2). Finished 3rd in Pacific Mountain East. 3 abbreviated scrimmages in 2012, the last of which was a 19-10 win over Colorado University

20 (23) West Chester (1-1), (6-3-1). Lost 10-0 to Virginia during MARFU quarterfinal

21 (unr) UC Santa Barbara (4-2). Finished second in Pacific Mountain South Conference; defeated UC San Diego twice.

22 (25) Chico State (1-3). Finished 4th in Pacific Mountain North Conference.

23 (21) UC San Diego (2-4). Finished third in Pacific Mountain South; lost to UC Santa Barbara 21-19, defeated UCLA 22-19.

24 (22) Central Florida (6-1). Lost South semifinal to North Carolina 22-7

25 (24) NC State (3-3). Finished second in South's Cardinal conference with two close losses to North Carolina but forfeited seed to South play-ins.

Day Two at the Tokyo 7s produced three encouraging performances by the USA.

They won two matches, 12-7 over Kenya and 20-10 over Portugal, and they lost another, 17-12 in the Bowl Final against France.

It’s been a historic season thus far for the University of Texas women. Last weekend, the first-year DI team battled its way through Texas, won the South play-ins, then followed with a return trip to Mobile, Ala., to defeat Georgia Tech and defending South champ North Carolina for the title to confirm its spot at nationals. Every successful team has a core of integral playmakers on and off the field who drives her teammates forward, and RugbyMag.com’s Women’s College Player of the Week Julia Fortkort is a prime example.

“This weekend was more than just a championship to me,” the 21-year-old, Herndon, Va., native said. “It was the result of a year’s worth of hard work. Last year, we finished our season earlier than expected, and after that, there was a change of mindset within the team. We knew we had to make some changes; we were in the big leagues now, so we had to act like it.”

As captain and match secretary, Fortkort expanded the team’s schedule to include trips to Oklahoma’s War of the Roses, San Diego’s Scrum By The Sea, and games against women’s clubs. Fortkort is also the fitness captain and put the team on a Crossfit regimen. She also ensured her teammates rallied around the opportunity to play at the first-ever College 7s Championship, where Texas placed ninth.

“We had expanded our competition so much that it didn’t matter who we were going to play - we had seen it all,” Fortkort reflected on the unique competition structure in place for DI Texas teams. “When we found out we had to go through the South to make it to nationals, we didn’t care that we had never seen these teams before; we were prepared. Our performance last week and this past weekend was some of the best rugby our team has ever played. We came to win, and we did.”

Fortkort has been playing rugby for three years and has worn jerseys for the Texas U23 All Stars and West Collegiate All Stars ever since. She brings a wealth of experience and leadership to the pitch, and this past weekend was no exception.

“Julia played excellently, both defensively and offensively,” Texas assistant coach Jen Moreno said. “She ran hard with the ball, was very efficient and effective off the ball as a support runner and in the rucks, and her tackling and communication on defense were also very good. As the hooker, she did a great job taking control of the scrums, which helped tremendously with our success in the set pieces, even though we were out-sized in both games. As captain, she does a fantastic job setting the tone and intensity. Plus, as you can see from the stats, she made a number of conversion kicks.

“Her performance this weekend really epitomizes how Julia has performed for us all season, both on and off the field,” Moreno continued. “She is extremely hard working, which is evidenced by the improvement in her individual skills over the last few years. She is focused, intense and encouraging at practices and in matches, which I believe makes everyone around her better.”

Fortkort and team have done well to contradict the early-season underestimation of their potential, but the journey isn’t over.

“This year has produced a lot of firsts for us,” Fortkort said. “It was the first time we've ever beaten Texas A&M and Texas Tech, which was a very big deal for us. It was the first time we've received a bid to nationals; the first time we've ever won a conference. It's our first year in Division 1! Nothing can top that.”

Well, maybe except a win at the DI national championship, and given the strides the team has made over the last year, there’s no reason to expect the Longhorns won't continue to surprise the field.

The denial of the Utah Brothers and the Provo Steelers a place in the Pacific Coast D1 club playoffs may be premature, as both clubs are moving ahead with plans to enter the playoffs as described on the PCRFU's website.

And how it helps the USA the most, at least this year.

The latest rankings of D1-A teams.

Utah rugby players have made an attempt to salvage their season,forming a new club out of the wreckage of the Utah Warriors.

Can you be unhappy with a 137-0 victory?

Starting 0-2 is never fun, and it’s not been fun for the Boston Rugby Club, less than a year after making the Super League playoffs.

What has the USA 7s team been working on this week?

Well when you listen to what Head Coach Alex Magleby has to say about the Hong Kong experience, you might get an idea.

The March, 2012 issue of RUGBY Magazine was delayed until later in March because we have a special visit into what's going on at the Olympic Training Center for the USA Men and USA Women.

Pat Clifton and Jackie Finlan went to see what was going on for themselves.

We also check in with two up-and-comers from Southern California, and look back at the all-too-short career of Kevin Swiryn.

Miles Craigwell answers some weird questions, and Alex Goff asks some pointed questions about High Performance.

It's all in RUGBYMagazine for our Premier Subscribers.

The stage was set for a beautiful day of rugby down in Southern California. On the line were the rights to an outright second-place finish between the Kern Tuskers and Ventura Outlaws. The end result was a 19-12 victory for Ventura.

Coaching and fitness instructor Aaron Manheimer (www.bodybymanheimer.com) talks about how to develop stability, strength, endurance, and power with no gym equipment.

News from the man who wants to bring pro 7s to the USA ... sometime.

A replacement player should be on his way to Tokyo for the USA 7s team.

Very few moves this week. Only Penn State makes a big move after beating Navy.

We were treated to games between #1 and #2, and #3 and #4 this weekend. Even though the 1 v 2 matchup wasn’t a league game, it was played like one and BYU won it. St. Mary’s were right there for a while, but were blown out late, after they emptied their bench.

Don't get us wrong; BYU was the better team, but perhaps the score wasn't quite indicative of true competitive balance between the teams.

Meanwhile #4 Life did what we suspected they would, and won in Marietta. St. Mary’s drops from #2 to #3, and Life jumps from #4 to #2. Arkansas State drops a place.

That isn’t the only move in the D1-A Top 20. Colorado continues to provide us with some interesting fodder for rankings. Their 67-5 blowout of Arizona State has to move them up.

And we have one new team. Oklahoma drops out and Ohio State, which almost pulled off an upset over Kutztown, and looks stronger this year, goes in at #20.

The hooker and two props are collectively known as the Front Row Club. Anyone who has ever played in any of these three positions is automatically a member. It is an exclusive club where the “dark arts” are performed at scrum time.

USA rugby found itself under some scrutiny as an organization twice in the past week or so, as the Cal playoff decision came down, and then, later, news that the lawsuit from Ruggers Inc/Kooga will be settled.

USA Rugby deserves a little positive press in these bits of news, and so here it is:

San Francisco Golden Gate finally gets to open their Super League season this weekend as they travel to Chicago to play the upstart Griffins.

The weekend of June 2 is rapidly becoming the busiest weekend in all of American rugby, with the USA 7s Collegiate Rugby Championship in Philadelphia, the Men’s club finals in Glendale, Colo., and the Super League final now move to that weekend also; add to that the first USA camp of the Mike Tolkin era.