JMU Men's Rugby Club plays at home for the first time this season on Saturday, hosting Rowan at noon.

Rowan are not built for subtlety. They play through the pack, they carry big men, and they run hard at the line. Head coach Mark Fowler expects an afternoon settled in the contact area rather than in open space, and a side that will not give the Dukes anything cheap.

Fowler is not pretending there is a trick to it. Match the physicality, win the collisions, keep support tight behind the ball carrier. Do that and JMU are in it. Give Rowan a yard of front-foot ball and it turns into a long day.

The Dukes come in off a 23-12 loss at St. Joseph's, where a pack that was supposed to be second best went toe to toe with the division's preseason favorite. Andrew Ringel, Matheo Rojas, Connor O'Hehir, Bobby Schroder and Logan Edler carried, JJ Tiago and Christian Ferrell led the tackle count, Max Apesa took St. Joseph's kicking game out of the match, and freshman Morgan Vaughan scored both JMU tries. JMU led 5-3 with 20 minutes to play and did not finish. Fowler called the forward play a stepping stone for the season and the rest the kind of error that gets coached out.

The B-side plays as well, off an afternoon in Philadelphia that started 30-0 down and finished with the second half won 12-7.

Saturday is not being broadcast. The club's new camera is on its way, and once it is in, home matches will stream on the club YouTube channel on Saturday mornings. The recap goes up Tuesday.

The 52nd Annual Alumni Reunion is Oct. 23-25 in Harrisonburg. An alumni match has been added to the Saturday schedule, slotted between the A-side and B-side men's matches. Registration is open and the hotel block closes Sept. 23.