Women’s Division 2 – January 2025 Recap

Welcome to the USA Club Rugby Monthly Recaps! Organized by division, this is your one stop shop to find out everything that’s been going on in club rugby around the country.

I want to set a few expectations before we kick off; all of this data is gathered from club-entered scores in Rugby eXplorer. So if anything is missing or wrong or doesn’t make sense, you should first check Rugby eXplorer and then check with your local Geographical Union to ensure that they have finalized all matches in the system. Any other commentary is added purely for entertainment value from someone who has zero stake in the outcomes of these matches. It’s just for fun!

These recaps are for competitions that lead directly into the Super Regional Qualifiers and then into the Club National Championships. Hopefully with time we will add additional regional divisions, but first things first.

This recap is intended to be for the month of January, but since many competitions started or even finished in the fall, I had to go back in time and sum up everything that happened then; so some of these are a bit detailed.

All of that said and done – let’s dive into what happened in January in the Women’s Division 2 competitions!

The Northern California Women’s D2 competition is set to kickoff in February. The next monthly recap will cover more from this league.

The fall half of the D1/D2 hybrid season finished up in November while the spring kicks off in February for the teams in the Pacific Northwest region. Five of the seven teams participate in the D2 pathway of this competition. So far Portland Pigs (2-0) are impressing after smashing the Bend Lady Roughriders by 118 and then the Jesters by over 50. Portland also recorded a rare win over Seattle, who is seeking the D1 qualification pathway for Nationals. The Mudhens (2-0) also look good, taking down the Steller Sea Lions (0-2) and the Tacoma Sirens (1-1). Meanwhile Tacoma got a win over the Sea Lions 12-10. 

Some absolutely massive score lines from the opening weekends of SoCal Women’s D2. San Luis Obispo (2-0) came out smoking as they piled 134 unanswered points against the Santa Barbara Mermaids (0-2) and then 76 on the Fullerton Wolfpack (1-1). The WC Marines (1-0) also started with a bang as they scored 122 to the Empire Monarchs’ 0 (0-2). The Fullerton Wolfpack won their first game over 

Empire, but then lost in that big one against SLO. The Pasadena Royals (2-0) look strong as they took down the Mermaids and Los Angeles Rugby Club (0-1). San Fernando (1-0) and Ventura County (0-1) had the most exciting match-up as San Fernando waited until the final minute to snatch a 34-33 win from the hands of hosts, Ventura County. February will be full of surprises I’m sure as some of these heavy hitters go head to head for the first time this season.

The Southwest sprung into action thanks to their mild winter temps. Las Vegas (2-0) opened with a massive win over Old Pueblo (0-2) to kick off 2025. They followed it up the next weekend with a tighter contest against Phoenix (1-1) who tested the Irish, but still Las Vegas powered through. Phoenix also recorded a win on January. 11th over Old Pueblo to bring them to 1-1. Albuquerque (1-0) also started the season on a high, demolishing El Paso (0-1) 80-17. Note that RugbyXplorer is not updated for this conference and scores had to be sourced outside of the system – so the standings table and full schedule is not available for me to make further predictions!

Midwest wrapped up their season in the fall, with Championships being held on November 10th. In the Central subdivision, the Cleveland Iron Maidens (4-1) and Grand Rapids Growlers (5-0) advanced to the playoffs. They were joined by Buffalo (5-0), Rochester Renegades (4-1), and South Buffalo (3-2) from the Eastern and Palmer (6-0) and the Twin Cities Amazons (5-1) from the Western. 

Grand Rapids Growlers received the lone bye to the semis, while the other six teams battled it out in the quarters. Rochester hosted the Iron Maidens, making short work of the visiting team 51-0. A high-scoring affair in Buffalo as they hosted South Buffalo; though the home team came out on top 45-24. The final quarterfinal was a gritty match, with the Amazons fighting until the final whistle to try to top hosts Palmer College. However Palmer stayed strong and held out 20-12.

Rested from their week off, Grand Rapids hosted Palmer at Highland Park. The Growlers scored first, but Palmer answered immediately. However Grand Rapids extended the lead by another pair of tries in the first half, enough that a second score by Palmer wouldn’t change the game. In the second semifinal, Buffalo hosted the Rochester Renegades in a rematch of the September 15th regular season game. In September Buffalo bested Rochester 20-14. Perhaps fueled by that loss, or just eyes on the prize, Rochester came to play. A bumpy start for the Renegades, they were unable to find the try zone for almost the entire first half, but when the pieces clicked, they clicked. Four different players touched down six times in the next 50 minutes for Rochester, helping them soar to a 36-26 upset of Buffalo. 

The stage was set for Chicago. Grand Rapids looking to finish off their perfect season, and Rochester looking for redemption. From the kickoff, you could tell both teams came to play. A penalty try launched Grand Rapids ahead, and Rochester scrambled to catch up. They’d touch down in the 79th minute, but it would not be enough to stop the Growlers. Grand Rapids would raise the cup 24-17 and head to Super Regionals for the first time in club history. As the second seed, the Growlers also advance to play the Rocky Mountain and Mid-America champions in the spring.

Four teams all played a round robin in the fall season. It’s unsure if this was a one and done scenario or if they are returning for more in the spring. So far, the St. Louis Sabres (3-0) are on top, followed by the Patriots (2-1) who smoked KC Jazz (0-3), but put up a strong battle against St. Louis. The Omaha Goats (1-2) also started strong but have fallen off since their 25-19 win over the KC Jazz.

The Rocky Mountain region play a split season as well. A few games took place in the fall, with more starting in March. Boulder Babes (2-0) started strong recording wins over Black Ice (0-1) and the SLC SLUGs (0-1). They’ll have to face both teams again as well as Omaha in the spring before chasing their dreams of a National Championship. Black Ice has been diligently training alongside their D1 counterparts and had a slew of scrimmages in the fall; there’s a good chance they are primed and ready to peak come spring season. 

Both the Eastern and Western subdivisions of this competition are well underway at the close of January. In the East, Charlotte (4-0-1) is on top after a tie against the leaders in the West, Atlanta (4-0-1). The Charleston Hurricanes (3-1) are in second, after strong wins over Southern Pines (1-4) and Fear the Maniacs (2-2). Eno River have had a tough season, a couple forfeits and a 100 point hiding from Cape Fear. Hopefully things will turn around for them in the spring. 

In the West, Atlanta reigns despite their unfortunate tie to Charlotte. Following them are the Savannah Shamrocks (2-2) and the Columbia Bombshells (2-1). The Bombshells beat the Shamrocks 33-20 in October, but the Shamrocks recorded wins against the Carolina Villains (0-2) and the Augusta Furies (1-3) which keeps them in second for now. Plenty more action starting next weekend for these teams.

A split season for the Women’s D2 teams in the True South region. A handful of matches played in October/November, and then the season picks back up in March. The Knoxville Minx (3-0) started splendidly in the East subdivision, dismantling Nashville (0-3) and Chattanooga (1-1) by large margins. Birmingham Steel (2-0) reign in the West after wins over Louisiana Lagniappe (1-1) and Memphis (0-2). Eventually we expect to see the top seeds clash before the Champion heads to the Gulf Coast Super Regional.

Texas is playing a D1/D2 hybrid this year, with teams seeking qualification by playing additional opponents outside of their division, but committed to either the D1 or D2 National Championship Pathway. The Division 2 teams in Texas are the San Antonio Riveters, Little Rock, and the sHARCs (Houston Athletic Rugby Club) second side. This season kicked off in December, seeing San Antonio (1-2) secure a large margin victory over the sHARCs, and narrowly lose to the Austin Valkyries who play Division 1. Little Rock (2-1) lost to D1 Dallas Harlequins but secured victories over sHARCs 2 and Austin, launching them into third overall on the hybrid table.

January was pretty quiet in Florida, we only have two results to look at. Fort Miami (1-0) beat Jacksonville (0-1) led by flyhalf Morgan Freeman (not the actor). Freeman scored twice and added four conversions for the 33-5 win. Tampa Krewe (1-0) also won their opening game over Orlando (0-1) scoring 55 points through six different try scorers and two kickers. The Cashem duo did more than their fair share, collecting 19 points through three tries and two conversions. Treasure Coast has yet to kick off, their opening match was supposed to be the last weekend of January against Orlando, but now looks to be the February 1st game at Tampa Krewe.

The Capital Area Women’s D2 teams have all played four of their six total games so far. As it stands, Severn River (4-0) is the team to beat. They took down NOVA (2-2) 33-17 on opening weekend and James River (2-2) in October. Back to back weekends saw them blank Norfolk Storm (0-4) in October and November. NOVA has already played their two matches against James River, splitting the results. In order for NOVA or James River to hop into first, they need to win their next two matches and hope that Severn River loses the next two. Otherwise it’ll be Severn River advancing to the Atlantic Super Regional.

All teams are a little over halfway through the Eastern Pennsylvania season, which took a winter hiatus after November. Phoenixville (5-0) seems unstoppable after a perfect start to their season. They’ve only allowed 42 points over five matches, while scoring over 200 of their own. Monmouth (3-2), who sits in second, scored 32 of those points in their two head to head matches. As the only team who has already played Phoenixville twice, they are feeling pretty comfortable about holding onto second place in the rankings. Harrisburg is also 3-2, with wins over Northeast Women (1-4) and Doylestown (1-5). It’s unlikely anyone is going to find a way to get past Phoenixville, as they have three matches left against the lowest seeded teams, but we will have to wait for spring to start to find out.

New Haven (6-0) finished their season undefeated, piling on over 300 points against opponents throughout the fall. NYRC (3-3) and Danbury (3-3) finished with identical records. Danbury hosted the first head to head in September, winning 44-10. In October the tables were turned as NYRC hosted, and flipped the score, winning 52-12. Overall Danbury had a better point differential which set them to second, while NYRC fell to third. Brooklyn (0-6) had a tough season, unable to find a win against any in-conference opponents. 

New England already closed out their season and declared champions in November. Providence (5-0) were the favorites from the regular season, finishing undefeated and claiming the top seed in the playoffs. They played the fourth-place team, the Hartford Wild Roses (2-3) who finished their regular season with wins over Charles River (0-5) and Burlington (2-3). It was a routine match for Providence, who clinically executed and took down Hartford for the second time that season.

In the other semifinal it was the Albany Knickerbockers (3-2) against Worcester (3-2). In the regular season Albany were victorious when they hosted, getting a comfortable 38-19 win. However this was playoff rugby, and everything was different. Worcester leaned on Rachel Colter, Tiana Faulkner, and Caroline Grady who all scored twice in that match to lead them to a 45-43 victory and an epic upset over the Knickerbockers. The final was set, Providence versus Worcester. It was everything you hoped a game of rugby would be. Both teams had prepared for battle, and battle they did. In the last 10 minutes, game plans went out the window and desperation took hold. At the final whistle, it was the Worcester Shamrocks who snapped Providence’s win streak and took home the championship and the ticket for the Super Regionals in the fall.