Men’s Division 3 – March 2025 Recap

Rumor has it that March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb; that is most certainly not true in the world of USA Club Rugby. Our spring-only teams are entering do or die time, our split season teams are finally back in action, and our fall-only teams are getting back to the practice field as they count down the days until their Super Regional opponents are finalized. And I’m going to cover all the drama, right here.

As always, the disclaimer – this information is gathered from team-entered data on RugbyXplorer. Now if something is wrong or missing, you should probably double check that your club or your GU has entered it correctly on RugbyXplorer. If they did and I’m wrong, by all means reach out – I’m only human after all. Everything else added is solely for entertainment value by someone who has no stake in the outcome of these matches. So, take a breath, have some fun, and read on to see what happened in the USA Club Rugby Men’s Division 3 competition this March.

We have a few weeks left of the regular season in Northern California. Currently Baracus (8-1) are on top, though they dropped their first match of this season earlier this month. Marin (7-1) defeated them 50-31 on March 1st, thanks to the 9-10 connection between the Yungert brothers. Marin had their perfect streak cut short on the 22nd, when Reno (6-2) hosted. Reno is still down in fourth behind Silicon Valley (6-2) who has three more bonus points. So Reno over Marin, Marin over Baracus, Baracus over Reno. 

SF Fog (5-3) and Chico (4-3-1) are one table point away from each other. The Fog looked good against Silicon Valley, they got two bonus points in that loss which pushes them into fifth over Chico.

There’s still a few games left to play here, Baracus hosts Silicon Valley on April 5th, that’s both of their last games. Marin has two left to play, both against teams who are struggling on the bottom of the table. Either Marin or Baracus needs to get as many bonus points as possible in their wins. If Marin wins both and gets both bonus points, they will top the table no matter what Baracus does. A very possible feat, but also San Jose is a bit of a wild card, and Marin has to get through them first.

We’re unsure of playoff structure but it’s got to wrap up before the end of April when the winner will head to the Pacific Super Regional in Las Vegas.

Regular season has wrapped up in the Men’s D3 competition here in the Pacific Northwest! Well, okay, there’s one game left, but it has no impact on postseason play, apologies. The Spokane Razorbacks (4-5) still have yet to host the Seattle Quake (1-7) in the final regular season match-up. The last time these two faced off went the way of the Razorbacks, by a score of 69-21. Seattle will be keen to end their season on a win though, so expect them to throw everything they’ve got at Spokane.

For playoffs, the second seed will host the third seed in a semifinal-type play-in match to compete in the final. The Budd Bay Buffaloes (8-2) are in second despite being tied on table points and record with the top team, the Portland Pigs (8-2). The Pigs can thank their overall point differential for the nudge that gave them the bye on April 12th. Both times the Buffaloes and the Pigs faced off, it was down to the wire. The Buffaloes won the first 33-30, and the Pigs stole the second 29-28. Should they meet again in the final, it will be electric. But of course, Budd Bay has to get there first. And to do that, they must defeat semifinal opponent, the Snohomish County Rhinos (7-3). Who would win in a fight? A buffalo or a rhino? In September it was the Buffaloes by five, and then again in March by 17. However the Rhinos have also pulled out some impressive wins this season. They took down the Pigs 17-10 in October, and two big wins over the Razorbacks. Everything yet to play for up in the PNW, the winner will claim the golden ticket to head to Las Vegas for the Pacific Super Regional and their chance to make it to Indy for the big dance.

The regular season is all wrapped up in Southern California and finals footy is afoot. Only the top four of nine teams qualified directly into the semi finals being played next weekend. First up was Beach Cities (7-1). Beach Cities were perfect until their second to last game, a surprise drop to sixth-place Riverside (4-4). As they still clenched first overall, maybe they knew they had one to leave out there and played light that weekend? Regardless, they stormed back the next weekend with a 92-0 win over the LA Rebellion (0-8).

Beach Cities will host fourth-place South LA Soul (5-3). LA Soul finished with the same record as fifth-place Beaumont (5-3) but those extra bonus points gave them the edge to qualify for playoffs. The two played back in March, Beach Cities coming away with the win 43-18.

On the other side of the bracket is number two in the standings, number one in name, the Fullerton Dead Elephants (6-2). The Dead Elephants got one more bonus point than third place West Coast Marines (6-2), and this gives them the privilege of hosting the semifinal. When these two teams played back in January, the Marines finished on top by three points, but will that change this time? Fullerton notched a win over Beaumont where the Marines failed, but Beaumont isn’t even involved anymore. Anything could happen this weekend, but we do know that there will be some great rugby on.

Las Vegas (9-0) rule the table in the Southwest after a perfect season. They’ve been clinical in attack, ruthless in defense, and accurate off the tee the entire season. And it hasn’t been easy! Scottsdale (6-1) and the Red Mountain Warthogs (5-3-1) are formidable in their own right, but Las Vegas has prevailed. As the host of the Pacific Super Regional at the end of April, Las Vegas is keen to qualify out of their region so they can dazzle fans at home in their quest for National recognition. 

Scottsdale have been on a three-game winning streak, defeating the fourth-place Tempe Old Devils (3-5-1) this past weekend to secure their spot in second. Their last loss was 44-16 when they traveled to (you guessed it) Las Vegas. Fortunately for them, Las Vegas will head up to D2 postseason leaving the gates wide open for Scottsdale to qualify for the D3.

The Red Mountain Warthogs also got a clutch win over Tempe on March 8th, slotting three penalty goals along with their 7 tries in the 52-34 barnburner. They end the season in the third, advancing to play Las Vegas in the D2 Final.

Camelback Rugby Club (3-3-1) won big last weekend over Phoenix Men (1-6) to vault them into fifth overall. Landshark (2-4-1) and Tempe tied at the start of the month 20-20, a big statement from Landshark against the fourth-ranked team. Tucson Magpies (0-7) were unable to find that elusive win this season, they came close a number of times but were unable to seal the deal at the final whistle.

Scottsdale are taking on the Champion from New Mexico, while Camelback will play NAU in the other semi. The winner will head to Las Vegas at the end of April to represent the Southwest.

It’s the Hooligans and the Ruffians heading to Springfield, MO the first weekend of May. Both teams will be eager to advance through to the Final Four as the National Championship will be held in the Midwest, in Indianapolis. First, they must get through the Rocky Mountain and Mid-American Champs, and then after that, only one can end up in Indy. 

We’ve got two matches left to finish off the regular season and then move forward into the semis and finals. The St. Loui Royal Ramblers (5-0) have locked up the top spot regardless of what happens this weekend against the Columbia Outlaws (1-3). The Royal Ramblers have been ruthless this season, their closest matches both 19-point spreads against the second and third place teams. They’ll look to continue this momentum entering the final weekend, and then during playoffs. It looks like the Royal Ramblers will host the Rowdies (3-3) who finished fourth on the table. The last time these two met it was 36-17 in favor of the Royal Ramblers. 

Sunday Morning RFC (4-1) and Springfield (4-1) have a massive weekend ahead as they face off for second-place in the standings. Unsure of what the playoff structure for Mid-America looks like, this is likely home field advantage for the semifinal against the third-ranked team. And the third-ranked team is going to be whoever loses the match next weekend. So back to back games between Sunday Morning and Springfield, so much fun! The winner will play in the MARFU Final on April 19th and try to get the bid to Super Regionals in Springfield, MO.

Up in Rocky Mountain, the season is finishing up and playoffs are on the horizon. Rocky Mountain goes straight to 1v2, 3v4, 5v6, so there’s no room for error in the regular season. The Denver Highlanders (7-0) have made the cut regardless of their upcoming match against the Colorado Springs Grizzlies (3-3). The Highlanders have been strong all season, their closest match was 40-35 over the Queen City Rams (5-1) who are currently in second. 

The Rams (5-2) did just lose a tough one this past weekend against the Denver Barbarians (4-3) as they traveled to the Infinity Park Turf. This puts them dangerously close to the Littleton Scots (4-3) who now have an opportunity to qualify for the final. Both teams are in do or die mode this upcoming weekend. Queen City will take on the Denver Harlequins (1-6) while Littleton will host the Northern Colorado Flamingos (0-7). If both win, Queen City will go through. If Queen City loses and Littleton wins with a bonus point, they will advance. 

The Denver Barbarians just hopped up into fourth overall thanks to their big win last weekend. This weekend, they will take on the Colorado Springs Grizzlies who are the only team with two games left to play. If Denver wins and Colorado Springs beats the Highlanders, they could theoretically play again for third place at the end of the season, but there’s so many things that have to happen certain ways, it’s no use writing out all the permutations.

The Harlequins and Flamingos will both close out their season in April, one will play for 5th place, the other will go home early.

Winner of the Rocky Mountain D3 Final on April 19th will head to the Northern Super Regional to compete against the Mid-America Champ and the Hooligans and the Ruffians from the Midwest.

In the North, the Knoxville Possums (4-0) cemented their place as subdivision leaders with their 111-7 defeat of Chattanooga (0-4) this past weekend. They already defeated second-place Atlanta Old White (3-1) earlier in February and just had to close the season up to clench first. Another league where forfeits rained down, so difficult to see any clear trends in the teams. We know Knoxville is very good, we know Atlanta Old White finished their season strongly. What will happen to them in the playoffs is anyone’s guess.

In the South, the Pensacola Aviators (4-0) finished perfectly with a 36-19 defeat of New Orleans (3-1). They lock up the top spot entering the playoffs; hosted this weekend in Nashville. Likely Pensacola will face Old White while Knoxville takes on New Orleans. Two will advance to Sunday’s final while one has the opportunity to make it to Gulf Coast Super Regional, should they get through the play-in.

The stars at night are big and bright, and so are the Austin Blacks (9-0)! That’s right, the boys in black are back and ready to fight for their fifth D3 National Championship. I hear you, how could they possibly still be in D3 after four titles? Well, their D2 and D1 are also undefeated this year and heading to playoffs/Super Regionals. So, like where else do they go? Hate them or not, they’re still here and they’re still on top. They host Tulsa (4-3) this weekend in the TRU D3 semifinals with hopes of heading to the D3 Championship next weekend in Dallas.

Tulsa finished top of the table in the North subdivision, tied on record with the OKC Legion (4-3) and Alliance (4-3). Tulsa have been on a three game win streak that started back in February, and they’re not about to get spooked now. Beating the Blacks has been done before and they know it’s better to strike before the iron is hot. Tulsa will rely on players like Cooper Coil and Austin White to inspire the team and drive them forward to victory in Austin’s backyard.

On the other side of the table, top of the Central – San Antonio (8-1) will host the Kings of the South – Houston Arrows (7-2). Don’t be fooled by that one loss from San Antonio, they’ve been ruthless all year, racking up a 271 point differential and eight winning bonus points as they carved a path through central Texas. With firepower like Ian Ermis and Michael Villalobos, San Antonio will be difficult to stop, especially at home. The Houston Arrows are a newer club, but don’t let that fool you. They play in the always testy southern subdivision. With teams like Shreveport (4-5) and HURT (5-4), every game has the atmosphere of a grand final. The Arrows are confident that they can once again reach the Championship and finally take the TRU Crown. Only one will advance, and we’ll find out who that is this upcoming weekend.

Down in Florida it is playoff rugby time! Brevard (6-1) finished atop the table at the end of regular season, just narrowly beating out the Pelicans D3 (7-1). Not sure how that math works out but we’ll take it. They get a free pass to the semifinals this upcoming weekend, and the home field advantage. 

The Pelicans played this past weekend when the seventh-place Lakeland (2-5) traveled up for their quarter final. Lakeland impressed earlier in the season with their 34-33 win over Gainesville (5-2) but struggled against Sarasota (6-1) whom they played twice. The Pelicans won that match comfortably, defeating Lakeland 47-24. Discipline did seem to be an issue for the Pelicans as Lakeland were awarded a penalty try and converted a penalty goal during the match. They’ll have to fix that moving forward when they play Sarasota in the semifinal. 

So how did Sarasota get into the semis? By having a very neat and tidy season. They started flawless with a 17-0 blanking of Lakeland, followed up with a 17-14 defeat of Brevard. They dropped their second match of the season against Brevard, and with a larger point differential, it put them into third overall. They defeated the Tampa Krewe (3-3) in their quarter final, a confident 68-10 rout. 

Brevard will take on Gainesville (5-2) in the other semifinal. Gainesville finished fourth overall and hosted fifth-place Orlando last weekend. As expected, it was the closest of the three games. Orlando had a great regular season, coming within seven when they played the Pelicans, but suffering a few early season losses that kept them in the bottom half of the playoff teams. Gainesville on the other hand, beat the Pelicans when they went head to head, the only team to do so in the regular season. Now with a strong win under their belt, Gainesville will make the trip to Brevard and hope to continue their ride into the postseason.

Down in Georgia, twelve teams have been vying for supremacy in the Men’s D3 competition. There were five playoff matches the weekend of March 15th, then another one the next weekend. That all gave us the final four who played semifinals on March 29th. So who made it through?

Charleston (5-0) beat Columbus (4-1) in the semifinal, 31-12. Charleston smashed Alpharetta (3-2) in the quarterfinals two weeks before.  Charleston had been consistently good all season, racking up a 226 point differential over five games. Their closest match to date was that semifinal last weekend, outside of that, they hadn’t been tested much. Columbus also had a strong season. Their only loss before the playoffs came at the hands of the Gainesville Spartans (5-0) who went undefeated.

In the other semi, Savannah (4-1) beat Gainesville in a battle to the end. Gainesville had been perfect on the season until that point and were looking forward to an epic East versus West match-up for the final. Perhaps neglecting to keep their eyes on the prize, Savannah saw their chance. The match was a nailbiter to the final minutes, and Savannah were able to upset the Spartans to secure the win 20-15. The Shamrocks will rematch against Charleston for the final. The last time these two played it was back in January and Charleston won 21-20. So really, anything could happen here.

The Georgia Rugby Union Championships are being held April 12th in Madison, GA. From there one winner will be decided and that winner may have to participate in the 4th/5th playoff in order to qualify for the Gulf Coast Super Regional.

The Carolinas have already declared their Champion after the semis were played on March 15th. The Columbia Rhinos (4-2) finished on top of the Western division. Thanks to a few forfeits by the Asheville Iguanas, Columbia played their last matrix match back in January, a 42-0 defeat of the Charlotte Barbarians (1-5). Columbia however still held the top seed and hosted the second seed from the East, Tobacco Road (4-3-1). Tobacco Road were neck and neck with the Fayetteville Dragons (4-3-1) for qualification, only getting the nod at the final minute thanks to a bonus point gained from their 49-31 loss to Cape Fear (6-1-1). The semifinal was clinical by Columbia, who shot out of the gates and never looked back, final score 82-3. 

On the other side of the bracket, Cape Fear topped the East despite a last minute drop to the Onslow Misfits on February 22nd. They took on the Greenville Griffins (4-2) from the West. Greenville had beaten the Columbia Rhinos back in October, a feat that puts them in rarified air. This was no help to them though as Cape Fear came to play. Thanks to a pair of tries from both Henry Flower and Timothy Torres, Cape Fear clenched the win 37-22 and the ticket to the final. 

In the end, Cape Fear faced off against the formidable Rhinos. The Rhinos opened the scoring off the kickoff through flyhalf Henco Storm, who converted as well. Then Fear struck through number eight Jacob Throneberry. The Rhinos clapped back, and again, and again. By the time Fear was able to score their second, the Rhinos already had four. At halftime it seemed salvageable, but the Rhinos were just getting started. At the final whistle it was the Rhinos, 82-28. 

A special feature of the Gulf Coast Super Regional is the inclusion of five D3 Men’s competitions. This means the 4th and 5th ranked seeds will play a play-in match to determine the final four attending the Super Regional outside of New Orleans. We’re unsure where the Rhinos will end up, but it’s all uphill from here in order to get to New Orleans and make it on towards Indy.

Heading down to the Capital Area region, playoffs are on the calendar for April. But first, let’s check how the rest of the season played out.

In the South region, Virginia Beach (5-2-1) and James River (5-2-1) have really brought it down to the wire. I mean, these two teams are as close as they come. Obviously they have the same record, and they also tied when they played each other, 38-38 back in October. Now, Virginia Beach lost to the Newport News (4-4) where James River did not. But James River lost to Virginia (4-4) and Virginia Beach did not. Add in that Newport News split the games with Virginia, each winning one, it gets very confusing. They just played this past weekend and James River took that one, but Virginia Beach was already slated to host the playoff, so it didn’t really matter. Now they’re playing again, but this time, it’s for all the marbles. The winner will advance beyond Capital South and take on the top seeds from the other subdivisions before the Super Regional slot is theirs.

Over in the Central region, it came down to Severn River (7-1) and the Washington Renegades (7-1), two teams who were also tied on almost everything it seemed. They played twice in the regular season, both close affairs. Severn took the first 26-19, while the Renegades captured the second, 18-7. So we knew the final match was going to be a close one, and it certainly was. The first 25 minutes was a deadlock, neither team managing to put together an attack that would get them in a points-scoring position. Then Washington put the pieces together through feisty flanker William Carson, Sebastian Pavlou converted. Immediately after, Severn evened the score with a gorgeous front row try scored by Richard Maldonado, converted by Erik Dronberger. The score stayed 7-7 through the half. Seven minutes into the second half the Renegades received a yellow card and Severn used that player advantage to score their second try of the match. Dronberger added a penalty goal at minute 58, but the scoring ended after that and Severn held onto the win 17-7. 

Over in the Challenger subdivision, Rocky Gorge (5-0) has yet to find anyone to stand up to them. They’ve gone undefeated throughout the regular season and through their play-in match. The Washington Irish (3-2) finished second in the division and were put up against Rocky Gorge in the Challenger Final. They had a good season as well, but Rocky Gorge proved too much for them in the end. Rocky Gorge will play Severn River next weekend in their pursuit of glory, and the Capital title. 

The season wrapped up and we’ve got four thrilling quarterfinals to recap before we preview the semis. First up, Wilkes-Barre (6-0) finished top of the table and headed to the Montgomery Bucks (1-5). Why they traveled, no idea; it was a double header with the Breakers playing the Bucks and the Montclair Norseman, so perhaps that had something to do with it. As it happened in the regular season, Wilkes-Barre won that match comfortably and now heads to the semifinals this upcoming weekend. 

Northeast Philadelphia (5-1-1) finished second overall and hosted Brandywine Rugby Club (2-5). Northeast Philly tied Lehigh Valley (2-4-1) back in October, and then lost to Harrisburg (6-1) the week later, but it has been smooth sailing since then. Brandywine have had a bit of a harder season, they’ve only found two wins, one on opening weekend over Montgomery and the other a forfeit win over Hibernian (0-6). Northeast secured the win 28-5 this past weekend for their chance in the semis.

Harrisburg (6-1) hosted Lehigh Valley in a showcase match. Lehigh may have only found two wins in the regular season but they were determined to make the most of it. They showed up in the quarterfinal scoring twice in the opening 10 minutes. Harrisburg scrambled. Sean Collins stepped up to the plate, scoring twice for Harrisburg in their eventual 36-31 win and sent them through to the semifinals. 

The final quarter final saw Jersey Shore (4-2) traveling to Wilmington (4-2). The teams were tied on table points as well as record as well as only 16 points separating their point differentials. In the regular season Jersey Shore beat Wilmington 48-33, but they also lost to Harrisburg and Northeast, keeping the records identical. Wilmington got on the board first through fullback Christopher Curcio. They were unable to convert and Jersey Shore followed shortly later through Quinn McLaughlin, converted by Jacob Klecko. Halftime score stood of 7-5. When the second half started, Jersey Shore woke up. They scored three more in the final forty minutes, bringing the final score to 21-8 and sending Jersey Shore to the semis. 

Coming up this weekend, Wilkes-Barre will host Jersey Shore while Northeast hosts Harrisburg. The winners will meet in the EPRU final, and that final winner will go to the Atlantic Super Regional in May.

Syracuse made a massive second half comeback to defeat Long Island 41-19 in the Empire Conference Championship in November. They will play against the Boston Irish Wolfhounds as well as the TBD champions from the Capital and EPRU regions.

New England finished up in November with the Boston Irish Wolfhounds defeating the Albany Knickerbockers. The Wolfhounds make it a double by also qualifying their D2 team for the Super Regional, hosted just down the road in Newport, RI.