National Championship 2025 Preview

We’ve made it to the final countdown. After four thrilling weekends at the Super Regionals, the stage is set for what is sure to be a phenomenal end to the 2024-25 USA Rugby Club season. It started with over 600 clubs, through local and regional play, the top 20 battled their way out to Super Regional glory. These final 20 (four in each division) are now at the last hurdle. Two games stand between them and a National Championship. In the end, there can only be five that will lift the trophies, and be able to claim they are the best in the Nation. 

As always – the disclaimer – the statistics and records are pulled from team-entered data on RugbyXplorer. Any other commentary added is just for fun from someone who has no stake in the final outcomes.

With that covered – let’s get started! First up are our Friday matches, the Women’s and Men’s D1 semi-finals.

Last year’s runners up are back to battle against the 2023 National Champions. Belmont Shore had to win two games at the Pacific Super Regional to qualify for Nationals, compared to Austin’s one at Gulf Coast. On Friday, Belmont took on the Seattle Orcas, undisputed champions of the Pacific Northwest. Barely a minute on the clock and Belmont found the try zone, proving they showed up to play. It was a tight first half though, Belmont getting into trouble early with a yellow card to front-rower Adam Sanchez, and then giving up a penalty try twenty minutes later with another card. However, they still led heading into the halftime break. Winger Derek Adams sealed the deal for Belmont in the final 40 minutes, finding the try zone three times. Belmont still had one match to go on Sunday; facing Life West who squeaked by OMBAC 38-36 on Friday. It seemed that Life West emptied their tanks in the OMBAC match, because Belmont Shore took the lead 18 minutes in and never looked back. They still struggled with their discipline, at the receiving end of two more yellow cards, something they will need to clean up before facing Austin. 

The 2023 Champions return to the National scene after their defeat of the Miami Tridents at the Gulf Coast Super Regional. The Tridents were a bit of a wild card after playing in the Florida Men’s D2 competition for the season, yet electing to chase the D1 postseason pathway. The match in Louisiana was a bit of a runaway for the Austin Blacks, who scored early, and then again, and then again, and then you get the picture. Clear threats in the Blacks’ side include flyhalf Zach Pangelinan, who scored 18 points on the weekend, and defensive machine Asa Carter. Many players in the Austin side have professional or international experience, which pays dividends when it comes to those championship minutes. Will Austin get another shot at the Championship? Or will Belmont head back to the final two years in a row? Find out Friday.

Our other Men’s D1 semi-final has the Midwest Champion, the Chicago Griffins, taking on the Atlantic Champion, New York Old Blue. The Chicago Griffins won the bid to the Final Four with their Midwest win back in November, so they haven’t really played a competitive game since last fall. Old Blue also played a fall season, but challenged Schuylkill River on May 3rd for the Atlantic bid. The Griffins had a bit of a surprise run to the Midwest Championships back in the fall, they were 3-3 in the regular season and defeated Metropolis in the quarters to travel to the reigning champs, the St. Louis Bombers for the semi-final. A conversion by scrumhalf Sid Shoop was all the difference in that one, the Griffins sneaking the win 17-15. With the National Champions out of the way, it was down to the Griffins and the Lions in the final. The Griffins were again the underdogs, but continued their Cinderella story with a 31-24 victory over the Lions and the ticket to Indy. So at face value, you’ve got a team that was 3-3 in the regular season and hasn’t played a conference match since November. However look under the surface and you’ve got a multi-time National Competitor who knocked off the defending National Champions this year. Don’t count out the Griffins too early. 

Old Blue may have lost the 2023 title to the Austin Blacks, but are back in roaring form. Their 69-8 win over Schuylkill River is a testament to the strength they are bringing to Indy. Monate Akuei was key in the victory, scoring three tries, along with winger Malik Bryant who also added three. They played in the American Rugby Premiership back in the fall, a top-tier league that included Charlotte and Miami, clubs bolstered with professional players. Old Blue also went 3-3 in that league, a similarity between them and the Griffins. Adding fuel to the fire, this semi-final is a rematch of the controversial 2023 semi-final where the Griffins thumped Old Blue 50-27, only to have their victory disqualified from rostering an ineligible player. Plenty of old wounds to reopen on Friday, be prepared for a bloodbath.

In our Women’s Division 1 competition we have the 2024 National Champions NOVA taking on the Midwest Champions, the Metropolis Valkyries. NOVA are old names on the National Championship circuit, winning in 2019, 2022, and 2024, as well as coming second in 2023. They went 7-1 in the regular season, securing the top seed for the Super Regional semi-finals. The Atlantic region did it a bit differently, all four semi-finalists came from the same conference, and the regular season was all about final seeding. So NOVA played Philadelphia in the semi for the third time this season, holding off a late push by Philly to head to the final 48-33. This setup yet another rematch against Boston. Another strong victory by NOVA secures their fifth consecutive trip to the National Championships. No need to ramble on here, NOVA are the team to beat in this bracket. 

The first hurdle for NOVA will be the Midwest Champions who got a free pass through the Super Regional thanks to their conference win back in November. And we’ll be honest here, it wasn’t much of a game that the Valkyries got in on. They played Columbus for the Midwest Final and stormed them, scoring 13 tries to rack up 79 points to Columbus’ 12. Their closest match all season was back in September when they traveled to the Chicago Lions, winning 36-19. You could argue that the Valkyries weren’t really tested up in the Midwest, but what if they are really just that good? We’ll find out Friday.

In our second Women’s match of the day we see the Gulf Coast Champions taking on the Pacific Champions. Last year, Utah qualified through the Gulf Coast Super Regional by defeating the sHARCs; this year Utah qualified through the Pacific Super Regional, leaving Houston to clean up the Gulf Coast. The sHARCs play in the Texas Women’s Premiership, a hybrid D1/D2 conference where the top three teams compete to represent the TRU at Gulf Coast. However, without any other Women’s D1 Conferences in the Southeast region, that winner also goes directly to the Final Four. Houston finished second out of the D1 teams in the regular season, losing by two points to the Dallas Harlequins and tying the Austin Valkyries. They played one final match against the Quins at the TRU Finals back in April, snatching the victory with a late try by Star Monson to break the tie and pull into the lead. To reach the final for the first time in club history would be a feat from these ladies from Houston, but first, they must get through Utah.

The Utah Vipers plan their return trip to the Championships after finishing second to NOVA last year. As noted above, Utah had to qualify through a very difficult Pacific Super Regional this year, battling the San Diego Surfers in the semi before facing the Seattle Orcas in the final. Both games were incredibly close margins, coming down to the wire. But Utah prevailed, beating San Diego 29-26 and Seattle 33-26. This Vipers side is fit, fast, and prepared for anything; and they might have a bit of a chip on their shoulder from last year’s second place finish. Should NOVA and Utah both win in the semis, it’ll set up a thrilling rematch of last year’s National Championship; one that Utah will hope will have a different ending.

Moving along to Saturday, we have the Men’s D2, Men’s D3, and Women’s D2 semi-finals.

Starting off our day on Saturday, we have the Men’s Division 3 semi-finals. First up are the Gulf Coast Champions taking on the Atlantic Champs. In a shock Gulf Coast semi-final, the Columbia Rhinos proved their might and took down four-time National Champions, the Austin Blacks. The Blacks led in the halftime break, but the Rhinos shut them down in the second half, throwing up three tries to Austin’s one and holding them off to the final whistle, 33-22. With Austin out of the way, it was a fight to the death between the Rhinos and Brevard Old Red Eye for the bid to the Final Four. And seriously, a fight to the death as the score was tied at full-time and the game pushed into extra minutes. In the end it was Henco Storm who dove over for the Rhinos and sent them through to Indianapolis in the 88th minute. Columbia may be the new kids on the block but don’t think their wins in Louisiana were a fluke; this team is Championship caliber, and is going to be near impossible to stop in Indy. 

First to take on that challenge are the men from Rocky Gorge, who also had a spicy trip through Super Regionals to qualify from the Atlantic region. Rocky Gorge was ranked third heading into Super Regionals, slotted to play an impressive Syracuse Chargers side in the semis. The entire match was neck and neck, with Rocky Gorge leading 14-12 at the half. They scored again soon after halftime, bringing their final points to 21, but then had thirty minutes of holding off the Chargers to clinch the win 21-19. In the final, Rocky Gorge took on the Boston Irish Wolfhounds who had a big sweep over the Wilkes Barre Breakers the day before. The Wolfhounds fired out to an impressive start, leaving Rocky Gorge in the dust. It seemed like it was all wrapped up before it even started, but Rocky Gorge bit back inch by inch. The final goal line stand had Rocky Mountain backed in their own end, defending for phases on end until they finally recovered the ball and kicked it out to win 27-22. With both the Rhinos and Rocky Gorge willing to play to the final whistle, get ready for 80 minutes in this one.

On the other side of this bracket we have the Pacific Champions facing off against the Northern Champions. And talk about firepower, the Scottsdale Blues absolutely tore through the Pacific Super Regional in order to punch their ticket for Indy. Their semi-final over the Portland Pigs finished 92-14, with Scottsdale scoring nine tries in just the second half. This set them up against Marin, who soundly defeated Beach Cities in their semi. Kicking off the final it appeared that Scottsdale had finally met their match, as Marin dove over in the first minute to jump to a quick lead. That hope was short lived however as Scottsdale closed the gates and drove forward, racking up an insane 67 unanswered points to punch their ticket to Indy. Was it the competition? Or is Scottsdale really just that good? 

The first line of defense against Scottsdale at the National Championships are the Northern Champions, the Denver Highlanders. Denver’s first hurdle at the Super Regional was against the Super Regional defending Champions, the Red River Ruffians. The game was as close as they come, the Ruffians started with the lead, but Denver led at half 14-12. Each team scored once more in the final 40, but Denver’s Thomas Jenvey went 3/3 on conversions to help the Highlanders finish on top at the final whistle 21-17. Heading into the final, the Highlanders faced the South Pittsburgh Hooligans, who cleaned up over the Kansas City Royal Ramblers 31-3 on Saturday. Denver again turned to the trusty boot of Thomas Jenvey, who kicked three penalty goals and two conversions in the match, helping drive the Highlanders to their 28-15 win. The Highlanders certainly have a tough match on their hands, but with the competition they’ve faced over the season, they are well prepared for the battle.

Entering the Women’s Division 2 bracket, we have another returning National contender back for more action. Phoenixville White Horse are back to finish what they started last year when they came second to the Tampa Krewe in the National Championship match. White Horse repeated as Atlantic Super Regional Champions after a 34-19 win over the Worcester Shamrocks in the semi-final, and 30-14 win over New Haven Old Black in the final. Last year Phoenixville defeated the Sacramento Amazons in the National semi-final to set up their final game against Tampa Krewe. A game they ultimately lost, but learned important lessons from. Watch out for Corinne Gallagher who scored three times over the Super Regional weekend, with two conversions to boot, as well as powerful second row Kimberly Esposito, a multi-talented forward on attack and defense. Phoenixville must be careful not to plan too far ahead, they’ve still got to face Grand Rapids before they can dream of another final game.

The Northern Super Regional Champions, the Grand Rapids Growlers, are heading to the Final Four after defeating the St Louis Sabres 29-26 in the final game on Sunday. The Growlers missed the cut last year, falling to South Buffalo in the final, but a final eight finish is still pretty impressive for a club that formed in 2015. Now the Growlers have pushed the bar higher, and are heading to the Final Four to take on Phoenixville White Horse. Grand Rapids looked too good in their semi-final, dispatching the Boulder Babes 64-14. The final was more than a bit spicier. The Sabres soared to a 26-10 lead at the half, looking to have the game in hand. The Growlers did all the hard work in the second forty, grinding through the defense and adding points try by try until minute 79 when captain Lyndsey Bensel dove over for her side, sealing the victory. Grand Rapids have an uphill battle in front of them, but they take on every challenge with a smile – and you can bet they’ll be prepared for this one.

In the second Women’s Division 2 semi-final we also have another returning Champion looking to defend their National Title. Gulf Coast Champion, Tampa Krewe, are back and ready to take back to back titles home to Florida. The road to Nationals wasn’t easy however, the Little Rock Stormers gave them a run for their money in the Saturday semi-final, scoring with five minutes to go to bring the match within a try. The Krewe held strong and kept the lead, taking the win and the slot in Sunday’s final. They met the Knoxville Minx, 2023 National Champion and 2022 National Runner-up. Tampa accomplished two things with their 40-7 win over the Minx; they punched their ticket to Indy and their opportunity to defend their title, and they proved that there is a new powerhouse in the Gulf Coast region. With three of the last five National Champions emerging from the Gulf Coast region, the Tampa Krewe have the confidence to know they belong, and they set the standards.

Looking to upset Tampa’s shot at a second title are the women from Las Vegas, Nevada – Pacific Super Regional Champions, the Las Vegas Irish. Las Vegas played in front of a roaring home crowd at the Super Regional, pushing them to a 49-7 rout of Pasadena in the semi-finals. Winger Rachel Haycock was a menace in that match, scoring thrice in 14 minutes – it’s like she was preparing for sevens season before it started. Meanwhile, the Portland Pigs defeated the Berkeley All Blues in the other semi-final to set up a thrilling contest for the final. With big scores out of both semis, the final was expected to be a barnburner; but instead it was a defensive battle. The scoring barely got started until deep into the second half, when both teams started to find gaps in the tired defense. Las Vegas secured the win with a try at 76 minutes from front rower Matelani Lotomau, holding off for the final few phases to win 17-14. Now heading to Indy, Las Vegas will be seen as the underdogs in this competition, but don’t all great hero stories start with a good underdog?

Wrapping up with the Men’s Division 2 competition we have the Gulf Coast Champions taking on the Atlantic Champions. Look I’m not saying I called it, but I did say Atlanta Old White was going to be good. And guess what – they were good over the weekend. Good might not even cut it, they knocked off Nashville 49-20 in the semi-final and then blanked the Austin Blacks in the final 50-0. Atlanta is ruthless and clinical, and they have their eyes locked on that National Championship. They’ve made it to the final before, back in 2019, when they lost an absolute heartbreaker to Olympic Club 12-10. But this is a new squad, a new energy, and they are going to bring the heat. Threats all over the park for Old White, but pay particular attention to the lethal back row combo of Torres and Deacon, these two are monsters on the pitch.

Taking on Old White are the Champions of the Atlantic Super Regional, the Boston Irish Wolfhounds. The Wolfhounds were tested in their semi-final against North Bay, when yet another match came down to the wire. North Bay were leading by two tries in the last ten minutes, when inside center Jack Kiernan brought it to a one score difference. It was a try at the death by Andrew Marshall that secured the win for the Wolfhounds, and the ticket to the finals. With both Wolfhounds sides in Sunday’s finals, it seemed possible for them to send two teams to Indy. Alas, the D3 narrowly lost to Rocky Gorge, putting everything in the hands of the D2. New York kept up in the first half, but fell apart as the time ticked on, allowing the Wolfhounds to sneak in three tries in the second half on their way to a 31-10 win. Now in their third consecutive Final Four match, the Wolfhounds will give it all they’ve got to finally reach that Championship Match, and the opportunity to play for gold.

Our last semi-final of the day features Pacific powerhouse Boise United taking on Northern Champions the Kansas City RFC. Boise United impressed us all season, going undefeated up in the Pacific Northwest, including an impressive win over the D1 Seattle Orcas. Boise were runners-up in 2023, and missed the bid in 2024 at the hands of the Oceanside Chiefs, who made it to the final. This year though, Boise have something special going on. They toppled the Las Vegas Irish in the semi-final 52-31, and held off Silicon Valley in the final 31-5. Boise harbor a lethal combination of speed and strength, and the ability to fight to the final whistle. They only need to watch their discipline, as they recieved cards in both of their Super Regional matches. To beat a team like Kansas City, they’ll need 15 on the field for the full 80.

Kansas City held off a very good Gentlemen of Aspen side to take the Northern Super Regional bid to Nationals. They first defeated the Chicago Blaze 43-25 in the semi while the Gents snuck by last year’s Champions the Indianapolis Impalas. With both Midwest teams out of the picture, it was down to Mid-America versus Rocky Mountain. Historically the Rocky Mountain region has been very strong with their Men’s D2 sides, the Denver Barbos featuring regularly at Nationals, winning in 2018 and 2023. With how good this Aspen side has been this year, it seemed natural that they would punch their ticket. But the most dangerous threat is often the one you don’t see coming. Kansas City took their opportunities as Aspen were under pressure inside the 22m, flyhalf Oliver Jones slotting three penalty goals. However the three tries, including one in the final five minutes, by winger Zane Palmer sealed the deal for Kansas City. Now Kansas City heads to Nationals as a wild card. They’ve clearly proven they deserve to be there, and Boise has to be wondering, what other tricks do they have up their sleeve?

The winners of all ten semi-finals will advance to Sunday’s National Championship matches. By the end of the day, our five 2025 National Champions will be crowned.  Best of luck to all participating!