Men’s Division 1 – September 2025 Recap

Welcome back to another season of USA Club Rugby and another round of monthly recaps hosted by yours truly. After a scintillating summer of sevens rugby, the teams have headed back to the pitch to play XVs. Some conferences have changed, some have remained the same, some new clubs have entered the picture, others have closed doors, we’ll cover it all right here.

At the start of the year most of the action takes place in the Midwest and Northeast, but we’ll keep you in the loop with what’s happening in the Spring leagues as well. 

Also, the disclaimer (in case you’re new here), all of this information is gathered from team-entered data on RugbyXplorer. If something is wrong, it might just be because the data is incorrect in RugbyXplorer, otherwise it could be because I’m a human and sometimes make mistakes (yes, even me). I’m always open to correcting those mistakes if you reach out nicely! Outside of that, all of the commentary is added purely for fun from someone who has no stake in the outcomes of these matches. So sit down and enjoy as we cover what happened this past month in the Men’s D1 competition.

We’re starting with the Midwest region, one of the most active regions this time of year. We have ten Men’s D1 teams split into two geographical subdivisions, East and West.

Things started off spicy in the Eastern Division as last year’s conference champions, the Chicago Griffins (2-1-1) drew their opening match against the Pittsburgh Forge (0-3-1). As you’re about to read in the MAC recap, I’ve had enough ties to last me the entire season already. However, it was thrilling stuff from the Forge and the Griffins who kept it going all the way to the final minute, trading tries until they locked in at 31-31. From there, the Forge declined, losing three in a row, putting them at the bottom of the table. The Griffins also had a tough loss to the Detroit Tradesmen (5-0), 28-21, but nothing to worry about, as they’ve looked good in their two wins.

The Indianapolis Impalas (2-3) kicked off their debut D1 season to great success as they took down the Cincinnati Wolfhounds (1-3) in their opening match. They secured their second win in September when they defeated Forge 35-27. 

The Detroit Tradesmen are running the show though, they’ve remained undefeated, clocking a win over all opponents in their division and gaining steam as they go. Their point differentials have grown with the season, their last two matches being 80-0 over the Forge and 90-0 over the Impalas. The Cincinnati Wolfhounds came close to the Tradesmen at the start of the season, and close-ish to the Griffins more recently; but is that going to be enough? TLDR; Detroit = good, everyone else = who knows? it’s chaos out there.

In the Western Conference it’s way more cut and dried, and the table is very organized. At the top of it sits the St. Louis Bombers (4-0). The Bombers rolled off a successful 7s campaign straight into the XV competition and haven’t lost a step. They did have to work for their win over the Chicago Lions (2-2); Preston Hammerschmidt scoring the lone tries of the match in the second half to push the Bombers into the lead 12-6. They did blank the current second place team, the Chicago Blaze (3-1) 43-0, so they’ve got a pretty comfortable lead. 

The Chicago Lions are a surprise in third, they’ve been piling points on opponents, but their two losses were close enough for them to gain bonus table points, losing by six points to the Bombers and four points to the Blaze. Those losses will be tough to get through, but they’ll make the Lions that much stronger when the rematches come around. The Chicago Blaze can thank their 30-26 opening match over the Lions for their current second place standing. The rematch is scheduled for next weekend though, will the standings shake up?

At the bottom of the table we’ve got Metropolis (1-3) and the Kansas City Blues (0-4). It was a thriller when those two met on the 20th, with the home team taking the win thanks to a 70th minute try by Scott Bieloh, converted by Simeon Tschumper. The rematch isn’t until the end of October, and both teams will have to go through the top three before then.

Seven teams are chasing glory in the Mid-Atlantic Conference this year. Schuylkill River (1-1) took the spoils last year after a dramatic one-point win over the Potomac Exiles (0-1-2) in the final. However, this year is a new year, and the Mid-Atlantic always finds a way to outdo themselves. Like, for instance, having two ties in the opening month? Nah, that would be crazy. 

Currently on the top of the table is Rocky Gorge (2-0-1); they opened strong with a 61-0 rout of the Washington RFC (0-3) and cleaned up over the Washington Irish (2-1), but it was the Potomac Exiles who stumped them, keeping the score locked at full-time 14-14. Potomac, of course, were coming off their 12-12 tie the week before against Baltimore Chesapeake (0-1-1). So perhaps the Exiles are the squeaky wheel here.

The Washington Irish (2-1) are also worth a second look; they had Shawn Dawley to thank for his two tries in their 33-29 opener over Schuylkill River. They lost to Rocky Gorge but then bounced back with a tight 17-12 win over the Washington RFC. We also absolutely cannot count out NOVA (2-0). Those sneaky little devils snatched the 7s National Championship and it looks like they’re back on their business to add another trophy to the shelf. Their two wins came from the opener over Potomac and last weekend over Baltimore Chesapeake. And since Potomac tied Baltimore Chesapeake and Rocky Gorge, it would make sense to say that NOVA is going to beat Rocky Gorge. I guess we’ll find out, as they face off this weekend. Also coming up: Baltimore Chesapeake hosts Schuylkill River, and Potomac hosts the Washington Irish. I can confidently say I have no idea what is going to happen this weekend, but if Potomac ties again, I’m buying a lottery ticket.

In Northern California the Men’s D1 and D2 teams play in a hybrid conference before following separate postseason pathways. Last year’s champions, Life West, made it all the way to the Pacific Super Regional final where they fell to the eventual National Champions, Belmont Shore. They will be joined by Olympic Club who moved up to D1 after their 2019 D2 National title. Games won’t start until January, so nothing to cover until then!

Making the jump to D1 this year are the men from Boise United, joining the Seattle Orcas who were the lone representatives last year. Boise United had a dream run in D2 last season, going undefeated in the PNW (including a win over the Orcas), slicing through the Pacific Super Regional, before making a name for themselves at Nationals. They eventually fell in the D2 National Championship to Atlanta Old White, but cemented themselves as real competitors on the USA Rugby scene. This year either Boise or Seattle will advance to the Pacific Super Regional to take on the champions from NorCal and SoCal.

So far Seattle (3-0) looks like the team to beat as they defeated the Valley Kangaroos and the Chuckanut Bay Geoducks (both D2) before taking on fellow D1 competition Boise (2-1). Boise also started off well with two wins over D2 teams, before facing their first big hurdle, a league game at the Orcas’ home pitch. The first half was competitive, but Seattle broke it open in the second, scoring nine tries in the 51-17 win. USA Eagle Ina Futi suited up for the Orcas, and brought his speed and fancy footwork out for the occasion. Boise may have lost this battle, but there’s a long season ahead and the real money minutes come this spring.

Down the coast, in Southern California, lives the reigning National Champions, Belmont Shore. Belmont capped off their season last year with a 27-12 win over Old Blue in the D1 National Championship final, claiming their second title ever; their first back in 2012. Joining Belmont will be fellow former National Champs Old Mission Beach Athletic Club [OMBAC], as well as SoCal stalwarts Santa Monica and Eagle Rock. The San Diego Old Aztecs were in the fold last year as well, no word on whether they will return to D1 play. We have gotten word that the Oceanside Chiefs have been promoted to D1; they’ll feel right at home in the competition having been 2023 National Runners-up and advancing to the Pacific Super Regional last year.

No rush on this one though, games won’t start until January.

We’ve got one big change in the Red River Premiership this year, the addition of Houston Athletic Rugby Club as a D1 side. HARC are a long-standing member of the Texas Rugby Union, fielding multiple sides across the men’s and women’s competitions, and their addition to the Men’s D1 provides a hub for Houston-based talent to compete. With the news of the Houston Sabercats bowing out of the MLR this year, it will be interesting to see who shows up on HARC’s roster as they kick off their season. Our first match of the competition isn’t until 2026, so don’t expect much until then!

The Miami Tridents have indicated their intention to participate in the Men’s D1 postseason again this year, after their 2024 D2 title and D1 debut last year. The Tridents play in the American Rugby Premiership [ARP] in the fall and then in the Florida D2 competition in the Spring. With different eligibility guidelines across the competitions, some players won’t feature in the NCS-seeking roster, however with the Miami Sharks out of the MLR, we’re not sure who will be turning up this year. The Tridents are currently 0-2 in the ARP, with their next match hosting Atlanta Premier Rugby on October 4th.