Men’s Division 2 – October 2025 Recap

With October coming to a close, it is yet again time for another USA Club Rugby Monthly Recap where we cover all of the goings-on from this past month in the USA Club Rugby scene. It’s a spicy time of the year for some regions who have completed their regular season this month and are entering playoffs. Other regions have just kicked off, while even more have just finalized schedules for the spring season. And we’re covering it all right here. As always, recaps are organized by division, so take a seat as we dive into what happened in the Men’s D2 Competition this past October!

Before I forget, all of this information is gathered from team-entered data on Rugby Xplorer. If you see something wrong, please check first on Rugby Xplorer and talk to your Geographic Union; if it’s right on RugbyX but wrong here, I could have just made a mistake. Unfortunately, I too am a human. I am always open to hearing comments and suggestions, so don’t be afraid to reach out. Any additional commentary is added for fun from someone who has zero standing in the outcomes of these games. Sounds good? Let’s get started.

All is calm in the Midwest as we enter November… just kidding, it’s chaos and we like it that way. The Midwest closed out their regular season back on October 18th, and playoffs started with the quarterfinals this past weekend. All teams are off this upcoming weekend due to Ireland playing the All Blacks in Chicago (fair enough), followed by conference semifinals and finals, with the winners determined by the end of November. It’s important to remember that due to the size of the Midwest, the top two teams will advance to the Super Regional; so while the glory you get from winning the championship is great, making it to the final itself is a win. With all that in mind, let’s wrap up the end of the season and recap those epic quarters. 

Starting in the Western League, Wisconsin (6-0) finished a perfect season despite a strong challenge from Green Bay (1-5) in the closing weeks. This gave them a home quarterfinal and the third place overall seed. Outside of that 39-31 win over Green Bay, Wisconsin hasn’t really had many close games. Third-place Des Moines came within 10 points, but that was about it. Even second-place Palmer College lost 19-0 to last year’s D2 semifinalists. As mentioned, Palmer College (5-1) finished second after a strong season closer over Des Moines (4-2). Alec Lank and Manuel Bravo both scored twice in the 38-27 win. This match propelled Palmer into second overall and fourth in the Midwest seeding, allowing them a home quarterfinal. Joining Palmer and Wisconsin in the playoffs from the Western League are Des Moines. Des Moines just missed the ship last year after falling 29-23 to Wisconsin the last match of the season. They took the eighth overall seed, forcing them to play the number one seed in quarters, but qualification is better than nothing!

Moving to the Central League, the Southside Irish (6-0) finished on top with a massive 264 point differential. The Irish had a superb season, their closest match back in September, where they won by 16 points over the Westside Condors (2-4); a night and day difference from missing out on the playoff run last year after finishing 3-3. They secured the second overall seed in the Midwest and home-field advantage in quarters. Joining the Irish in the playoff run for the first time are the Chicago Lions (5-1) who reversed their record from last year when they finished 1-5. Their biggest match of the season was the opener when they beat Lincoln Park (4-2) 38-21. That game ended up being the difference between who made the cut and who didn’t, with Lincoln Park finishing ninth overall in the Midwest, and the one third-place team to not qualify for the postseason run. The Lions were awarded the fifth seed and traveled to the Western’s Palmer College for their quarterfinal. Not advancing to playoffs, but worth a nod, are the Fox Valley Maori (1-5). Fox Valley finished their season on a high, beating the Lake County Coyotes (2-4) 30-21. Fullback John Hall nailed two conversions and two penalty goals on the day to help push his team to their first win.

Finally in the Eastern League, Fort Wayne (6-0) took the crown this year as well as securing the overall first seed in the Midwest for playoffs. In the playoffs last year, Fort Wayne pulled off an epic upset over Palmer College in 2024 to qualify for the Midwest semis, only to fall to the Chicago Blaze. In the regular season this year, Fort Wayne took down everyone in their path with an average PD of 36 points per match. Their last match was the closest, with the Grand Rapids Gazelles (4-2) coming within seven points. Samuel Bruening was perfect off the tee, converting all five tries to ensure Fort Wayne finished the regular season undefeated. Columbus (4-1-1) took the second seed from the Eastern and the sixth seed overall into the quarters. Their only surprise of the season was their 19-19 tie against the last-place Cleveland Crusaders back in September. Outside of that, their record shows them as strong contenders. They were slotted to face Wisconsin in their quarterfinal. Finally, the Grand Rapids Gazelles rounded out the quarterfinal brackets after finishing third in the Eastern and seventh overall. They lost their final game of the regular season against Fort Wayne which slotted them against the Southside Irish in the quarters. 

So with the regular season wrapped up, we are now going to dive into the first round of playoffs, the quarterfinals. I noted the match-ups above so you know how everyone got there, but let’s check out some results.

Fort Wayne (#1) hosted Des Moines (#8) in our first game of the weekend. As expected, it was a dominant performance by Fort Wayne, with number 8 Tre Sherman scoring four times in the 64-27 win. The score was even at 7-7 for a little bit, and Des Moines kept close for most of the first half, but once Fort Wayne opened the floodgates, it was all over. Des Moines was able to score a few late tries to make it look better on the scoreboard, but it was over long before then. Fort Wayne advances to the semifinals as hosts of the 1v4 match-up. 

The Southside Irish (#2) hosted the Grand Rapids Gazelles (#7) in our second quarterfinal. This one was full of excitement as 13 tries were scored between the two teams. Grand Rapids opened the scoring two minutes in thanks to Samuel Motari, but the Irish dotted down their own through Josh Dalton. Both teams headed into the halftime break with the score 19-15 to the Irish. The second half was more back and forth, but the Gazelles failed to ever take the lead back. TJ Lunney closed it out for the Irish in the last play, final score 50-39. The Irish will host the second semifinal, facing off against the winner of the 3v6 quarterfinal. 

Western champs Wisconsin (#3) hosted Eastern Columbus (#6) in the third quarter. Wisconsin had three players in the try zone before Columbus ever found their footing. When Wisconsin winger Nate Page closed out the first half with a fantastic solo effort try, it seemed that nothing would land Columbus’ way. Columbus was able to hold off the Wisconsin attack for a solid half hour in the second half, but it was too little too late, the damage was done. Wisconsin advances to the semifinals, taking the Southside Irish; final score 39-24 Wisconsin over Columbus. 

Our final quarterfinal was expected to be the spiciest, and it delivered. Palmer College (#4) hosted the Chicago Lions (#5) for the opportunity to play against Fort Wayne in the semi and advance to the Midwest championship. Chicago pulled off the upset, sending front rower Liam Mahon over in the 76th minute to take the lead. A yellow card against the Lions in the final two minutes threatened to take their lead away, but their defense held strong and Chicago made it through, final score 22-19. Chicago will now travel to Fort Wayne to have their chance to play for the seed to the Super Regional and the Midwest title.

The Mid-America Men’s D2 is in full swing, and results are mixed.

Kansas City RFC (4-0) have nothing to complain about, having jumped out to a strong lead over the competition. Their 109-5 defeat of Wichita (1-2) last weekend secured their position as the team to beat this year. Their only close match was back on October 11th against the second-place Omaha GOATS (3-2). Kansas City started off cruising, like the rest of their matches, scoring twice in the opening minutes. Omaha started matching them try for try, keeping the gap within reach for the majority of the match. It was the closing 10 minutes that the GOATS made their biggest move. A pair of tries from loose forward Johnathan DeRocha, and a conversion from David Synnott brought the score within a converted try. However it was too late for Omaha, as Kansas City held on to the final whistle, final score 38-31. It should be enough to send Kansas City a message to think about over the winter break; they may be on top, but there are always threats lurking below.

The GOATS still hold onto second place in the standings, despite teams closing in. They followed up their first loss of the season with a 52-12 defeat of the Royal Ramblers on October 18th. With a superb start to their season, a close loss to a strong first-place team, and a bounce back with a big win, it looked like the GOATS had nothing to worry about until they faced Kansas City again. Then they faced the Bombers. The St Louis Bombers (2-3) have had mixed results, but they were primed and ready when they hosted Omaha this past weekend. An onslaught of first-half points saw the Bombers take a strong lead and the GOATS just never caught up. However, Omaha managed to max out bonus points in the 36-29 loss, and they still have one more win in the standings, so they stay in second, for now.

Wichita have had mixed results as well. They obviously lost a big one this past weekend, but they defeated the Bombers back on the 11th of October, so they can clearly hang with the big dogs. If they can manage to beat the GOATS in November, they’ll be able to go into the winter break in a stronger position. 

Our final team is the Royal Ramblers (0-3). It’s not the start to their debut D2 season that the Royal Ramblers wanted, but their opening 24-19 loss to the Bombers was a promising sight. They take on Wichita for the first time in November, and they have a real chance of winning that one. That would mean they enter the winter break on a high before returning to play in March, a good emotional advantage over the competition.

The Rocky Mountain Men’s D2 finished their regular season this past weekend, and the top two teams head to one final championship match on Saturday November 1st. 

The Gentlemen of Aspen (5-1) finished top of the table after a few tight games to close out their regular season. The Gents were undefeated until October 18th when they faced the Denver Water Dogs (4-2) at Infinity Park. The entire match was back and forth, with teams trading tries and score leads. It was identical to their first meeting back in September, where Aspen took the win 34-31 thanks to a penalty goal by Christopher Campbell. This time, it was the sweet boot of Martini Talapusi who got the nudge for the Water Dogs, final score 55-52 in Denver’s favor. The Gents were able to fill in the gaps by the next weekend, as they traveled to Utah to face Park City Haggis (3-3). A loss to the Haggis would have potentially dropped them from the championship match, making them unable to defend their title from last year. Add in that the Haggis are incredibly difficult to beat on home turf, the Gents were facing an uphill battle. It was close, but the Gentlemen trusted the process and sealed the deal, cementing the top seed at the end of the regular season, 42-33 over Park City.

They will have to take on the Denver Water Dogs again, who finished second overall. Denver lost a close one at the start of October when they had to travel to Haggis. A surprisingly low-scoring game for Rocky Mountain (whose teams notoriously love high-scoring close games), only 36 points were scored in total. Haggis managed to keep the Water Dogs from getting any bonus points, keeping them under four tries, and the difference at eight points. It was a needed step for them to qualify for the championship, but it wasn’t everything. Haggis needed to beat Aspen in order to secure a slot in the final, but failed to do so. They finished in third overall. 

The Denver Barbarians (0-6) also ended their season disappointed after dropping their final match to the Water Dogs. It was a rough season for the Barbos, whose history of National Championship and regional titles left us wanting more. But everyone has to have a chance to rebuild sometime, and we think we’ll see the Barbos come back even stronger next year. 

The final match of the season in the Rocky Mountain will be this weekend as the Gentlemen of Aspen face off against the Denver Water Dogs in the Rocky Mountain championship. The winner will head to the Northern Super Regional next year and take on two teams from the Midwest and the Mid-American champion. 

New England closed out their regular season in the middle of the month and started playoffs this past weekend.

The final weekend of pool play (October 18th) was a thriller, as all three matches finished with four points or less differentials. Mystic River (6-0) notched a 35-33 win over Boston (3-3) to lock up the top seed and the free pass into the semifinals. The Boston Irish Wolfhounds (5-1) closed out a 31-28 game over Portland (2-4) to secure second place. Newport (1-5) managed to shock Worcester (3-3) 28-24 to get their first win of the season and jump over Charles River (1-5) into sixth, securing a slightly better quarterfinal berth. 

In the 2nd vs 7th, the Wolfhounds demolished Charles River as their first step in making it back to the NERFU finals to defend their title. In the 3rd vs 6th, Boston hosted Newport, still coming off a high after their defeat of 4th place Worcester. Almost 100 points were scored in the battle, with Boston getting the lion’s share, final score 60-36. Dane Harvey, Moe Akar, and Terence Cullen all scored twice for Boston in the win. 

Finally, Worcester (4) and Portland (5) went head to head. With only two table points separating the two teams, the match was everything we could have imagined. Worcester struck first with a penalty goal from Nicholas Ducey, followed by another a few minutes later. Portland answered with a try from Nathan Schulz, converted by Ross Maiden. Maiden added a penalty goal of his own a few minutes later to bring the score to 10-6. Cormac Miller added another try for Portland at minute 24, and Maiden converted to bring it to 17-6. Ducey kicked his third penalty goal for Worcester just before halftime to go into the break 17-9, Portland leading. Worcester opened the second half with a try from Ryan Adams, converted by Ducey to narrow the spread to a single point. This score only stood a few minutes before Portland added another penalty goal, score now 20-16. Portland stretched the lead at 62 minutes with another converted try, this time by James Read. Worcester managed to score one final time in the waning minutes, but Portland added their own before the final whistle bringing the final score 34-23, Portland on top. 

Now the semifinals are set; the Wolfhounds will host Boston while Mystic River hosts Portland on November 8th. Will Portland repeat last year’s epic win over Mystic to make it to another NERFU final? Will Boston upset the Wolfhounds, taking down the reigning Champions? We’ll find out in a few weeks. 

The season is wrapping up in the Empire conference before heading into hibernation for the winter. 

Buffalo (6-1) are leading the way after dealing New York Rugby Club (5-1) their first loss of the season on the 18th. It was close at the start, both teams getting on the board early with a converted try, then adding a penalty goal. It looked like it might be even throughout the entire match, until Buffalo kicked it into high gear in the second half. NYRC had the last score of the match through Liam Sweeney, but nothing could undo the damage. Although both teams have only one loss, Buffalo also has four more bonus points than NYRC and a heck of a lot more in the differential (256 vs 65). Both teams have to play NYAC (2-2) once more and NYRC will face Old Blue (1-3) in March. 

Finally, Montclair (0-7) were inches away from their first win last month when they took on NYAC on the 18th. It was a true “off the tee” match, as both teams looked to their kickers to slowly add to the point total. A converted try in the 68th minute brought Montclair within killing distance, but the final whistle came too soon; NYAC on top 23-20. Montclair’s match the weekend before was a similar heartbreak when they lost 22-17 to NYRC. There’s only one chance left for Montclair to get that elusive win and that’s on November 8th when they host Old Blue. I personally think they can get it done. The scoreboard hasn’t been kind to Montclair this season, and it’s not fully reflective of some of the great work they’ve done. 

We’re almost at the end of the road for the four teams in the Capital Men’s D2 division. It’s important to note that all four teams do qualify for the postseason, so the regular season is more about preparation and playing for final seeding than it is playing for qualification, like some leagues. And let’s be real, everyone would rather have a home semifinal than have to hit the road. When we left off last month, it was relatively even across the board. October has separated the teams a bit, and one has already secured home field advantage for the playoffs.

The Riverlands Golden Boars (4-1) are top of the table and secured home field advantage for their semifinal. Even if they drop their final match to Raleigh (3-2), there’s no way that the Norfolk Blues (2-3) can pass them. There is a chance that Raleigh could sneak into first, but they’d have to really stick it to the Golden Boars in November. The Riverlands can thank their two wins in October for this push to the top; they took down the Blues 41-24 then beat James River (1-4) on the road 41-29.

Raleigh is currently in second place thanks to a resounding 80-26 win over James River this past weekend. They will have the advantage over the Riverlands next weekend as they are hosting; and if they can win with the bonus point AND have a larger differential than the Golden Boars at the final whistle, they can theoretically hop into first. First place guarantees a semifinal against James River, who despite some very close matches, has had issues closing out their games on the right side of the win column. 

The Norfolk Blues are currently in third place, which is wild when you consider they have beaten both the Riverlands and Raleigh. However, if you look at the stats, Norfolk haven’t lost a home game, nor won an away game all season. With that in mind, they should win their next match against James River (at home), and if Raleigh lose to the Golden Boars, they could host a semifinal (which they would have to win because it’s a home game). Again, this is all based on the assumption that Norfolk cannot lose at home, which has yet to be proven false. At the end of the day, we won’t really know the answer to any of this playoff action until next year, as Capital won’t come back until April 11th to play out their D2 semifinals, tragic.

We’ve got one final weekend left of play in Eastern Pennsylvania and it’s going to come down to the wire. 

The two previously undefeated sides at the end of September went head to head this past weekend as North Bay (6-0) defeated Old Gaelic (3-2-1) in a 64-21 triumph. As you can see, October was a bit tougher for Old Gaelic than for North Bay; as they drew 17-17 against Media (2-3-1) before losing big against the Lancaster Roses (4-2) in the Susquehanna Cup. However, North Bay didn’t just ease through the month. South Jersey (1-5) gave them a scare back on the 11th when they hosted, coming within seven points of the conference leaders. North Bay has one final match left against Doylestown (1-5) next weekend, but they are certain to finish in the top two regardless of that outcome. 

Philadelphia Whitemarsh (5-1) has yet to lose a match since that season opener against North Bay back in September. They are our new number two on the scoresheet after holding off their own attack by South Jersey this past weekend. Winger Theodore Belle scored twice for Whitemarsh in the 27-24 victory. Whitemarsh will face Old Gaelic next weekend; Old Gaelic needing that victory to secure their place in the top four, while Whitemarsh are already safe. 

The Lancaster Roses have also risen to the top of the pile after another month of play. It looked dodgy when they lost big to North Bay at the start of the month, but they came back fighting as they blanked Old Gaelic in the Susquehanna Cup. It was the first time since 2018 that the Roses won the Cup over Old Gaelic, and certainly is cause for concern amongst the other top teams in the division. The Roses followed this up with a smashing of Monmouth (1-5) at home, enough to secure them a top four finish regardless of next weekend’s result. 

Media are finally on the rise after a tough start to the season going 0-3 at our last check-in. They defeated South Jersey on October 4th, then tied Old Gaelic the following weekend. Follow those up with their 40-5 win over Doylestown this past weekend and they have put themselves back in position to jump into the top four. Little late for the surge there Media, but if it works it works. They will travel to Monmouth this weekend for their final match of the year; if they can pull out a win while Old Gaelic loses, they can possibly move up in the table. 

South Jersey may be near the bottom of the table, but they’ve done some impressive things this month, worth taking note of. After having to forfeit their opening match due to lack of players, they came within seven points of the top two teams on back to back weekends at the end of October, something that no other team has accomplished. They haven’t been on the winning side of the scoreboard since back in September but they’ll host the Roses next weekend, and while it’s a tall order, I think they can get it done. 

Doylestown and Monmouth finish out our teams in the EPRU. Monmouth notched their first win of the season back on the 11th over Doylestown, a thrilling game that had fans on the edge of their seats. Doylestown took the early lead, scoring twice in the opening 10 minutes before Monmouth had their say. They went into the halftime break tied up at 17 apiece. Monmouth then dotted down twice, taking the lead, but Doylestown added two quick tries in the closing minutes to have the chance to tie it. A missed conversion meant the win fell to the visiting side, Monmouth on top 29-27. Doylestown’s lone win of the season comes from the forfeit by South Jersey back at the start. As they play North Bay this weekend, it’s not likely to fall in favor of the Dragons, but anything is possible. Monmouth will host Media for their final match; as Media is making a late surge to get into the top four, they’ll be the favorites in that one.

Northern California is playing a D1/D2 hybrid this year, with Life West and Olympic Club representing as the D1 sides. D2 will be made up of East Palo Alto [EPA], Sacramento, San Jose, Santa Rosa, and Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley topped the competition last year, making it to the Pacific Super Regional final where they eventually fell to now-D1 Boise United. With Boise out of the way in D2, could this be Silicon Valley’s year? Or will someone else sneak in and try to nab the crown? Games will kick off in January and we will cover all the action then.

Up in the Pacific Northwest, the Valley Kangaroos (3-1) held on to their undefeated streak in D2 until this past weekend. They kicked off their October with a 46-15 defeat of the Tacoma Nomads (1-3), following it up with a 46-24 defeat of the Bend Roughriders (1-2). It was this past weekend when they faced Eastside Tsunami (3-1), they took their first D2 knock of the year. (I say D2 because both of these sides are also playing interdivisionally against D1 Boise and Seattle, but those results don’t count against the table). 

Eastside Tsunami is an interesting case; they lost back in September against the Roughriders, but were able to defeat D1 Seattle 43-38 earlier this month. Adding in this last result against the Kangaroos, it seems that the Tsunami is the team to beat this year in D2. The championship spot has been vacated since Boise was promoted, so there is a need for a new rep to the Super Regional. Why not Tsunami?

You can’t really count out any of the teams in the PNW for postseason hopes; everyone has at least one win on the board. The Chuckanut Bay Geoducks (1-1) took down the Tacoma Nomads on the 18th, 35-26, and they only lost by two points against the Valley Kangaroos in September. The ORSU Jesters (1-2) also got their name in the win column after defeating the Bend Roughriders 15-14 on October 4th.

To date, no one has been able to match the energy and intensity of the two D1 sides, except Eastside. The Valley Kangaroos will get their chance to front up when they travel to Boise United on November 8th, and Eastside Tsunami will defend their new top of the table standings against the Geoducks this weekend. 

Southern California is scheduled to kickoff their season in January. The Oceanside Chiefs have been promoted to Division 1 after leading the division last year, defeating San Luis Obispo 42-15 in the SoCal final. SLO traveled to the Austin Huns this past weekend to face the Austin Huns D1 side. The game fell heavily in favor of the home team, but SLO managed to throw a little razzle dazzle and surprise the Huns with some unique plays from the vault. Such efforts early in the season bode well for San Luis Obispo, who are now the reigning leaders in the division following the Oceanside Chiefs’ promotion. 

SLO will have to face some tough competition this year, with fellow semifinalists Belmont Shore and Ventura County both eyeing up that top spot. Games kickoff in January, so hang tight until then!

The Southwest region played a D2/D3 hybrid last year, but it looks like they are splitting the divisions this year. Last year’s champions Las Vegas will clash against the Tempe Old Devils and the Red Mountain Warthogs, as well as newly promoted Scottsdale Blues. The Blues were National runners-up in D3 last year and defeated the Warthogs and Old Devils in regular season play, so we aren’t that surprised to see the promotion. Matches will start in January, so nothing to cover until then!

It appears that Atlanta Old White, our lone Carolinas Men’s D2 team, has been slotted into the True South Men’s D2 conference. This leaves the Gulf Coast with four semifinal slots and three divisions. Who will fill that spot is still being determined by the Club Council. However, we will now cover all of Old White’s progress below!

We only have one match played so far this season and that was between the Birmingham Vulcans (0-1) and Nashville (1-0). Nashville were dominant the entire match, finding the try zone on nine different occasions to defeat the Vulcans 55-5. Despite the scoreline, it was an improvement from last year when the same game fell to Nashville 64-0. The Vulcans scored once, through flanker Samuel Blalock, at the end of the first half. Birmingham’s next match will be on November 15th against Atlanta Old White, a big opportunity for them to step up. 

Nashville followed up their first regular season win with a friendly against the Memphis Blues on October 18th. Memphis plays in the D3, but took on a combined Nashville D2/D3 side. The final score was debated, with Memphis reporting 29-24, Nashville reporting 29-29. I’m not going to get in the middle of that, but it sounds like it was a great day for rugby. Nashville’s next match will be on November 8th in Atlanta as they take on the reigning D2 National Champions. Our last side in this conference, New Orleans Rugby, will take the pitch in January when they open their season against Old White on the 24th.

All quiet in Texas for now. There’s a few friendlies scheduled in November; Houston United Rugby Team [HURT] and Grand Prairie face off against local D1 competition while San Antonio will host the Austin Huns on the 22nd. The regular season will kick off in January with Fort Worth, HURT, and the Woodlands all hosting the opening matches. 

We’ve got six teams in this hybrid division this year, down from nine last year. Jacksonville, Palm Beach, and the Southwest Florida Hammerheads have moved down to Division 3, while the Miami Tridents remain as the sole D1 side.

There were a few friendlies scheduled for September and October but were cancelled due to weather or other reasons. There will hopefully be a few more scheduled for November and December so we can get a taste of the competition. Our draft schedule has last year’s champions, the Fort Lauderdale Knights taking on the D1 Miami Tridents for the opening weekend as well as the Pelicans hosting Boca Raton and Tampa hosting Orlando. This will all start January 17th, so get ready.