Men’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 Men’s Division 2 competitions!

Northern California kicked off earlier this month, so only a few scores to report on as they update live. Sacramento (2-0) and San Jose (2-0) both won their opening two matches, but neither was a cake walk. San Jose squeezed by Santa Rosa (1-1) with a four point margin, while Sacramento allowed East Palo Alto (0-2) to put 63 points on the board in their January 26th win. Silicon Valley is also 2-0 thanks to wins over Old Gaels (0-2) and San Francisco Golden Gate (1-1). Watch out for Berkeley (1-1) who impressed with their 48-20 win over Fresno (1-1). Many more matches to come in the coming months, so stay tuned for developments in this league!

While on the west coast, we checked in on the Pacific Northwest. This is technically a hybrid D1/D2 competition, though only Seattle elects for the D1 pathway postseason.

Boise United (4-0) are currently sitting on top as the only undefeated team left in the competition. They’ve racked up some wild point margins against opponents (85-0 over Bend Roughriders and 89-0 over Chuckanut Bay Geoducks), but their win over second place Tsunami (3-1) was not an easy walk over. Tsunami managed to hold Boise United to a five-point win, gaining two bonus table points in the 32-27 loss. Valley Kangaroos (3-1) are also worth a look, their only dropped game was a 36-26 loss to Boise, putting them in third on the table. Tacoma Nomads (2-3) are only two table points behind the Kangaroos, but with two more games played than the second and third place team, it may be over for the Nomads come postseason.

The winner of the PNP will go to the Pacific Super Regional and compete against the champions from NorCal, SoCal, and Southwest; all who play a spring-only season.

This season kicked off this month with all ten teams playing either one or two games. Already Ventura County, San Luis Obispo, and Los Angeles Rugby Club are all 2-0 with maximum bonus points. Belmont Shore (1-1) dropped their opening match 27-25 to Ventura County, but came back big with a 51-0 blanking of the North County Gurkhas (0-1). The Santa Barbara Grunions are also 1-1; losing by a wide margin to SLO, but chalking up a win against Pasadena (0-2). Oceanside Chiefs (1-1) may have lost their opening game to LARC, but they bit back hard, demolishing Kern County (0-2) 70-17. Still plenty of matches to go in Southern California, this competition will be a fun one to follow.

A hybrid competition out of the Southwest region for Men’s D2 and D3 that kicked off this past month. Not all teams have submitted final scores yet so we’re missing some information, but we’ll go off what we have! The Las Vegas Irish (2-0) are currently on top after two strong showings against the Landshark Men (0-1) and the Red Mountain Warthogs (1-1). The Tempe Old Devils (1-1) look good as well, they defeated Phoenix (0-1) and came within three points of the Warthogs the other weekend. Scottsdale appears to have split their club into two competing sides, the Blue and the White, but only the Blue side have a score recorded; a 39-23 win over the Camelback Rugby Club (0-1). Hopefully by February we will see more of Scottsdale and the Tucson Magpies as the season progresses. 

November saw the Midwest Men’s Division 2 come to an exciting head with the Midwest Playoffs hosted at the Chicago Blaze Rugby Facility. The top eight teams from the three regions (Central, Western, and Eastern) qualified, with the higher seed hosting. In Chicago, the Blaze (5-1) hosted the Grand Rapids Gazelles (5-1). The Blaze may not have been top in D2 Central, but with the top three teams at 5-1, bonus points helped Palmer rise while the Blaze had to settle at third. They dismantled the visiting Gazelles 24-7, who ended their season ranked second in D2 Eastern. On the other side of the state, Palmer (5-1) hosted Fort Wayne (4-1-1) who finished third in D2 Eastern. In a thriller of a match, it looked to be headed into overtime, until Fort Wayne surged over scoring a try in the 76th minute and sealing the semifinal berth for the Indiana club, final score 24-17. The third quarterfinal had the Chicago Condors (5-1) traveling to the top team from D2 Western, Wisconsin (5-1). At halftime it was anyone’s game, but Wisconsin showed their grit in the second half and pulled away, winning 42-17. The final quarterfinal saw the Indianapolis Impalas (4-1-1)  hosting the Eastside Banshees (5-1). Despite a “worse” record than the Gazelles, the Impalas can thank their maximum accrued bonus points for their top of the table finish. They hosted a very strong Eastside team, who finished second in the D2 Western. An exciting match with scores from both sides, it would be the home team who sent five different men into the in-goal area to take the win 34-17. 

The semi finals were now confirmed, again playing at the higher seed; Wisconsin hosting the Impalas and the Chicago Blaze hosting Fort Wayne. The Blaze seemed to be hitting a hot streak (pun intended) as they swept Fort Wayne 44-19. They held Fort Wayne scoreless for over half an hour, when a pair of quick tries before and after the halftime whistle brought the game back within eight points. The Blaze didn’t appear ruffled as they kicked it into high gear and sent four more players in-goal to touch down and widen the margin. One more try by Fort Wayne in the last ten minutes, but it was too little too late; the Blaze heading to the Championship. In Wisconsin, it was a nailbiter down to the end as Wisconsin hosted the Indianapolis Impalas. The Impalas didn’t cruise into first in their region without reason, and they let that shine in this semifinal. It came down to game smarts and skill; in the 67th minute they opted for the penalty goal attempt and trusted the sure boot of Captain Michael Temple. It made all the difference as he slotted the goal, and thirteen minutes later the final whistle sounded; Impalas on top 15-14. 

With the stage set, the home field advantage would go again to the Chicago Blaze, as they hosted the entire Midwest Championships. However the Impalas were not just taking their D2 side, but their D4 qualified as well, so the sideline was sure to have fans for both sides. The match highlighted the class of rugby on display for the entirety of the Midwest season, and both teams put in full effort until the final whistle. Despite the Impalas leading 18-15 at half, the Blaze fought back and managed to hold the lead until the final whistle, 34-30. However this isn’t the end of the road for the Impalas. Both Chicago and Indianapolis will head to the Northern Super Regional and compete against the D2 Champions from Mid-America and Rocky Mountain.

Heading west into Mid-America, we take a look at another split season that ended in October and is slated to start back up again in March. Currently Kansas City RFC (4-1) sits on top of the table after playing five of their seven total matches. Their one loss comes from opening weekend at the hands of the Omaha Goats (3-1) who have played one less match and currently occupy the number two spot on the table. They did however turn the tables a month later as they topped Omaha 22-14 when KCRFC hosted in October. While the Goats and KC were trading blows, the Wichita Barbarians (3-1) slid to one point behind Omaha, while also playing one less match than the table leaders. Also to consider are the Arkansas Gryphons (2-1) who are currently fourth but with two less games played, and only one loss on the road at Wichita. They still have to face Wichita again, plus Kansas City and Omaha. However if the Gryphons really turn on the jets, they could shoot straight to first place come postseason.

Once those four teams make it out of Mid-America, they will still have to travel to the Northern Super Regional to compete against Chicago Blaze, Indianapolis Impalas, and the Rocky Mountain D2 champs.

The third piece to the Northern Super Regional Men’s D2 competition was decided November 16th at Willits Rugby Field in Colorado. But to get there, let’s wind it back. 

Five teams played a home and away round robin over 10 weeks to decide the final standings. The top two teams played at a neutral venue for the Rocky Mountain D2 Championship. High-scoring matches were the theme of the season for these teams, with the lowest combined score for a game at 39 points, and most matches over 75 total points scored. Must be the air up there. There were also seven games decided by a try or less, showing that the competition in the Rockies is fierce. The Gentlemen of Aspen (6-2) took the top spot on the table, a mere two table points above Park City Haggis (5-2-1). The Gentlemen lost first to Haggis in September, a tough 65-17 road game for Aspen. They evened the score though when Haggis came east to Aspen, and the Gentlemen came out on top 47-46. The Denver Water Dogs (3-4-1) also came to play; they went toe to toe their weekend in Aspen, losing 59-52. They also tied Park City Haggis when hosting in October, 31-31. The Denver Barbarians weren’t to be counted out either, they smashed Boulder (1-6) and lost by only a point to Aspen. And bottom of the table Boulder was the only team to record a win over the Gentlemen of Aspen during the regular season as they shocked the Gents 29-28 in October. In the end it was the Gentlemen taking on Haggis; best of three for the title. Both teams scored three tries, and Haggis made more conversions, but it was the three penalty goals by outside centre Christopher Campbell that vaulted the Gents into the lead and kept them there. Final score Gents 26-22 Haggis. 

The Gentlemen of Aspen go to the Northern Super Regional Men’s D2 competition; along with Indianapolis Impalas and Chicago Blaze from Midwest and one final team yet to be decided from Mid-America.

In the Mid-Atlantic region, the season is on a hiatus until the end of March, before the final round of regular season and the playoffs. Rocky Gorge (6-0) has one match left to play against Baltimore-Chesapeake (1-4). Even with a surprise loss, their table point spread is enough to secure first for playoffs. The Washington Irish (5-2) finished in the fall, and must sit and wait for Schuylkill River (5-1) to play Baltimore-Chesapeake in March. If Schuylkill wins, they will hop to second place, dropping the Washington Irish down to third. The Potomac Exiles (4-3) are the final team with their sights on the playoffs in April, and you can’t forget their narrow 19-14 loss to Rocky Gorge in the fall. That rematch in the semi-final is sure to be spicy. 

The Carolinas Men’s Division 2 is active, but due to a lack of reporting in RugbyXplorer, we are unable to source standings at this time. 

Only four of the six teams have kicked off their campaign for the National Championship in the True South. Nashville looks like the team to beat after putting up 116 points on Huntsville (0-1) and blanking the Birmingham Vulcans (1-1). Birmingham managed to secure a win over Chattanooga (0-1) so they needn’t enter the Spring winless. Baton Rouge and New Orleans have yet to take the field, but we will see them in action come February as New Orleans takes on Huntsville and Baton Rouge travels to Chattanooga. 

This ten team division kicked off in late November, but really got going this past month. Each team will play either home or away against all others in the conference, and the final four will go to the playoff rounds. Currently Houston United (4-0) and the Austin Blacks (3-0) are off running thanks to their early season wins. The Woodlands (3-1) may have dropped one match to HURT, but it’s worth noting the strong wins over Grand Prairie (1-1), the Austin Huns (0-3), and DARC (0-3). Also keep an eye out for the Dallas RFC (2-1) who just fell short of Grand Prairie this past weekend.

Nine teams compete in the Florida Men’s Division 2 hybrid which kicked off this past month. The Miami Tridents are competing for the D1 postseason pathway, which makes sense as they are currently 2-0. The Pelicans (2-0) started their season strong with a thrashing of Jacksonville (1-1). Boca Raton (1-1) defeated Orlando (0-2) but lost to the Tridents. The Hammerheads (1-0-1) smashed Palm Beach (0-2), but then tied the Ft. Lauderdale Knights (0-0-1). Keep an eye on the Tampa Bay Krewe (1-1). They defeated Orlando, and gained a bonus point in their 20-14 loss to the Pelicans. Still many games to play in the Florida sunshine, we’re looking forward to the Boca vs Hammerheads game on February 2nd as well as the Jacksonville vs Orlando on the 16th. 

Capital plays a split season, with most of their matches in the fall, and a few post-winter in March, before culminating in the championships in April. 

Currently, the Riverlands sit on top of the table with a 3-1 record. Their only loss of the season was at the hands of James River in the opening weekend; so perhaps they took a bit to get their groove on. They still have one more game to play against Raleigh Rugby, who they last beat on October 19th. James River (2-2) also has one more to play against Raleigh; a win over Raleigh and a Riverlands loss to Raleigh could push James River into first. However if Raleigh banks both wins, they would also jump to the top of the table. 

We must wait to find out more in March. The top team at the end of the regular season from Capital will head to the Atlantic Super Regional to compete against the champions of Empire, Eastern Penn, and New England.

EPRU also plays a split season thanks to the winter weather. So far all ten teams have played seven of their nine matches, so we have a pretty good idea of what the playoff picture will look like. Currently Old Gaelic (7-0) remain the only undefeated team, and sit happily on top. They still have yet to play Phoenixville (0-7) and Media (5-1-1). North Bay (6-1) is in a close second, only three table points behind. However with only two matches left against Philadelphia Whitemarsh (5-2) and Monmouth (4-2-1), they can’t take the top position without an Old Gaelic loss. Doylestown (3-4), Roses (1-6), Reading (2-5), and South Jersey (1-6) also still have matches yet to play, but playoff dreams will remain out of reach for them. Since those teams are all playing each other, a few clubs will still end their season on a high.

Whoever finishes top of the table come March will head to the Atlantic Super Regional tournament to compete against the champions from Empire, Capital, and New England.

The further north we go, the more teams play fall-only seasons. Empire finished up in November, and now their teams lay waiting until the road to Nationals starts in the spring. 

On stats alone, New York Rugby Club (8-0) appeared to clean up handedly in this division, but there’s more to dive into under the surface. Only one match in the entire Empire Men’s D2 Division resulted in a shutout and there were a total of 11 bonus points awarded to losing teams over the season. This means that all teams were competitive and knew how to score points. Winning a game is just scoring more points, and every team in Empire was prepared to do that entering every match. Old Blue (4-4) finished third on the table, but racked up a total of nine bonus points over eight matches, scoring over four tries and coming within seven points of the winning team in their last two games of the season. Their final match was a 26-24 loss to eventual champions New York Rugby Club. Buffalo (5-3) nearly lost their second place standing to Old Blue, only scoring 4 bonus points over the season. 

New York Rugby Club will take the winter season off, but be sure that come Nationals, they will hit the ground running, ready to compete. They will go to the Atlantic Super Regional tournament and compete against the winners of New England, Capital, and Eastern Penn.

Another fall-only season for the New England region as Champions were crowned on November 16th at Union Point Sports Complex. But first, let’s dive into the excitement that led to the final game.

Eight total teams played a home or away against each other over the course of nine weeks; then the top four went into semifinals, 1v4 and 2v3, both at Union Point Sports Complex in Weymouth, MA. It was neck and neck for most of the season, with no team escaping without a loss. Portland (6-1) managed to snag the top spot thanks to their six bonus points, despite a loss to Worcester (5-2) in round five. The Boston Irish Wolfhounds (6-1) took second after losing to Portland in the final round of the regular season. With Worcester snagging third place, it came down to two final teams who tied both on record AND table points. Mystic River (4-3) and Boston (4-3) battled head to head in the final weekend, each fighting to qualify for that last spot. It would be over 20 minutes before either team managed to make it onto the scoreboard, and it was a 10-10 tie from the 55th minute until the final whistle, when Mystic was awarded a penalty and decided to go for posts. Mystic scrumhalf Nicholas Leiva sent it through the uprights, and sent his team on to the NERFU playoffs with hopes of making it to a National Championship.

Semifinals took place the weekend of November 9th. Mystic River may have snagged the final spot, but this put them against top of the table Portland in the first match of the day. Mystic fought valiantly but Portland proved too strong, final score 28-12 Portland over Mystic. In the second semifinal, the Boston Irish Wolfhounds took on Worcester. The opening minutes were all Worcester as they scored three tries in quick succession. The Wolfhounds scrambled. The rest of the match was back and forth possession changes, and it truly seemed like anyone’s game. The Wolfhounds narrowed focus in the final minutes and got the final score of the game to jump in front and book their ticket to the Championship, final score 29-27.

Portland entered the final as the top seed, and they had already defeated the Boston Irish once, so they knew what it took. But Boston Irish had back to back NERFU D2 titles to defend, and wanted to make it three for three. Portland and the Wolfhounds traded early penalty goals, but Boston sent two men over the line and added an additional penalty to lead Portland at the half. Portland would score two of their own, keeping the scoreline tight entering the last 10 minutes. But Boston Irish would look to their stalwart front rower Fiachra Finegan to get the job done with seven minutes to go. He dove over the line, and extended the lead for the Wolfhounds. Portland would desperately try to win the crown in the waning moments of the match, but the final whistle blew and it was the Wolfhounds who would lift the cup for a third year in a row. 

The Boston Irish Wolfhounds will now bunker down for the winter, and emerge in springtime, lean and hungry for the Atlantic Super Regional where they will take on the champions from Capital, Eastern Penn, and Empire.