Several high-profile matches are on tap this weekend, including a trio of American Premiership non-conference games, two bouts between 2014 national semi-finalists, and a Mid-Atlantic contest with major playoff implications. Be sure to show up to these games live to support the best of club rugby in America, and don’t forget that there are hundreds of other matches elsewhere worth supporting!
New York Athletic vs. Metropolis Rugby | 1:00 PM, Travers Island – New Rochelle, NY
In Men’s Non-Conference action, USA Rugby National Team staff members will put their teams against each other as Phil Bailey’s New York Athletic Club (NYAC) squad hosts Nate Osborne’s Metropolis Rugby outfit from Minnesota.
Take the jump to read more.
Last year, NYAC and Metropolis both ended their seasons in the National Playoffs against eventual National Champion, Life University. This season, NYAC sits second to Life in the American Rugby Premiership, while Metropolis is chasing the Kansas City Blues for the Midwest Division I Championship. Both clubs are looking to use this opportunity to “shake the rust” as they exit winter and build momentum towards the final four matches of each team’s league schedule.
NYAC is led by the steady hand of 48-capped Eagle scrumhalf Mike Petri, 12-cap Toby L’Estrange, 2-cap Eagle fullback Troy Hall, and the dynamic Justin Hundley. Kirkland Hamilton also anchors a solid group of forwards that is stifling in defense. At the halfway point of the inaugural ARP season, NYAC sits just four points behind Life University, with the two teams veering towards an epic showdown on April 11 in Marietta, Georgia. That match, hosted by Life, will be broadcasted live online by USA Rugby. The winner will be in the driver’s seat for the ARP Championship, while the loser will still be in a strong position to challenge Old Blue of New York and Boston Rugby for the ARP’s Division I National Playoff spot. NYAC has previously been crowned as a National Champion in 2005, 2008, 2010, and 2012.
Metropolis enters this week’s showdown sitting just two points behind the Kansas City Blues in a highly competitive Midwest Division I competition. The club was crowned Midwest Champions in 2013 and 2014, and has entered the USA Rugby National Playoffs in five consecutive seasons – including National Semi-Final appearances in 2012 and 2014. With a culture that puts development first, the club’s reserve side was also crowned Division III National Champions in 2011.
With a vibrant attack featuring Eagle pool member Lemoto Filikitonga, Metropolis has weapons all across its squad. This season, the club has featured players such as former Eagle Ryan Chapman, as well as attacking centers Kavika Peniata and Sean Kelly, and even coach Nathan Osborne himself – who leads the club with 53 points in just 5 games played. For Metropolis, this match is key to showing that the club will travel well despite some road struggles early in the season. Being 13 points clear of 5th-placed Palmer, the men from Minnesota are almost assured of reaching the Midwest Championship weekend on May 16-17, hosted in Chicago, Illinois. Those matches will also be broadcasted live online by USA Rugby this Spring.
New Orleans Rugby vs. Dallas Rugby | 2:00 PM, Gretna Park – New Orleans, LA
 |
| Ignore the Pan-Am Stadium, it's Gretna Park. |
A rematch of last year’s National Semi-Final, and a huge clash featuring two of the top teams in the Red River Division I competition, the New Orleans-Dallas match in New Orleans’s Pan-American Stadium features enormous National Playoff implications. With the Red River competition earning two seeds to this year’s National Quarter-Finals, every game is huge as teams continue to chase the league-leading Austin Blacks (who are also in a big match this weekend against crosstown rival, the Huns).
Last season, New Orleans defeated Dallas 34-29 to earn a berth in the Division I National Championship, held in Madison, Wisconsin, where they eventually fell to champion Life University. This year, Dallas was able to extract a small slice of revenge in defeating New Orleans 39-3 in an early season clash hosted by Dallas. Since that match, Dallas was able to add to their standing with wins over Houston Athletic and the Dallas Harlequins before injuries caught up to them and they struggled on the road without star center Kelly Kolberg. For this week’s game, Kolberg returns, as does flyhalf John Connor Trathen. Dallas has been a club on the ascendancy in recent years, and hosted both the 2013 & 2014 National Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals.
Despite the early season loss, New Orleans has been able to get their Red River season back on track, and is the only club in the competition to have defeated first-place Austin. The past two weeks have seen a pair of rough losses to ARP sides Life and Old Blue of New York, however. New Orleans is paced by finisher Ross Bellaci (70 points), former U20s star Cameron Falcon, and a pipeline of former collegiate stars such as flyhalf Saade Bou-Mikael and Bobby Johns.
Much like Metropolis, New Orleans has built its club around a culture that puts development first. In 2011, the club won the Division II National Championship, with its reserve team winning the Division III National Championship the following year (2012). In 2013, the club’s top team finished third in the nation, and last year (2014) the side finished as National Runner-Up. With a strong connection to collegiate power LSU, the club hopes to continue its upward trajectory for many years to come.
Denver Black Ice vs. Chicago North Shore | 10:45 AM, Jacobs Park – Denver, CO
The biggest women’s match this weekend features a pair of Division I National Semi-Finalists from 2014. Chicago North Shore finished as the National Runner-Up to eventual champion Oregon Sports Union (ORSU), while Denver Black Ice was similarly sent home by ORSU in the previous round. ORSU has since joined the Women’s Premier League, meaning that this match could well be a preview of this year’s National Championship Final.
Arguably featuring the nation’s toughest defense, North Shore enters the match undefeated in the Midwest Division I competition, having given up only 6 points in four matches. They’ve also proven unstoppable with ball-in-hand, as they’ve averaged nearly 63 points a game in offense, featuring an incredible 10 tries scored by #8 Christiane Pheil.
Black Ice doesn’t feature in a CR-based competition, but has played an impressive schedule nonetheless. This Fall, the women from Denver defeated 2014 Red River Champions Austin by a score of 71-10. They also put in wins over perennial college power Air Force, the Glendale Raptors development side, and the upstart Utah Vipers, and were competitive in a tough loss to WPL Runner-Up, the Twin Cities Amazons.
Rocky Gorge Rugby vs. Boston Rugby | 12:30 PM, Maryland SoccerPlex – Boyds, MD
Rocky Gorge has won two Division II National Championships in the past three seasons, and looks to test itself “up” against American Rugby Premiership power Boston Rugby after winning their Division II matches by a remarkable 42 points per game. Driven by a pipeline of collegiate talent from local schools such as Towson and Salisbury, the Maryland-based club has been a power on the rise for a number of years. From their perspective, the match is pivotal in testing its aspirations for higher competition. It also gives the team a chance to play a match it’s “not supposed to win” before the Division II playoffs begin.
For Boston, the match provides an early-season opportunity to test itself in good weather before the start of the competitive American Rugby Premiership season. A late-Fall draw to crosstown rivals the Boston Irish Wolfhounds left a sour taste in Boston’s mouth, and it’s looking to get its season going well before an important clash with Old Blue of New York on April 11. The club has amassed an impressive selection of talent, led by the sensational Richard Lobb and Mexican international Marcos Flegmann.
Life U. Running Eagles vs. Mystic River Rugby | 3:00 PM, Life Rugby Complex – Marietta, GA
Life continues its impressive 2014-2015 campaign with a home match against Atlantic North leaders Mystic River. Looking for a competitive non-conference match before its playoff push begins, Mystic makes the long journey down south to take on the perennial national powers.
Life enters the match on the tail of five consecutive blowouts, including an 80-8 victory over New Orleans on March 7. Eagle hopeful AJ MacGinty has been a large part of that success, guiding the club from the flyhalf position. Life is the reigning back-to-back National Champions (2013 & 2014), and has also won championships in 2000 and 2008.
Mystic River has made five National Playoff appearances since 2008, and is in the midst of a renaissance year after a few struggles in 2013 and 2014. The club is undefeated in the Atlantic North Division I competition, and played a tight match against the ARP’s Boston Rugby in early September. For Mystic River, standout Michael Armstrong has been extraordinary, tallying 52 points in 5 league matches. Vincent Daley has also performed strongly, putting in 5 tries for the Boston-based club.
Norfolk Blues vs. Baltimore-Chesapeake Brumbies | 2:00 PM, Lafayette Park – Norfolk, VA
With just two matches to play before the Mid-Atlantic playoffs, the contest between the second-place Blues and third-place Brumbies will be a big factor in determining the competition’s final regular season standings.
The Brumbies have been a pleasant surprise for many this year, going 7-1 in their Fall campaign. This Spring, however, they’ve struggled to get back on the front-foot with close early-season defeats to last year’s Mid-Atlantic Champions, the Schuylkill River Exiles, and this year’s table-leader, the Potomac Exiles. As such, the game with Norfolk is crucial in putting the Brumbies’ season back on the right path. Baltimore-Chesapeake also plays the ARP’s Old Blue of New York on April 18 as they prepare for the Mid-Atlantic Playoffs, to be held April 25-26 in Mechanicsburg, Virginia.
Norfolk has also played the Potomac Exiles and Schuylkill River this Spring, albeit with slightly better results than Baltimore. Despite a tough loss to Schuylkill River last week, Norfolk started its competitive Spring season with a big road win over Potomac on March 14. The Blues also picked up an early victory over cross-state rivals Richmond in a friendly on March 7. Center Jacob Humphrey has been the heart of Norfolk’s attack this season, with 94 overall points and 7 tries, while wing David Paradiso has further put in 10 tries in 10 matches. Norfolk has reached the National Playoffs four times since 2010, and was co-host of the 2013 National Round of 16/Quarter-Finals in Virginia Beach.
Don’t forget to support your local rugby club by turning out to this week’s matches, as well as the many great games going on around the country!