While some regions have yet to kick off their 2024-25 seasons, two are ready to move into 15s playoffs. This recap focuses on USA Club Rugby Women’s Division II competitions (read the Division I update), beginning with the Midwest and New England, both of which have one more week of league play before playoffs are determined. Any league that is currently active is also reviewed below. Stay tuned for the DIII recap. Links to standings and info pages are included.
Need some context? Read the Sept. 18 Club Update
PLAYOFF READY
The MIDWEST will hold its quarterfinals next Saturday, Oct. 26. The region divided its 19 teams into Eastern, Central and Western leagues, and so the top-two teams from each group advance, and two Wild Cards also move on to complete the Round of 8 matches at the higher seeds. All eight contenders are now known; however, the Western seeds might alter after this weekend’s games.
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The Eastern and Central leagues ended their regular seasons on Oct. 12. Buffalo (5-0) and Rochester (4-1) get the automatic berths out of the Eastern group, and third-place South Buffalo (3-2) is taking a Wild Card spot. From the Central league, Grand Rapids (5-0) and Cleveland (4-1) are moving forward. The Western league has one more set of games of this weekend, however, 6-0 Palmer College has already secured the top seed out of this group. Additionally, Twin Cities (4-1) and Wisconsin (3-2) have enough standings points to advance into the post-season regardless of their outcomes this Saturday. The results do, however, have the potential to impact seed.
Midwest – Central / Oct. 19
Chicago Sirens v Oconomowoc
Twin Cities v County Will
Wisconsin v Minneapolis
For a preview of how the Midwest quarterfinal matchups might fill in, check out the master playoff schedule.
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NEW ENGLAND is playing its final round of regular-season matches this Saturday, and then there’s a three-week break before Nov. 9 semifinals (Union Point Sports Complex, Mass.). All teams have played four games so far, and Providence is 4-0. Its closest game was against Worcester (38-26), but expect this Saturday’s match against Albany (3-1) to challenge that stat.
Providence and Albany are guaranteed semifinal spots regardless of this Saturday’s outcome, while the final two berths will rely on this weekend’s results. See standings. The championship is Nov. 16.
New England / Oct. 19
Worcester v Burlington
Hartford v Charles River
Providence v Albany
REG SEASON ROLLING
Severn River leads CAPITAL at 2-0. Both Ann Lee and Katelynn Barkell scored 16 points (2T, 3C) against James River and NOVA, respectively. The Pirahnas are looking the No. 2 team this year, having played the Honey Badgers to a 33-17 loss early in the season. Fullback Alexa Francesconi has been especially deadly, scoring seven tries and kicking three conversions across three games. The league enjoys a bye this Saturday and then resumes Oct. 26. Nov. 9 marks the final games of the fall before resuming on March 15, 2025.
The CAROLINAS divide its 10 teams into East and West pools, and everyone but the Carolina Villains have played at least one game in the fall half of the season so far. Charlotte is 2-0 in the East and banked an important 31-7 win against perennial contender Charleston last Saturday. Atlanta 2.0 Selects is also 2-0 in the West, having beat Savannah and Columbia already. Games will continue until Nov. 23 before breaking for winter and resuming in the new year.
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Heading into last Saturday’s match, both New Haven and Danbury were 3-0 in EMPIRE. The three-time reigning champion, New Haven, is still undefeated after a 48-10 victory. Worthington and Dixon both scored two tries, while Vahos accounted for 13 points (T, 4C). There are two more weeks left in the regular season. (At present, the Empire GU playoff page shows details for the women’s DIII post-season only.)
Each of the five teams in EPRU will play an eight-game regular season across the fall and spring. Harrisburg currently leads the standings at 3-1, but results wise, it’s the reigning Atlantic Super Regional champion, Phoenixville, that’s asserting itself as the team to beat. Games continue until Nov. 2 before breaking for the winter and resume on March 15, 2025. • Oct. 19 games: Monmouth vs. Northeast; Phoenixville v Doylestown.
St. Louis is undefeated in the four-team MID-AMERICA, defeating the K.C. Jazz and Patriots so far. The first-year Patriots won a heck of a game against Omaha last weekend, winning 35-31. Center Lauren Kuklenski accounted for 20 points on two tries and five conversions. The fall portion of the season closes out of Oct. 26, when the Patriots play the Jazz, and the Sabres see the Goats.
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The PACIFIC NORTHWEST runs a Premiership, or DI/DII hybrid competition, that is also supplemented by Motley North (Kitsap, Chuckanut, Budd Bay, Skagit) and Motley South (Salem, Eugene, Phoenix, Boise) games. A quick look at the scores shows some pretty distinct tiers between DI, DII teams Emerald City A and Portland, and everyone else. The motley teams, though, have put in some competitive games, but their results aren’t reflected in Xplorer, as they’re treated like friendlies. The game to watch in terms of post-season forecasts is Emerald City vs. Portland, which will occur in the spring portion of the season.
The only official DII ROCKY MOUNTAIN game occurred on Sept. 14, and Boulder beat Denver Black Ice 21-5. So far, Salt City and Laramie Cold Front have not popped up, though they have featured on schedules. Perhaps in anticipation of a tenuous fall schedule, both sides have been playing ball, whether outside the states (Denver especially) or at tournaments. League’s difficult to track as there is nothing logged in Xplorer yet.
TRUE SOUTH has its six teams divided into East and West pools, and so far Knoxville, Chattanooga and Birmingham are all on the board with five standings points. They won their respect matches by comfortable margins, but we’ll be able to gauge those results on Oct. 26, when Knoxville and Chattanooga face each other. Also looking forward to Louisiana Lagniappe playing its first match back in DII after winning DIII last season.
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