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The New England Rugby Football Union (NERFU) held a full slate of USA Club Rugby 15s playoffs last Saturday and returns to the Irish Cultural Center (ICC) in Canton, Mass., this Saturday, Nov. 7 for the championship finals. On the women’s side, that means DII and DIII title matches, and those victors will advance to the springtime Atlantic Super Regional Championship. [lead photo: Jamie Perry @jperry.media • More Photos]
Up next: Midwest RFU playoff update > Semifinals this Saturday
Victories were convincing in three of the four women’s knockouts, the exception being the DII semifinal between Worcester and Beantown. The top-seeded Shamrocks took the win 49-47, eliminating a side that has now found the right fit competition wise. Beantown is one of several clubs that has had to adjust to WER’s impact on the player pool and what that means for its membership outside of the pro league. Its inclusion in an expanded NERFU DII seems to be the answer.
Worcester moves onto this Saturday’s final against New Haven, another team that has amplified NERFU DII this year. The Connecticut side left the Empire GU along with Danbury this season and is getting an excellent push from its northern neighbors. In the semifinals, New Haven bested second-seeded Albany 38-7. Flyhalf Margaret Aydlett led all point scorers with 18 on two tries and four conversions. No. 8 Lucy Lamborn scored two tries, while wing Abigail Kinnard and lock Sophia Agostinelli added one apiece.
The NERFU DII championship between Worcester and New Haven will occur Saturday at the ICC at 1 p.m. and the winner will resume its post-season in the spring. (Aside: An argument could be made for a play-in match to the Atlantic SRC between the Empire GU champion and NERFU runner-up. New Haven is the five-time reigning Empire champ, and both it and Worcester have competed at many SRCs.)
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In Division III, top-seeded South Shore beat #4 Upper Valley 48-26, as inside center Niamh Quilligan led the field with 13 points on five conversions and a penalty. Fellow backs Mary Mullen (2), Elizabeth West, Sesha Manning and Kasey Molito also scored tries, while flanker Mikyla Hamblin and No. 8 Kristina Dias scored for the pack. Despite the loss, four tries from Upper Valley is certainly a respectable performance. Fullback Shaylee McBride accounted for 16 of those points on two tries and three conversions.
On the other side of the bracket, #3 North Shore shut out #2 Amoskeag 34-0. So this Saturday, it’s a North Shore vs. South Shore finale, a game that kicks off at 9:30 a.m. EST. The victor advances to the Atlantic SRC in the new year, and that stage of regional playoffs is the final stage for all women’s Division III rugby in the country (i.e., there is no DIII national championship).
Up Next: Midwest Playoff Update