There’s lots to review from last weekend, and the following is a quick recap – as well as preview of features to post this week – of all that action. (For the quickest of recaps, check out last weekend’s score page.) The review starts with the international level and works to the youngest level (that The Rugby Breakdown covers, i.e. high school).
Firstly, the following interviews will post this week: Charlotte Cardinals win North Carolina HS (Alicia & Geoff Tice); Texas Nuclear Thunder wins Texas HS (Charles Callegari); New England Free Jacks launch Women U23 pathway program (Thomas Grant); and WPL recap (Jett Hayward, Yeja Dunn, Nikki Richardson, Kedra Davis).
INTERNATIONAL
The USA Women’s 7s team won silver in Toulouse, the final stop of the 2022-23 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. The Eagles went 4-2 in France, beating Canada, Fiji, Poland and Australia, and dropping both games to New Zealand. The USA led the Black Ferns 14-0 at halftime of the final, but then the series champion rallied for a 19-14 victory. The USA finished third in the series standings and secured a spot in the 2024 Olympics.
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SENIOR CLUB
Three teams have extended their post-seasons after winning their respective USA Club Rugby Super Regional Championships and/or local leagues. In DIVISION I, San Diego beat Seattle 59-24 to lock in the Pacific berth to the DI national semifinals (bracket), where the Surfers will play Houston Athletic Rugby Club on Friday, June 2 in St. Charles, Mo. The Texans won the Red River/Frontier league in a winner-take-all match against the Colorado Gray Wolves, and sHARC won 75-0. On the other side of the DI national bracket, Metropolis and NOVA will face off.
In DIVISION II, the third of four super regionals took place in Las Vegas, and the Albuquerque Atomic Sisters earned the Pacific berth to the national semifinals (bracket). The New Mexico team beat Portland 53-21 on Saturday while SoCal’s Camp Pendleton beat NorCal’s Sacramento Amazons 38-26. On Sunday, Albuquerque won the Pacific 48-14 and will play Gulf Coast champion Knoxville on Saturday, June 3.
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On the other side of the bracket, Atlantic champion Severn River will know its opponent after the Northern Super Regional Championship occurs this weekend.
It was round four of the Women’s Premier League, and Saturday included the competition’s first tie (New York 24-24 Berkeley), a two-point decision in the Bay Area (Beantown 22-20 Life West) and a competitive outing in Eagan, Minn. (Colorado Gray Wolves 29-5 TC Amazons). Full recap will feature on wplrugby.org.
COLLEGE
The 2022-23 collegiate season has now wrapped with the conclusion of the CRAA DI & DII national 7s championship. The tournament occurred in Dallas, Texas, and involved 7 DI teams and 8 DII teams. See teams and results here. Northeastern University (pictured above) went undefeated on the weekend to claim the DI title, beating Air Force 19-5 in the trophy match. In Division II, Colorado Mesa State (pictured below) topped 2022 champion San Jose State Univ. 19-14 for top honors. Click here for more photos, as provided by the Dallas women’s rugby team.
HIGH SCHOOL
Rocky Mountain beat reigning champion Eagle 36-14 for the Idaho 15s championship. Both are heading to single-school 15s nationals this weekend in Wisconsin. See schedule. In Utah, the Majestics overcame a 19-point deficit before defeating United 33-26 for the Tier 1 15s title. The Majestics also won the Tier 2 championship against Brighton with just 14 players. Both Tier 1 finalists, as well as the Majestics’ Tier 2 team in the J.V. bracket, are readying for their return trips to high school club 15s nationals in North Carolina.
New Mexico plays 7s exclusively, and the Los Alamos Bombshells defeated the Rio Rancho Royals for the state title. The field also participated in a prom dress game in lieu of attending prom itself.
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Oregon and Pennsylvania held their respective 15s semifinals. In Oregon, it’ll be an East County vs. Valley Panthers title match, as the former beat Canby 47-12 on Saturday, and the latter topped Salem 36-26 to advance. In Pennsylvania, Knightmare eliminated reigning champion Moon Area 27-12, and Doylestown beat Hollidaysburg 68-28 in the semifinals for a berth to this Sunday’s title match.
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Best update in the business!