USA Club Rugby saw a slew of women’s 15s teams kick off their 2023-24 seasons last weekend, and there were plenty of interesting outcomes to digest. A handful of 2022-23 championship finalists began this new season against each other. Another two titleholders took close defeats on Saturday, signaling another competitive fall ahead. Follow their progress via the weekly Scores Page, which is essentially a snapshot of nationwide activity in the girls and women’s rugby spheres.
Starting on the East Coast and moving west … weather was a big inhibitor in the northeast quadrant, with several games postponed, canceled, or juuuuust snuck in around the lightning calls. In DII New England, Charles River held onto a 15-14 decision against Hartford – the scoreline at minute 63, when lightning ended the match. Reigning NERFU champion Worcester dropped a 26-17 decision to Albany, turning an early spotlight on the Knicks. Burlington also got on the board with a 19-0 win against Portland.
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In NERFU’s DIII, reigning Atlantic Super Regional champion South Shore (Mass.) beat Amoskeag 31-0 in a shortened but official match. And Seacoast banked a 35-17 win against North Shore.
Just south in the Empire GU, all of its DII games were canceled – for weather and forfeit. But DIII Empire champ Union beat last year’s runner-up, Long Island, 38-7. Division III was also active in the Capital GU. Reigning Capital DIII champion Rappahannock fell 26-17 to Severn River, which has entered a DIII side in addition to its DII national runner-up team. D.C. Revolution beat Roanoke 24-7, and Frederick topped the Chesapeake Stingers 55-7. The D.C. Furies celebrated their 45th anniversary with a friendly against DII Norfolk, and won 59-0.
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The Midwest accounted for the bulk of activity and every game occurred as scheduled. In the DI Premiership, the Eastern Conference is already in Week 3 of activity. Pittsburgh Forge improved to 2-0 with a 40-5 win against Columbus, now 2-1. Detroit (1-2) got its first win of the season with a 63-5 decision against visiting Buffalo (1-1). The DI Western Conference kicked off with a rematch of the 2022 Midwest final: Metropolis vs. Chicago Lions. The Valkyries kept their edge with a 26-17 victory. The Milwaukee Scylla won its season opener as well, defeating Chicago 77-12.
The Midwest’s Division II is divided into four leagues, all with four teams apiece. In Upstate New York, South Buffalo beat North Buffalo 39-29, and Uticuse topped Rochester 41-10. In the Greater Ohio league, Akron blanked Dayton 49-0, and Fort Wayne cruised to a 71-12 win against Cleveland. In the Chicago Area, County Will Morrigans beat Chicago Sirens 34-5, and Palmer College topped Grand Rapids 26-10. And finally, in the Northern league, former DI team Wisconsin ran out a 92-0 win against Oconomowoc, and the TC Amazons kicked off a double-header with its WPL side and beat Minneapolis Menagerie 68-14.
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The western half of the country will stay relatively quiet in the fall, although the Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountain will produce significant activity. DII Denver Black Ice traveled to Laramie, Wyoming, for its Rocky Mountain opener against the Cold Front, which is still building numbers. A game was played but it’s recorded as a forfeit win to Black Ice. The PNW has also renamed its former DI/DII hybrid as its “Premiership,” like the Midwest. DII champion Portland beat Salem 43-7, and DI Seattle blanked Emerald City 86-0.
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