This USA Club Rugby Women’s Division II Ranking is the third iteration of the season. For more context on how teams are being organized while half the country is idle and the other half is just ramping up, read the first edition as well as the Jan. 17 update. Also, moving forward, the rankings will feature in front of the subscription wall.

Looking for allll the scores from January? Here you go.

Notably, several leagues have played their first regular-season matches since the last update and the rankings have expanded to make room for those teams doing well early on. As the spring progresses, teams will begin to challenge those fall-based teams that have completed their seasons already.

MOVES & ADDS

Dallas Harlequins move up a spot after a 56-0 win against the Dallas Reds. Why the leap-frog over Atlanta 2.0 Selects? Keep in mind that records only reflect league games. The Quins also beat DI Austin 38-0 in a friendly in January, and the Selects’ record includes a forfeit win against Atlanta Harlequins. Just a reminder that records are a place *to start* but they’re not the whole story.

With that said, Knoxville deserves a bit of an explanation. There are four teams in True South and everyone plays each once before playoffs. Thus the Minx need to fill in their schedule with competitive friendlies. But of all the teams on the rankings, the reigning DII national champion has been the strongest the longest, and has still has a lot of stalwart players who have kept the Tennessee team in title contention. Several players are heading to Trinidad & Tobago with the USA South in February. Yes, South Buffalo is still number one because nine wins across the entirety of the Midwest is significant. But Knoxville has earned a nod for its years-long body of work. National runner-up Severn River falls into a similar category, although the Honey Badgers have played more league ball, so their ranking is easier to defend.

 

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Las Vegas and Albuquerque was the match to watch last weekend, and the former traveled to New Mexico for a 24-17 win. Last year, Las Vegas won both regular-season matches and then the Atomic Sisters took the third match – i.e., the Southwest championship. Player movement was a factor later in the season so this is definitely a match-up to watch all spring long.

In NorCal, Sacramento is the first to 2-0 with big wins against Chico and Fresno. The game to watch is against Berkeley (1-0), which had its round two match rescheduled last Saturday but stayed active with an intrasquad scrimmage. The two meet in the first of two matches on Feb. 10.

Florida champion Tampa Bay is on the board after a season-opening win against Fort Miami and faces Orlando this Saturday. Players are also active in rugby league and USA South 15s tour to Trinidad & Tobago, so there’s some nice diversity there.

 

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SoCal is also a dynamic space. Reigning champ Camp Pendleton is still on the schedule but has yet to play a league match. Meanwhile, a nice exchange is happening between three first-year teams: Los Angeles, Empire and Santa Monica’s DII side. LARC is currently 2-0 after a 46-15 win against San Luis Obispo (which beat Ventura last weekend 46-17 and thus knocked the Outlaws off the rankings) and 22-20 win against Empire. The weekend prior, the Monarchs lost to Santa Monica 22-21. The Dolphins are also 2-0 and put up a lot of points against Fullerton, but the match is officially recorded as a forfeit win. On Feb. 10, Los Angeles and Santa Monica will sort the top of the standings with their first-ever match against each other.

WEEKEND WATCH

Houston Athletic Rugby Club (sHARC) vs. Little Rock is happening at AVEVA Stadium this Saturday. The Arkansas team is playing its first game since a 69-0 win against Bay Area in mid-December. sHARC started the season with a sizable loss to the Dallas Harlequins and then beat the Dallas Reds and San Antonio in January.

Eager to see Atlanta 2.0 Selects resume play after a breakout fall. The team faces Southern Pines for its first matrix match of the new year.