April 19, 2024
Lots of rugby this weekend, it’s hard to know where to turn to. An embarrassment of riches indeed.
At the Cultural Center in Canton, the NERFU/EPRU playoffs continue, with Boston Women playing Philadelphia at 1030AM, to be followed by the Boston Irish Wolfhounds hosting Old Gaelic in the Division 2 Men’s playoffs at 1PM, and that will be followed by the Division 2 Women’s clash between Albany and Phoenixville.
The South Shore Sirens D3 playoff game against North Bay is expected to be played at Marshfield High School, while the men’s D3 clash between Charles River and Lehigh Valley will be played at UNH. Check your local listings, as the weather has forced some rescheduling on these.
All of the above games are part of the Atlantic Super Regionals. And of course there are several other club games that are being played Saturday also.
Also on the schedule is a Division 1 Men’s encounter between Mystic River and Old Blue New York.
The main event will be the Free Jacks taking on Seattle Seawolves in Quincy at 2PM. Fresh off perhaps their best effort of the season when taking down previously undefeated Houston Sabercats by a score of 47-35, the Free Jacks will have a strong challenge from the Western Conference leading Seawolves. 2PM Eastern is the kickoff time for this one, and this should be a fun time.
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April 15, 2024
In the USA Rugby playoffs held at the Irish Cultural Center in Canton this past weekend, the Boston Irish Wolfhounds captured the Men’s NERFU Division 2 Championship by defeating Portland 29-15.
The two teams have faced off several times over the last few years, so a close game was expected. After some tight early exchanges, the Wolfhounds broke the game open with two tries from winger Jack Kiernan to take a solid lead in the game and left Portland chasing the game.
Mid way through the second half, Wolfhounds veteran Alex Verdaguer dotted down to essentially put the game out of reach for Portland.
The Wolfhounds will move on to face EPRU champions Old Gaelic in the Atlantic Super Regional semifinal. This is also scheduled for the Irish Cultural Center in Canton on Saturday April 20.
In earlier action, Charles River captured the Division 3 crown, defeating the Wolfhounds’ D3 side by a score of 24-22.
Also in Canton, Albany captured the Women’s Division 2 title, defeating Worcester 31-12. Albany will move on to the Super Regional on April 20th.
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April 12, 2024
The NERFU playoffs continue this weekend, with the Boston Irish Wolfhounds hosting the hosting the Division 2 and Division 3 Championships at the Irish Cultural Center in Canton, MA.
In Division 3, with kickoff listed at 11.30, the Wolfhounds Division 3 team will take on Charles River. The Hounds gave Charles River their only loss in the Fall, so it promises to be a tight game.
In the Division 2 decider at 2PM, the Wolfhounds Division 2 team will face Portland. The visitors will be looking to go one better than the last time these two met in a decider, as the Hounds edged the men from the North in a nail-biter that was anyone’s game right down to the final whistle.
On the Women’s side, the South Shore Sirens entertain Amoskeag Women.
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April 12, 2024
Excellent profile of some Gaelic football players trying trying to make it to the NFL as placekickers, courtesy mainly due to the efforts of Tadhg Leader (former Free Jack, Wolfhound, and USA Eagle).
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April 5, 2024
The USA Women Eagles saw off a strong challenge from South Africa in a warm up game played in Ealing in England. After getting off to a dream start with flanker Georgie Parris-Redding scoring the first of her three tries of the day within seconds of the kickoff, the Eagles had to withstand twenty minutes of serious pressure from the South Africans.
But the line held and the Eagles went into the half leading 14-0. Directly upon the restart, the Eagles scored again and gradually took control of the game to win 38-17.
Notable local contributors included Beantown’s Jenny Kronish who enjoyed a solid day in the lineout. Off the bench came Cass Bargell for her first cap in the Eagles side, a remarkable achievement for the Harvard product given some recent health struggles.
You should be able to catch the replay of the game on RugbyPass at the link here https://rugbypass.tv/login?from=/video/603197
On April 28, the Eagles return to home soil for the Pacific Four game against Canada, which will be played in Los Angeles.
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March 28, 2024
The Free Jacks secured win number three on the season to stay on top of the Eastern Division rankings, taking the win against the Chicago Hounds by a score of 22-17 last weekend.
It may be unfair to say the Free Jacks were lucky to come away with the win, but for sure the Hounds butchered at least two try scoring opportunities that would have made things much more interesting. Regardless, the Free Jacks have a week off and will entertain Miami on Saturday April 6th.
Houston leads the overall standings, having gone into Seattle and secured a victory by a score of 42-40.
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March 22, 2024
Week 4 of the Major League Rugby season kicks off this weekend with a few interesting matchups. Your local New England Free Jacks are on the road against the Chicago Hounds. The Hounds have had an interesting first three weeks of the season. All three games were on the road, and resulted in a tie, a loss and one win.
The Free Jacks will escape the bad weather in New England for the 2PM EDT Sunday kickoff in Chicago. It should be an entertaining game, as the Hounds have the backs to run it around a little.
In other games, Houston and Seattle meet on Saturday, with both teams unbeaten, that should be fun. And San Diego traveling to take on Old Glory in what should be an interesting game, as both teams will want to keep pace in their respective divisions.
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March 8, 2024
After dispatching of a young Anthem Rugby side in Charlotte last weekend, the Free Jacks field a very similar line up in the season opener against Old Glory DC. Two changes in the pack, with Kyle Ciquera coming in at prop for Forster DeWitt, Kyle Baille in at second row in place of injured Conor Keys, while both wings Mitch Wilson and Paula Balekana see their first start of the young season.
2PM will be the kickoff in Veterans Memorial Stadium in Quincy.
NBC Sports Boston and The Rugby Network will be carrying the game, in what will be a rematch of the Eastern Conference game from last season.
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March 1, 2024
A new season in Major League Rugby kicks off this weekend, with three games on Saturday and three on Sunday. The featured game on Saturday has Utah Warriors taking the trip to Houston to take on the Sabercats in the featured game. Catch that game on Fox Sports 2 at 8PM.
Titleholders the New England Free Jacks are in action on Sunday against league debutants Anthem RC. It is difficult to know what to expect from World Rugby funded Anthem RC. One bonus for fans is the likelihood that Anthem will focus on a heavily USA eligible roster, in a bid to boost a player pool in advance of the World Cup.
MSNBC will carry the Free Jacks game on a two hour delay, while the Rugby Network should be carrying it live.
There are no starting lineups available at the moment. From looking at the Free Jacks’ roster, have fun picking out a starting lineup from that talent pool, especially in the forwards!
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Jan 02, 2024
One of the legends of New England rugby, Peter Watson will be sorely missed. Recently and deservedly inducted in the USA Rugby Foundation Hall of Fame, Peter’s dedication to furthering the game as a player and administrator was unsurpassed.
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Nov 22, 2023
A frigid breeze was blowing on Saturday night at Mignone Field as the NIRA Women’s Championship games culminated in the Division 1 tussle between Harvard University and Dartmouth College.
Earlier in the day, Bowdoin won the Division 3, downing Adrian College 51-17, while in Division 2, Davenport cruised to a 91-5 win over Lander University. It was Bowdoin’s fourth straight title in Division 3. Given the lop-sidedness of the records and scores, hopefully Bowdoin and Davenport will be able to ride the bureaucracy to compete in higher divisions soon.
Anyways, back to the main event, as Harvard and Dartmouth served up some excellent rugby despite the conditions. Playing against the strong wind, Harvard was first on the board, playing an expansive game to take advantage of an early yellow card in the Dartmouth backs and move into a five point lead.
Dartmouth responded with a try to take the lead, and then laid siege to the Harvard line as the first half closed. But the Harvard line impressively held and Harvard pushed down field to score again to take a 10-7 lead.
It felt like Dartmouth had an insurmountable task in the second half, while facing into the wind. The task grew harder with Harvard extending the lead to 17-7. Harvard looked likely to extend the lead, but repeatedly Dartmouth’s defense held strong, and impressively so.
With just a couple of minutes to go, Harvard slotted a penalty to go up 20-7, and it was basically over at that point. Dartmouth closed the game out with an unconverted try for a final score of 20-12 in favor of Harvard for the 2023 NIRA crown.
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Nov 22, 2023
We were fortunate to catch the Men’s Small Colleges playoff game this weekend, as Babson got by a serious challenge from Endicott College to make it to the next round in Houston……
http://www.nerugby.com/?p=2259
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Nov 17, 2023
Harvard’s Mignone Field is the place to be to see top college women’s Varsity rugby on Saturday, Nov 18th, as the 2023 NIRA Championships will take place. The Division 3 Championship will be at 11AM, the Division 2 at 1.30 and the Division 1 at 4PM.
The Division 1 championship will be a rematch of last year’s final, with Harvard and Dartmouth facing off once again. Harvard is 8-0 on the season, with Dartmouth at 6-2, with the only losses coming against non-NIRA opponent Lindenwood and a two point loss to Harvard.
Division 2 will have Lander v Davenport, while the Division 3 matchup will be Adrian against Bowdoin.
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Nov 17, 2023
USA Eagles to take on Spain, Nov 18, 2023
The final game of 2023 for the men’s USA Eagles is set for November 18, with the Eagles taking on Spain at 2PM EST in the Vila International Rugby Cup.
Massachusetts’ own Nate Brakeley will serve as captain in what will be his 34th and final game for the Eagles, as he has announced his retirement from international rugby.
The Eagles had a comfortable win over Brazil in the previous round, while Spain was impressive in taking Canada down by a score of 42-20.
USA and Spain are close in the international rankings with the USA one spot ahead of Spain at # 18.
You should be able to catch the game live on RugbyPass TV.
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Oct 13, 2023
Lots of rugby on this weekend, and it promises to be a legendary weekend in the men’s World Cup in France.
On the women’s side the Eagles take on Samoa on Saturday in the WXV2 tournament in South Africa. The Eagles feature five Beantown players on the squad for the inaugural USA game of the tournament (incidentally Beantown fell at the semi-final stage of the WPL last week while missing the Eagles). Here’s hoping the Eagles got off to a good start in the tournament.
RugbyPass will be streaming the USA games.
Women Eagles Roster for the Samoa game.
In other local news, an exciting clash seems to be in store in Canton on Saturday at 2PM, as the top of the table clash between the Boston Irish Wolfhounds and Mystic’s D2 team takes place. Some great fall rugby on the grass should be entertaining.
So Eagles at 8AM, Wales v Argentina at 11, Wolfhounds and Mystic at 2PM, and Ireland v New Zealand at 3PM. That should be a great way to spend a Saturday, right?
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Oct 6, 2023
In the semifinals of the WPL, # 4 Beantown travel to California to take on # 1 Berkeley in one semifinal, while Colorado and New York battle it out in the other. The Oct 7th semis will lead to the WPL Championship the following week in Colorado.
Beantown have lost to Berkeley twice this year, most recently just last week, although Beantown was missing several plays on national duty. A close game at halftime opened up for Berkeley in the second half, as Berkeley pulled away to win 38-17.
From the WPL website:
https://wplrugby.org/rugby-xplorer-wpl/
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August 18, 2023
After the disappointing score line against Portugal last week, a tough challenge awaits the Eagles in Tbilisi on Saturday.
Once again, the weather will be hot with the temperature in the 90’s. The Eagles have made a number of changes from the side that took on Portugal last week, as coach Scott Lawrence continues to bring on newer players.
Keep an eye open for 19 year old Dominic Besag who may come off the bench to earn his first cap in the #22 shirt.
The Rugby Network will once again carry the game, at 11AM on Saturday August 19th.
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August 11, 2023
The announcement last week of the Eagles squad to take on Romania referenced the possible debuts of as many as nine new caps. That seemed like a lot, especially as Romania should be finalizing their preparations for the World Cup and should be in good form. There is no good time to put that many new players on the field, but since the Eagles did not qualify for the World Cup, I guess that game is as good as any.
And then you look at the names, and you see that some have been tearing it up on the MLR circuit this year, such as back rows Sam Golla and Luke White, while other debutants such as Nick McCarthy and Tommaso Boni have obviously been playing in competitive environments at Leinster and Zebra.
So it was an impressive effort that was rewarded with the 31-17 win. If you were to pick a flaw, it might be the latter portions of the game, where the opponents scored three tries late, this following on the heels of late missteps in the qualifying campaign against Chile and Portugal which prevented qualifying for France 2023. You can catch replays of the game on the Rugby Network.
The Eagles have an opportunity to have another crack at Portugal tomorrow, Aug 12. With the temperature forecasted to be near triple digits during the day so it should be toasty at game time.
New York Ironworker Kaleb Geiger gets his first start for the USA, packing down in the front row alongside fellow Ironworker Dylan Fawsitt and Jack Iscaro who will get his fourth cap.
Free Jack Mitch Wilson gets his fifth cap, again at full back.
Game time is 4PM Eastern, and you can follow the action again on the Rugby Network.
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July 26, 2023
A rare opportunity to watch some top quality international rugby presents itself in Quincy, as the USA Women’s U-23 Eagles take on their Canadian counterparts in a two game series, with the first game listed for 7PM on Wednesday July 26 and the second on Sunday July 30th at noon.
The series against Canada follows the squad’s successful South American tour, where the team tied with Brazil and defeated Columbia.
Being billed as the “Border Battle”, the series is being held at the home of the MLR’s Champion New England Free Jacks.
Lots of local talent should be on display, with Dartmouth’s Kristin Bitter and Lauren Ferridge, Harvard’s Malia Isaacs and Tiahna Padilla, Quinnipiac’s Anna Van Dyk among those named on the squad by legendary coach Katie Dowty.
7PM on Wednesday is the kickoff time of the first game, and will be shown on the rugby Network for those who cannot make it to Quincy.
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July 25, 2026
(Graphic borrowed from scrumhalfconnection, hope they don’t mind). By the way, you should be following that site, it is indispensable for all things rugby related in the USA and for women’s game in particular.
Anyways, after the Pacific Four series, and despite putting a scare in the New Zealand Black Ferns, the USA Eagles will compete in WXV2. Italy secured the final spot with a win over Spain last weekend. Despite the near miss against New Zealand, perhaps it is a good landing spot for the Eagles, as being competitive in WXV2 is better than facing some lean times in WXV1, in my opinion.
Check out scrumhalf connection’s WXV primer here:
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July 14, 2023
A big challenge awaits the USA Eagles this afternoon at 4PM, as they take on the best in the world, the New Zealand Black Ferns in the final round of the Pacific Four series.
Even if the Eagles pull off a shocking upset of the Black Ferns, the Eagles will compete in WXV2 in the fall. TD Place in Ottawa will again be the place to be to see if the Eagles can rebound from the 58-17 loss to the Australians last week. FLO rugby for viewing.
I was wondering last week if the USA were 30 points behind the top teams such as New Zealand and England. Recent results suggest this list now solidly includes Australia and Canada also. Still, a valuably run out against the best will be worthwhile.
The other game should be entertaining also, with Canada taking on Australia. Winner will take second place in the competition. Canada improved after a sluggish first half against NZ to be competitive, while Australia had the comfortable win against the USA in the last round.
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July 14, 2023
Watching some of the MLR Championship game provides moments of sweet enjoyment for Free Jacks fans. It is also encouraging to see so many replays of the game on FS2. Ratings seem to be down, year over year, but the content seems to be perfectly fine for the network, which has re-aired the game at least two times that I saw, and probably more.
Replaying the final fifteen minutes or so again brought home how close this game was, and how it could have gone in any direction. Both sides were playing with a high intensity with a refusal to accept defeat, and referee Joe James seemed determined to not be put in a position to have to make a game deciding decision.
Pivotal moments in the last fifteen minutes included the Will Hooley injury, an epic multi phase assault by the Free Jacks, highlighted by critical line breaks by Sam Fischli and Le Roux Malan, a critical clean out by Jason Potroz on an attempted poach by Josh Henderson, failure to secure the resulting kickoff after the go ahead score, three collapsed scrums in the New England 22, Henderson not being able to get a potential winning drop goal set up. Exciting stuff, which will be talked about for a long time in New England.
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July 7, 2023
Here we go, one more time for all the marbles. FOX will be the required viewing location, unless you are making the trek to Chicago for the clash against San Diego.
There is also a viewing party being thrown by the city of Quincy at Kilroy Square, which should be fun.
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July 7, 2023
Huge weekend in Canada as the Pacific Four Series continues with the USA Eagles, Canada, New Zealand and Australia playing in Ottawa, Canada at the TD Place arena.
First up is the Eagles and Australia clash at 4PM on July 8th, with the host Canada against the reigning World Champion New Zealand Black Ferns at 7PM. 8000 (and counting) tickets are already sold for the glamour fixture.
Two games are already in the books. Canada defeated the Eagles 50-17 back in April and New Zealand demolished the Australians 50-0 recently. With three teams qualifying for the WXV1 tournament to join England, Wales and France, recent form suggests the winner of the USA and Australia game will be the team to join the top tier.
Australia has a slight advantage in the world rankings, being listed at #5 to the USA’s #7.
The Eagles team selection can be found here, and it features a blend of new and experienced players, being led by the incomparable Kate Zackary.
So this begs the question…where would you rather be? Competing against the top teams in WXV1 (NZ, Canada, England, France and Wales), with the potential for some very lean years and weak results as the next World Cup beckons, or being competitive in WXV2 with possible pool members Japan, South Africa, Scotland, Italy or Fiji?
Catch the USA game on FLO Rugby.
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June 30, 2023
After a week of rest, the Free Jacks named the lineup for the Eastern Conference Final against Old Glory DC. The 5.30pm game on Saturday July 1st is at the Veteran’s Memorial Stadium in Quincy.
With a strong roster, there were bound to be some people left out. Mitch Wilson is officially listed as injured, but no spots could be found for Slade McDowall, (deleted) or Beaudein Waaka, among others.
The coaching staff has also gone with a 5-3 split on the bench, reducing the possibility that Joe Johnston will have to perform more heroics on the right wing, as he had to do in the regular season finale.
FS1 on July 1 at 5.30pm if you can’t make it to Fort Quincy, as the local fans have come to refer to it.
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June 23, 2023
Mixed results for the region’s premier rugby teams this past weekend, as the Free Jacks rolled into the playoffs, while Beantown stumbled.
At Harvard’s stadium, Berkeley and Beantown braved the conditions on Saturday and it was Berkeley who had the better of the contest, coming away with the victory, using an up tempo attack to put pressure on the Beantown defense.
Check out Jackie Finlan’s write up of the game, or check out the video on youtube. The WPL standings don’t seem to have been updated at the moment, but Berkeley should be top of the pile at 6-1 as the league approached its summer break.
In Quincy, the Free Jacks romped home against a Houston SaberCats side that was missing some starters. 47-24 was the final score in the game that was attended by a record breaking crowd of 4,758. The Free Jacks took advantage of some sloppy defending in mid-field, with Le Roux Malan taking full advantage to notch three tries in the win.
In an occasionally feisty game, the Free Jacks built on a half time lead of 19-10 to gradually pull away in the second half.
It wasn’t all perfect for the Free Jacks, as early injuries forced the departure of Mitch Wilson and Beaudein Waaka. The 6-2 split on the reserves bench forced back rower Joe Johnston to play much of the game on the wing. He performed admirably there, but you wonder if the Free Jacks will go with that split again.
But a well deserved rest weekend awaits the Free Jacks, as elimination weekend will determine if it will be Old Glory or the New York Ironworkers making the trip to Quincy for the Eastern Championship game next weekend.
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June 16, 2023
After a very strong performance on the road against the second ranked Western Conference Seattle Seawolves last weekend, the New England Free Jacks return home for the final game of the regular season against the third ranked Western opponent, the Houston SaberCats.
On paper, there is little to play for, as the Free Jacks have sewn up top place in the East while Houston cannot improve on their third place position in the West. But since the Free Jacks will have a bye week leading up to the Eastern Conference Championship, against either New York Ironworker or Old Glory DC, the locals franchise will want to keep their collective foot on the gas and not ease up. Plus. with a very strong panel, there will be lots of competition for starting spots in the championship game and very few opportunities remaining to claim that spot.
The Free Jacks are expecting a large crowd for the game, with multiple sections sold out.
Sunday June 18th with a 1.30 kickoff for those attending in Quincy.
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June 16, 2023
In Women’s Premier League action on Saturday, Beantown got the win over Chicago North Shore in a game played in Malden MA. The score was 64 to nothing in Beantown’s favor, after a short weather related delay. It was excellent preparation for Beantown, which hosts Berkeley in the upcoming pivotal matchup. That game is scheduled for Harvard’s Mignone field on Saturday June 17th and will be the last game of the first part of the split season.
In the North Shore game, the visitors were competitive throughout, despite what the score line may say. A committed defense and some strong offensive running, especially in the centers, gave North Shore hope, but eventually the Beantown rush defense and a relentlessly up-tempo pace proved too much for Chicago.
Check out the game video here
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June 15, 2023
(UPDATE: GAMES MOVED TO SUNDAY)
It is time to show your support for high school rugby, as the MIAA rugby season has its championships this weekend.
As always, Alex Goff has his pulse on the scene. Check out his essential details on the run up to the finals at the link here.
Curry College in Milton will host three games on Saturday June 17th. Belmont High will attempt another sweep of the boy’s and girl’s Division 1 titles, while Weymouth and Algonquin will contest the Division 2 boy’s title. Admission is $15.
(UPDATE: GAMES MOVED TO SUNDAY)
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June 8, 2023
The USA Club Championships were held in St. Charles MO June 2-June 4 for Division 1, 2 and 3 for the Men’s and Women’s clubs.
On the women’s side, San Diego Surfers claimed the Division 1 title, defeating NOVA in the final. In Division 2, Knoxville knocked off Severn River for the Championship.
In the men’s Division 3, Austin Blacks defeated Colorado Springs in a close title game by a score of 18-14. Austin defeated Tucson in the semi the previous day, while Colorado held off North Bay. Shockingly, the three games were decided by a total of eight points, showing how competitive the games were. Austin deserve a lot of credit, as reportedly about half the squad would have been eligible to play in an Old Boy’s tournament.
In the men’s Division 2, the Denver Barbarians overcame a deficit to beat New England’s last remaining competitor in the semi, outscoring the Boston Irish Wolfhounds 15-12. Denver overcame Boise United in the final, Boise having overtaken Miami Tridents in the other semifinal the previous day.
In the men’s Division 1, Austin Blacks completed the Division 1 and Division 3 double, defeating New York Old Blue 38-14 in the final. In the semifinal, Austin looked like they were going to cruise easily through to the final, scoring early and often against Seattle, racking up points at a point per minute pace. However, Seattle responded and made it a close game, only to lose by a score of 55-50.
In the other semifinal, there was no shortage of drama, but it was mostly off the field. Chicago Griffins had the better of the on-field activities, but as I understand it, Chicago played under a cloud regarding the eligibility of one player. Apparently Chicago won a favorable ruling on the eligibility question, however the ruling came down during the game and only applied to future games, so the player was not eligible for the semifinal. Thus the game was forfeited by Chicago and Old Blue went on to play in the final, where Austin prevailed to claim the historic double with the Division 3 title to go along with the Division 1 honors.
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June 2, 2023
A rare Friday night game is in store as the Free Jacks travel to Silverbacks Park in Atlanta to take on Atlanta ATL at 7PM. The Free Jacks are comfortably in first position in the East, and have already secured home seeding for the conference championship.
Atlanta is a game behind the second and third place teams, Old Glory and New York, so ATL needs a win to try to keep pace and have a chance to knock off one o those two teams. Fortunately for ATL, they play New York next week and then Old Glory in the last week of the season.
As for the Free Jacks, there is no Beaudein Waaka in the squad for tonight, which I believe means he would have to play in the final two games to meet playoff eligibility. The Free Jacks only have two backs on the bench for tonight’s game, possibly expecting a big contest from the strong ATL pack. The Free Jacks have a tough schedule to end the season, with an away game in Seattle and a home fixture against Houston. That might be a game Houston needs to make the post season.
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June 2, 2023
The Club Division 1, 2 and 3 playoffs are under way in St. Charles, MO this weekend. Lots of familiar names in the men’s Division 1 semifinals, which has New York Old Blue competing against the Chicago Griffins, while Seattle takes on Austin. Incidentally Austin also has a squad in the men’s Division 3 semifinal, which is a testament to the depth of the Austin program.
On Saturday the sole New England remaining competitor is the Boston Irish Wolfhounds, who play the Denver Barbarians in one semi at noon, while Boise takes on Miami Tridents in the other semi.
Catch the action at the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2FADeJNk4O-fX-_YHj_n-Pqlqe8NW72N
The championship games will begin at noon on Sunday, with the Men’s Division 1 closing out the weekend’s festivities at 4PM.
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Yeah, I think Sunday’s agenda is complete for many of you, as Quincy beckons with a complete day’s worth of activities. Upcoming players to watch early as the Independents take on Mystic River, followed by what promises to be a cracker of a contest between Beantown and Colorado in the Women’s Premier League, then the main even with the Free Jacks taking on NOLA at 3PM.
NOLA needs a win to keep pace for a possible playoff slot, and gain some measure of revenge for a comprehensive defeat in the earlier clash between the two sides.
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I could write up a report on the Free Jacks game against Old Glory. Or I could just let the Boston Globe do the work:
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It promises to be another legendary weekend in Rhode Island, as more than thirty New England teams will compete for the annual NERFU Cup, to be played in Fort Adams State Park May 6th and 7th. Bring the sunscreen for the annual extravaganza which will award the local bragging rights to the victors across five divisions.
If you can’t make it down to Rhode Island, Union Point in Weymouth is the place to be, as Beantown hosts rivals New York in Week 3 Women’s Premier League action. 4PM is the time to be there. New York is 1-1 on the season with six points, and Beantown is coming off an early bye week and stands at five points from the big win over Chicago in week 1.
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Big winners in the 2023 Atlantic Super Regional were the South Shore Sirens, the Boston Irish Wolfhounds, and Burlington. The Sirens captured the Women’s Division 3 crown, outscoring rivals 78 points to 22 over the two days, while Burlington took the Men’s Division 4 title, defeating South Buffalo 47-0.
At the Division 2 level, the Wolfhounds knocked off powerhouse Buffalo 29-17 on Day 1, and then took down Philadelphia-Whitemarsh 23-5.
The Wolfhounds will compete in the National Championships June 3-4. The opponents will be determined over the next two weeks, at the Gulf Coast Super Regional in Orlando this weekend (San Antonio, Miami ,Charlotte and NOLA contending), the Pacific Super Regional in Las Vegas next weekend and the Northern Super Regional May 20-21.
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April 28, 2023
A big weekend of club playoff action beckons near Richmond VA, as the 2023 Atlantic Super Regional event takes place April 29th and 30th.
On the women’s side, Boston Women, who had to jump through a few hoops to get there, take on Raleigh Venom in one semifinal, while Providence take on NOVA in the other. Providence stepped up to D1 after some years as a strong D2 team, culmination in securing the 2022 title, and they will face the perennial powerhouse NOVA.
In D2 Women, New Haven and Worcester are the New England representatives, and they will take on Severn River and Phoenixville respectively on Saturday.
In D3 Women, South Shore Sirens is the sole New England representative and they play against South Jersey in one D3 semifinal.
On the men’s side, there is no New England team in the reckoning in Division 1. But a mouth watering fixture is scheduled as New York Old Blue play Rocky Gorge in a single game championship. That should be a fun game.
In D2 Men, The Boston Irish Wolfhounds made it to the regionals as a result of winning an exciting New England Championship game against Portland (ME). The Hounds will take on Buffalo, which is a team with consistently excellent performance at the D2 level.
In the other D2 semi, former Super League outfit Philadelphia Whitemarsh take on James River.
At the D3 men’s level, Providence will fly the New England flag against Maryland’s North Bay in one semi, while Monmouth take on Lehigh Valley in the other.
The men’s D4 rounds out the men’s brackets, as Burlington of Vermont take on Prince William County Owls, while South Buffalo and Happy Valley pack down on the other side of the bracket.
Championships and consolation games will be played on Sunday.
Good luck to all.
According to the organizers, some games will be streamed at the link here:
https://rugby.org/2023-atlantic-super-regional/
Or maybe this one:
https://rvav.com/capitalrugby/
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The big scoring team from last weekend takes the field in Quincy on Saturday April 22nd. And we don’t mean the Free Jacks. Well, we do, but they aren’t the only ones.
Beantown had a huge win in the opening weekend of the Women’s Premier League, racking up 62 points on the road against Chicago North Shore. Center Amanda Schweitzer had herself a nice day, notching 22 points on six conversions and two tries.
While enjoying a week off from WPL duties, Beantown will play Boston Women in a curtain raiser for the Free Jacks, with kickoff scheduled for noon. This will be Boston Women’s final competitive run out before the Atlantic Super Regional playoffs the following weekend.
Women’s teams from Portland, Worcester, Hartford and Burlington will also participate in earlier games at the Quincy facility before the Free Jacks take on Rugby ATL. Depending on this and other results, it is possible the Free Jacks will be three games ahead in the standings at the end of the day.
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Free Jacks take care of Chicago under sunny skies in Quincy for another win.
April 12, 2023. The Free Jacks are sitting pretty atop the Eastern Conference as we approach the half way mark of the season. The team enjoys a five point advantage over the New York Ironworkers in the standings, with a further game advantage over the NOLA, Old Glory and ATL entrants, who ………………..
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Big game for the USA Women’s Eagles in their first game of the Pacific Four series, where the Eagles take on Canada in Spain.
A bunch of Eagles made their debut in last weeks close win over a willing and eager Spanish team (see here for a recap of that game) . Veteran Hope Rogers scored the vital go-ahead score against Spain, powering over from short range.
The Eagles displayed interesting tactics late in the game. As the clock hit 80 and beyond, the Eagles continued to play a wide game, repeatedly going the open side and once spinning the ball wide. With the ball hitting the floor, anything could have happened. Not sure why they did not play it safe and close out the game when ahead.
Six of that team starts again against powerhouse Canada, with another three from the win on the bench.
It is kinda wild that this is happening with the USA 7s team in Hong Kong securing qualification for the 2024 Olympics. Lots of high level competition for an expanding roster, for sure.
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Here is a nice write up from the Maine Monitor which focuses on college club teams, including Colby’s Women’s Rugby team:
https://www.themainemonitor.org/far-from-the-varsity-arena-college-club-teams-toil-to-exist-and-love-every-minute/
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March 9, 2023
So the Free Jacks kick off their first home game of the season on March 11 against Old Glory. Both teams are 1-1 early in the season.
The Free Jacks defeated the NOLA Gold in a scrappy performance to start the year.
In that NOLA Gold game, it looked like the Free Jacks would have an easy time of it, going up by a couple of scores early, but let NOLA back into the game late in the second half. One horrible sequence had the Free Jacks conceding penalty, penalty, penalty, then a five meter lineout and maul for a five pointer.
But the Free Jacks recovered their balance and went on to cruise home 36-12. In week 2, the Free Jacks had a frustrating 29-12 loss to the San Diego Legion. The early season rust was still in effect, with a badly misfiring lineout the obvious villain of the game, followed closely by a failure to punch through a San Diego line that seemed content to lay defense all day.
Old Glory had a nice win over the franchise newbies the Chicago Hounds, but followed that up with a punch-less 34-8 loss to the New York franchise.
Both teams will hope to get back above the .500 level. 3PM is the kickoff time on the 11th, and the game will be preceded by a slew of local games, with the action beginning at 8AM.
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Feb 16, 2023
So I have no idea what to expect when the Free Jacks travel to New Orleans to take on the NOLA Gold in the season opener on Friday Feb 17, 2023. So I asked ChatGPT for some help in the game and in the season and this is the response I got. Probably as good as anything I would have come up with, though at least I would have gotten the number of teams right!
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Nov 18, 2022
Well, that is disappointing. Fantastic for Portugal, not so much for the Eagles.
Portugal 16, USA 16
Portugal go through to RWC2023.
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