2015 USA Rugby League | |
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Teams | 14 |
Premiers | Boston Thirteens (1st title) |
Minor premiers | Philadelphia Fight (3rd title) |
The 2015 USA Rugby League season was the fifth season of the USA Rugby League National Premiership competition, and its first as the undisputed top-level rugby league competition in the United States. Fourteen teams competed for the USARL Championship. The season began on Saturday, May 30, and concluded with the Championship Final on Saturday, August 29, in Jacksonville, Florida. The Boston Thirteens won their first USARL Championship, defeating the Atlanta Rhinos 44-12.
In the wake of the folding of the AMNRL, the USARL was left as the undisputed top-level rugby league competition in the United States. Three teams joined the USARL from the AMNRL: Bucks County Sharks, Connecticut Wildcats, and New York Knights. The Delaware Black Foxes joined as an expansion squad. After several unsuccessful seasons, the Baltimore Blues left the competition.
North Conference | ||||||
Northeast Division | ||||||
Colors | Club | City | State | Stadium | Foundation | Joined |
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Boston Thirteens | Boston | Massachusetts | MIT Steinbrenner Stadium | 2009 | 2011 | |
Brooklyn Kings | Brooklyn | New York | Midwood Athletic Complex | 2014 | 2014 | |
Connecticut Wildcats | Greenwich | Connecticut | Cardinal Stadium | 2003 | 2015 | |
New York Knights | New York City | New York | The Castle Pier 40 | 2001 | 2015 | |
Rhode Island Rebellion | Providence | Rhode Island | Classical High School | 2011 | 2011 | |
Mid-Atlantic Division | ||||||
Colors | Club | City | State | Stadium | Foundation | Joined |
Bucks County Sharks | Levittown | Pennsylvania | Falls Township Community Park | 1998 | 2015 | |
D.C. Slayers | Washington | Washington | Duke Ellington Field | 2003 | 2011 | |
Delaware Black Foxes | Wilmington | Delaware | Eden Park Stadium | 2015 | 2015 | |
Northern Virginia Eagles | Manassas | Virginia | Grizzly Sports Complex | 2007 | 2014 | |
Philadelphia Fight | Conshohocken | Pennsylvania | A. A. Garthwaite Stadium | 1998 | 2011 |
South Conference | ||||||
Colors | Club | City | State | Stadium | Foundation | Joined |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Atlanta Rhinos | Atlanta | Georgia | Atlanta Silverbacks Park | 2014 | 2014 | |
Central Florida Warriors | DeLand | Florida | Spec Martin Stadium | 2014 | 2014 | |
Jacksonville Axemen | Jacksonville | Florida | Hodges Stadium | 2006 | 2011 | |
Tampa Mayhem | Tampa Bay | Florida | Larry Sanders Field | 2014 | 2014 |
Teams in the South Conference played 6 games on a double round-robin schedule. Teams in the North Conference played 8 games, primarily within their own division. A win was worth 2 points, a draw worth 1 point, and a loss worth 0 points. There were no bonus points for number of tries or close losses. [1]
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Final regular-season standings.
For 2015, the USARL further extended the division and conference playoff structure introduced in 2014. In the South Conference, the teams with the best and worst records, and the second- and third-best records, played each other in the South Conference Semi-Finals. The winners met in the South Conference Final. In the North Conference, the teams with the second- and third-best records in each division played each other in the North Conference Division Semi-Finals. The winners played the teams with the best records in their respective divisions in the North Conference Divisional Finals. The winners of the Divisional Finals played in the North Conference Final. The winners of the Conference Finals met in the Championship Final.
The United States national rugby league team represents the United States in international rugby league football competitions. The team is managed by the USA Rugby League (USARL).
The New York Knights are a semi-professional rugby league football team based in New York City. The team currently plays in the USA Rugby League. They play their home games at Pier 40 in Hudson River Park.
The American National Rugby League (AMNRL) was a rugby league organization in the United States that operated from 1997 to 2014. The country's first domestic rugby league competition, it hosted an annual league from 1998 through 2013. Throughout its existence, the AMNRL was also recognized by the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) as the governing body for the sport in the United States, and oversaw the United States national rugby league team, the Tomahawks.
Rugby league football is a sport in the United States. While rugby league has been played in the United States since 1954, with Australia and New Zealand playing games there on the return from the Rugby League World Cup in France, serious attempts to start the sport in the United States began only in the late 1970s. The establishment of a national team and a domestic competition in the late 20th century has seen more recent progress.
The Bucks County Sharks were a rugby league football team based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The team currently plays in the USA Rugby League.
The Washington D.C. Slayers were a rugby league football team based in Washington, D.C. who last played in the USA Rugby League. They played their home games at Duke Ellington Field near Georgetown Hospital.
The Philadelphia Fight are a semi professional rugby league team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. They currently compete in the USA Rugby League, having formerly competed in the now defunct AMNRL. They play their home games at A. A. Garthwaite Stadium in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.
The Jacksonville Axemen are a semi-professional rugby league team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They currently play in the USA Rugby League (USARL). They play their home games at the North Practice Soccer Fields at the University of North Florida.
The Boston Thirteens are a professional rugby league football team based in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. The team previously played in the USA Rugby League, before turning fully professional in 2021 and becoming a founding member of the North American Rugby League.
The New Haven Warriors were a rugby league football team based in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. They played in the American National Rugby League (AMNRL) from 2006 to 2010 and in the USA Rugby League (USARL) from 2011 to 2012 before withdrawing. They played their home games at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven, Connecticut.
The USA Rugby League (USARL) is the official governing body for rugby league, a code of rugby football, in the United States.
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The 2013 USARL season was the third season of the USA Rugby League (USARL). The 2013 season kicked off on Saturday, June 1, and ended with the Championship Final on Saturday, August 24, in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Fight won a double, capturing their second USARL major premiership and their first USARL minor premiership.
The 2016 USA Rugby League season was the sixth season of the USA Rugby League National Premiership competition, and its second as the undisputed top-level rugby league competition in the United States. Fourteen teams competed for the National Championship. The season began on Saturday, June 4, and concluded with the Championship Final on Saturday, August 27, in Boston. The Philadelphia Fight won their fourth USARL Championship, defeating the Jacksonville Axemen 42-20.
The 2017 USA Rugby League season is the seventh season of the USA Rugby League National Premiership competition, and its third as the undisputed top-level rugby league competition in the United States. Twelve teams compete for the USARL Championship. The season began on Saturday, June 3, and concluded with the Championship Final on Saturday, August 26.
The North American Rugby League (NARL) is an upcoming rugby league club competition in North America. At launch, the league announced fourteen teams; twelve from United States and two from Canada. An inaugural season was planned for 2021 but was deferred until 2022 due to increased health and safety needs regarding COVID-19 and insurance and travel costs. The league will now launch with 6 foundation teams, 5 from the United States and former professional Super League member club Toronto Wolfpack from Canada. The first season was supposed to kick off 21st May 2022, but failed to do so.