2015 USARL season

Last updated
2015 USA Rugby League
Teams14
Premiers Ipswich Colours.svg Boston Thirteens (1st title)
Minor premiers Philadelphia colours.svg 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.

Contents

Teams

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
ColorsClubCityStateStadiumFoundationJoined
Ipswich Colours.svg
Boston Thirteens Boston Flag of Massachusetts.svg  Massachusetts MIT Steinbrenner Stadium20092011
North Queensland colours.svg
Brooklyn Kings Brooklyn Flag of New York.svg  New York Midwood Athletic Complex 20142014
Connecticut colors.svg
Connecticut Wildcats Greenwich Flag of Connecticut.svg  Connecticut Cardinal Stadium20032015
New York colors.svg
New York Knights New York City Flag of New York.svg  New York The Castle Pier 4020012015
RI Rebellion colors.png
Rhode Island Rebellion Providence Flag of Rhode Island.svg  Rhode Island Classical High School 20112011
Mid-Atlantic Division
ColorsClubCityStateStadiumFoundationJoined
New Jersey colours.svg
Bucks County Sharks Levittown Flag of Pennsylvania.svg  Pennsylvania Falls Township Community Park19982015
St. George colours.svg
D.C. Slayers Washington Flag of Washington, D.C..svg  Washington Duke Ellington Field20032011
Balmain colours.svg
Delaware Black Foxes Wilmington Flag of Delaware.svg  Delaware Eden Park Stadium20152015
Fairfax Eagles colors.svg
Northern Virginia Eagles Manassas Flag of Virginia.svg  Virginia Grizzly Sports Complex20072014
Philadelphia colours.svg
Philadelphia Fight Conshohocken Flag of Pennsylvania.svg  Pennsylvania A. A. Garthwaite Stadium19982011
South Conference
ColorsClubCityStateStadiumFoundationJoined
Rhinoscolours.svg
Atlanta Rhinos Atlanta Flag of Georgia (U.S. state).svg  Georgia Atlanta Silverbacks Park 20142014
Wests Panthers Colours.svg
Central Florida Warriors DeLand Flag of Florida.svg  Florida Spec Martin Stadium 20142014
Jacksonville colors.svg
Jacksonville Axemen Jacksonville Flag of Florida.svg  Florida Hodges Stadium 20062011
Central Comets colours.svg
Tampa Mayhem Tampa Bay Flag of Florida.svg  Florida Larry Sanders Field 20142014

Regular season

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]

Final regular-season standings.

Playoffs

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.

HomeScoreAwayMatch Information
DateVenueRefereeCrowd
North Conference Divisional Semi-Finals
RI Rebellion colors.png Rhode Island Rebellion54 - 34 North Queensland colours.svg Brooklyn KingsAugust 1
Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Northern Virginia Eagles76 - 36 St. George colours.svg D.C. SlayersAugust 1
North Conference Divisional Finals
Ipswich Colours.svg Boston Thirteens80 - 4 RI Rebellion colors.png Rhode Island RebellionAugust 8
Philadelphia colours.svg Philadelphia Fight60 - 12 Manly Sea Eagles colours.svg Northern Virginia EaglesAugust 8
South Conference Semi-Finals
Rhinoscolours.svg Atlanta Rhinos32 - 26 Central Comets colours.svg Tampa MayhemJuly 25
Wests Panthers Colours.svg Central Florida Warriors44 - 14 Jacksonville colors.svg Jacksonville AxemenAugust 1
Conference Finals
Philadelphia colours.svg Philadelphia Fight12 - 20 Ipswich Colours.svg Boston ThirteensAugust 15
Rhinoscolours.svg Atlanta Rhinos32 - 28 Wests Panthers Colours.svg Central Florida WarriorsAugust 15
Championship Final
Ipswich Colours.svg Boston Thirteens44 - 12 Rhinoscolours.svg Atlanta RhinosAugust 29

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References

  1. "USARL | USA Rugby League | American Rugby League « Results". Archived from the original on 2013-08-22. Retrieved 2014-09-12.