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.
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 ConferenceNortheast Division Colors Club City State Stadium Foundation JoinedBoston ThirteensBostonMIT Steinbrenner Stadium20092011Brooklyn Kings RLFCBrooklynMidwood Athletic Complex20142014Connecticut WildcatsGreenwichCardinal Stadium20032015New York KnightsNew York CityThe Castle Pier 4020012015Rhode Island RebellionProvidenceClassical High School20112011Mid-Atlantic Division Colors Club City State Stadium Foundation JoinedBucks County SharksLevittownFalls Township Community Park19982015D.C. SlayersWashingtonDuke Ellington Field20032011Delaware Black FoxesWilmingtonEden Park Stadium20152015Northern Virginia EaglesManassasGrizzly Sports Complex20072014Philadelphia FightConshohockenA. A. Garthwaite Stadium19982011
South Conference Colors Club City State Stadium Foundation JoinedAtlanta RhinosAtlantaAtlanta Silverbacks Park20142014Central Florida WarriorsDeLandSpec Martin Stadium20142014Jacksonville AxemenJacksonvilleHodges Stadium20062011Tampa MayhemTampa BayLarry Sanders Field20142014
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.
Northeast Division Team 1 Boston Thirteens8701430112318142 Rhode Island Rebellion850334228260103 Brooklyn Kings RLFC8404244256-1284 New York Knights8305178264-8665 Connecticut Wildcats8107138368-2302
Mid-Atlantic Division Team 1 Philadelphia Fight8800448124324162 Northern Virginia Eagles8602430232198123 D.C. Slayers83053203021864 Bucks County Sharks8206128435-30745 Delaware Black Foxes8107199482-3212
South Conference Team 1 Atlanta Rhinos64021961841282 Central Florida Warriors63031881642463 Jacksonville Axemen6303132174-4264 Tampa Mayhem620417216664
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 InformationDateVenueRefereeCrowd North Conference Divisional Semi-Finals Rhode Island Rebellion 54 - 34 Brooklyn Kings August 1 Northern Virginia Eagles 76 - 36 D.C. Slayers August 1 North Conference Divisional Finals Boston Thirteens 80 - 4 Rhode Island Rebellion August 8 Philadelphia Fight 60 - 12 Northern Virginia Eagles August 8 South Conference Semi-Finals Atlanta Rhinos 32 - 26 Tampa Mayhem July 25 Central Florida Warriors 44 - 14 Jacksonville Axemen August 1 Conference Finals Philadelphia Fight 12 - 20 Boston Thirteens August 15 Atlanta Rhinos 32 - 28 Central Florida Warriors August 15 Championship Final Boston Thirteens 44 - 12 Atlanta Rhinos August 29
References