2014 USARL season

2014 USA Rugby League
Teams 11
Premiers Philadelphia Fight (3rd title)

The 2014 USARL season was the fourth season of the USA Rugby League competition in the United States. It began on Saturday, May 31, and concluded with the Championship Final on Saturday, August 23. The Philadelphia Fight capped their first perfect season by defeating the Jacksonville Axemen 30-18 in Championship Final, claiming their third USARL Championship.

Teams

This season saw significant changes to the number of teams competing, as well as the structure of the competition.

In the wake of failed unification negotiations with the AMNRL in early 2014, it was announced at the USARL February 16 Annual General Meeting that the competition would be expanded by four teams: Brooklyn, Central Florida, Atlanta,[1] and Tampa Bay. The competition would be split into two conferences (North and South) to accommodate expansion and reduce operating costs. Furthermore, the North Conference would be split into two divisions: North East and North Atlantic.

The Northern Virginia Eagles withdrew from the AMNRL and joined the USARL.[2] They played in the new North Atlantic Division.

North Conference
North East Division
Colors Club City State Stadium Foundation Joined
 Boston Thirteens Boston  Massachusetts MIT Steinbrenner Stadium 2009 2011
 Brooklyn Kings Brooklyn  New York Midwood Athletic Complex 2014 2014
 Rhode Island Rebellion Providence  Rhode Island Classical High School 2011 2011
North Atlantic Division
Colors Club City State Stadium Foundation Joined
 Baltimore Blues Baltimore  Maryland N/A 2012 2012
 Northern Virginia Eagles Manassas  Virginia Grizzly Sports Complex 2007 2014
 Philadelphia Fight Conshohocken  Pennsylvania A. A. Garthwaite Stadium 1998 2011
 Washington DC Slayers Washington  Washington, D.C. Duke Ellington Field 2003 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

Regular Season

The South Conference played a double round-robin schedule. The North Conference (except Baltimore) played 7 games per team. 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.[3]

North East Division
    		 Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
    1 Rhode Island Rebellion 7322260272-128
    2 Boston Thirteens 73133021661367
    3 Brooklyn Kings 7115154214-603
    North Atlantic Division
      		 Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
      1 Philadelphia Fight 770038214024214
      2 Washington D.C. Slayers 760132816216612
      3 Northern Virginia Eagles 7205302338-364
      4 Baltimore Blues 600680516-4360
      South Conference
        		 Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
        1 Jacksonville Axemen 66002209812212
        2 Central Florida Warriors 6303187174136
        3 Atlanta Rhinos 6204136165-294
        4 Tampa Mayhem 6105108214-1062

        Playoffs

        To accommodate the new conference and division structure, the USARL created a new playoff structure for 2014. In the South Conference, all four teams automatically qualified for the South Conference Playoffs. The teams with the best and worst records played each other, as did the teams with the second- and third-best records. The winners played in the South Conference Championship. In the North Conference, the teams with the first- and second-best record in each division played each other in the North Conference Playoffs. The winners played in the North Conference Championship. The winners of the Conference Championships met in the Championship Final.

        Home Score Away Match Information
        Date Venue Referee Crowd
        North Conference Playoffs
        Rhode Island Rebellion 26 – 42 Boston Thirteens August 2 Classical High School
        Philadelphia Fight 76 – 0 Washington D.C. Slayers August 2 A. A. Garthwaite Stadium
        South Conference Playoffs
        Jacksonville Axemen 56 – 4 Tampa Mayhem July 26 Hodges Stadium
        Central Florida Warriors 42 – 26 Atlanta Rhinos July 26 Spec Martin Stadium
        Conference Championships
        Philadelphia Fight 52 – 26 Boston Thirteens August 9 A. A. Garthwaite Stadium
        Jacksonville Axemen 40 - 12 Central Florida Warriors August 2 Hodges Stadium
        Championship Final
        Jacksonville Axemen 18 – 30 Philadelphia Fight August 23 Hodges Stadium

        References

        1. ↑ http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-league/news/12211/9158872/super-league-leeds-rhinos-announce-partnership-with-atlanta-in-usa
        2. ↑ http://www.usarl.com/2014/02/usarl-welcomes-the-northern-virginia-eagles-rlfc/
        3. ↑ http://www.usarl.com/standings
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