Your Scrumhalf Connection - Women's Rugby Blog

The Girl and I will be at the fields tomorrow in Austin touch judging and will post scores LIVE. Mike from South Carolina Rugby Examiner will be in Lexington and will send me scores as well!

UPDATE 7:19pm: Thanks to Mike (@rugbyblog) for the twitter updates on the East bracker! My twitter updates on the West bracket are found at @scrumhalblog and are also on Facebook.

BOULDER, Colo. – The championships race flips into high gear for the top 48 Division I, II and III senior teams in nation when USA Rugby’s National Guard Men’s Club Playoffs get underway on May 16-17.

Unlike last season, when all men’s clubs converged in one location, the 2009 playoffs structure has split into two qualifying regions, with eight teams from each respective division heading to Austin, Texas for the West playoff rounds and the remaining 24 teams traveling to Columbia, S.C., for the East playoff rounds.

The top four finishers from each division will advance to the USA Rugby National Guard Men’s Club Championships, which once again return to Infinity Park in Glendale, Colo., on May 30-31. The Men’s Club Championship event will be held in conjunction with the Rugby Super League Final, which caps off the first day of competition in the stadium, with a 7 p.m. (MST) kickoff on May 30.

*Please see below for venue-specific information and a complete schedule of events.

Austin Rugby Club and the City of Austin welcome eight teams from each division to Burr Field, home of the Austin Blacks RFC, for what is sure to be an action-packed weekend of rugby at the the Western Regional Playoffs.

Five of the eight teams competing for a semifinalist spot in Division I return to the tournament seeking redemption from last year. Perhaps the toughest DI match-up in day one puts 2008 championship runners up, the Glendale Raptors (Colo.), who missed out on the title by just one point, against semifinalists Olympic Club (San Francisco).

Also back in action this year are the Gentlemen of Aspen, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, who were bumped from last year’s playoffs by eventual champions Life University. Rounding out the competition are Provo, which meets Aspen when the tournament kicks off on Saturday morning, Shreveport and Houston Athletic Club.

Leading the Men’s Division II field of competitors is the defending champion Red Mountain team (Mesa, Ariz.), which shut down Brandywine 41-18 in the final to take the 2008 crown. The North County Gurkhas (San Diego) also return in 2009 and meet Tempe in their first match at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

The expanded Division III bracket features last year’s fifth and sixth place finishers Eagle Rock (Los Angeles) and Fort Worth. Eagle Rock meets Northern State (S.D.) in its playoffs opener, while Fort Worth is set to take on California team Mission Rugby (Palo Alto) at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.


East Regional – Lexington/Gibson Road Soccer Complex, Columbia, SC

Olde Grey RFC plays host to the remaining 24 playoff contenders, split among the three divisions in the East Regional Playoffs at the Lexington/Gibson Road Soccer Complex in Columbia, S.C.

Leading the charge in the Division I contest is 2008 semifinalist Pearl City (Muscatine, Iowa), which faces off against New Haven when it commences its 2009 playoff journey on Saturday afternoon. After finishing out of championships contention last year, Boston’s Mystic River seeks redemption in this year’s playoffs and takes on the Detroit Tradesmen in day one.

The promotion of last year’s Division I Club Champions Life University to the Rugby Super League for the 2009 season has opened the door for two other Atlanta teams in the playoffs: Atlanta Old White, which meets Media Rugby (Pa.) when DI competition kicks off at 10 a.m. on Saturday, and the Atlanta Renegades, which square off versus New York’s Old Blue RFC at 1:30 p.m.

After a disappointing end to its Division II Championship final showing versus Red Mountain last season, Brandywine RFC (Pa.) hopes to battle its way back to the title round and starts its playoff run versus Boston’s South Shore Anchors, the eleventh place DII finishers in 2008.

Likewise, 2008 Division III semifinalists Middlesex (Mass.) hope to best their previous performance and kick off this year’s championship bid with a match versus Harrisburg (Pa.). In its first playoffs outing, Cleveland Eastern Suburbs meets Blacksburg (Va.) at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.

MATCH SCHEDULE (Color & Field # Denote Divisions):

Saturday Matches
Media vs Atlanta Old White 23 to 19
New Haven vs Pearl City 43 - 0
Old Blue vs Atlanta Renegades 10 - 37
Mystic River vs Detroit Tradesmen 25 - 15
Brandywine vs South Shore 32 to 14
Baton Rouge vs Indianapolis 13 - 53
Milwaukee Harlequins vs Tampa Bay Krewe 34 - 10
Providence vs Lancaster 10 - 34
Danbury vs Pensacola 19 to 3
Cleveland Eastern Suburbs vs Blacksburg 19 - 29
Middlesex vs Harrisburg 44 - 22
Hilton Head vs Lexington 7 - 15

Sunday Matches
Pearl City 41, Atlanta Old White 11 - Round of 8
Atlanta Renegades 24, Detroit Tradesmen 17 - Round of 8
Old Blue 29, Mystic River 10 – Consolation
Media 60, New Haven 12 - Consolation
Indianapolis 16, Brandywine 10 - Round of 8
Lancaster 44, Milwaukee Harlequins 10 - Round of 8
South Shore, 42, Baton Rouge 8 - Consolation
Tampa Bay Krewe 38, Providence 13- Consolation
Danbury 30, Blacksburg 27 - Round of 8
Middlesex 20, Lexington 18 - Round of 8
Pensacola 31, Cleveland Eastern Suburbs 29 - Consolation
Hilton Head 22, Harrisburg 8 - Consolation

UPDATE 7:19pm: Thanks to Mike (@rugbyblog) for the twitter updates on the East bracker! My twitter updates on the West bracket are found at @scrumhalblog and are also on Facebook.