The 2011 USARL season was the inaugural season of the USA Rugby League (USARL). The league was formed in January 2011 as a breakaway competition from the American National Rugby League (AMNRL). The regular season kicked off on June 4 and ended on July 30; the Jacksonville Axemen won the minor premiership with the best regular season record. The first round of playoffs were played on August 13, 2011, with the New Haven Warriors and Philadelphia Fight winning the round. The league's Grand Final took place on August 27 between the Philadelphia Fight and the New Haven Warriors. Philadelphia won 28–26, receiving their first national championship.[1][2]
| 2011 USA Rugby League | |
|---|---|
| Teams | 8 |
| Premiers |  Philadelphia Fight (1st title) |
| Minor premiers |  Jacksonville Axemen (1st title) |
| Wooden spoon |  Oneida FC |
| Matches played | 35 |
Teams
edit| USARL teams | ||||
| Team | Stadium | City/Area | Foundation | Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Thirteens | Moakley Stadium | Boston, Massachusetts | 2009 | 2011 |
| Jacksonville Axemen | Hodges Stadium | Jacksonville, Florida | 2006 | 2011 |
| New Haven Warriors | Ken Strong Stadium | New Haven, Connecticut | 2006 | 2011 |
| New Jersey Turnpike Titans | Cochran Stadium | Jersey City, New Jersey | 2011 | 2011 |
| Oneida FC | Steinbrenner Stadium | Boston, Massachusetts | 2011 | 2011 |
| Philadelphia Fight | Garthwaite Stadium | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 1998 | 2011 |
| Rhode Island Rebellion | Classical High School | Providence, Rhode Island | 2011 | 2011 |
| Washington DC Slayers | Duke Ellington Field | Washington, D.C. | 2003 | 2011 |
Season table
edit| 2011 USARL season | ||||||||||
| # | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacksonville Axemen
|
8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 334 | 88 | 246 | 14 | |
| 2 |  Washington D.C. Slayers
|
8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 302 | 145 | 157 | 14 | |
| 3 | Philadelphia Fight
|
8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 335 | 128 | 207 | 12 | |
| 4 |  New Haven Warriors
|
8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 296 | 172 | 124 | 10 | |
| 5 |  Rhode Island Rebellion
|
8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 208 | 198 | 10 | 6 | |
| 6 |  Boston Thirteens
|
8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 114 | 324 | −210 | 4 | |
| 7 |  New Jersey Turnpike Titans
|
8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 134 | 382 | −248 | 2 | |
| 8 | Oneida FC
|
8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 118 | 404 | −286 | 2 | |
Ladder progression
edit- Numbers highlighted in green indicate that the team finished the round inside the top 4.
- Numbers highlighted in blue indicates the team finished first on the ladder in that round.
- Numbers highlighted in red indicates the team finished last place on the ladder in that round.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jacksonville Axemen
|
2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 |
| 2 | Washington D.C. Slayers
|
2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 14 |
| 3 | Philadelphia Fight
|
2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 |
| 4 | New Haven Warriors
|
0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
| 5 | Rhode Island Rebellion
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| 6 | Boston Thirteens
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| 7 | New Jersey Turnpike Titans
|
2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 8 | Oneida FC
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Regular season
editThe inaugural USARL season opened with a pre-season rugby league nines tournament. Seven of the top-tier teams participated, with the Philadelphia Fight fielding two teams. Additionally, two developmental teams (the Orange County Outlaws and the Utah Avalanche) participated, along with a West Chester University student team and the visiting New Zealand Police invitational side.[3] The New Zealand Police won the tournament over the New Haven Warriors.[4]
For the regular season, each team played home and away against six teams once, and one team twice, in an eight-round home and away season. Teams qualified for the playoffs based on point differential, with a win counting for 2 points, a draw for 1, a loss for 0, and a forfeit for −2.[5] The Jacksonville Axemen won the minor premiers with the best season record.[6]
Round 1
edit| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time (Local) | Venue | |||||||
| Jacksonville Axemen
|
48–10 | New Haven Warriors
|
June 4, 5:00 pm | Hodges Stadium | ||||
| Boston Thirteens
|
16–38 | New Jersey Turnpike Titans
|
June 4, 7:00 pm | Charlestown Highschool Stadium | ||||
| Rhode Island Rebellion
|
4–46 | Philadelphia Fight
|
June 4, 8:00 pm | Classical Highschool Stadium | ||||
| Oneida FC
|
10–54 | Washington D.C. Slayers
|
June 4, 9:00 pm | Charlestown Highschool Stadium | ||||
Round 2
edit| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time (Local) | Venue | |||||||
| New Jersey Turnpike Titans
|
22–30 | Washington D.C. Slayers
|
June 11 | Lincoln Park | ||||
| New Haven Warriors
|
36–28 | Rhode Island Rebellion
|
June 11, 3:00pm | Ken Strong Stadium | ||||
| Jacksonville Axemen
|
52–10 | Boston Thirteens
|
June 12, 9:00 am | Hodges Stadium | ||||
| Philadelphia Fight
|
104–0 | Oneida FC
|
June 11, 5:00pm | A. A. Garthwaite Stadium | ||||
Round 3
edit| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time (Local) | Venue | |||||||
| Oneida FC
|
10–54 | Jacksonville Axemen
|
June 18, 1:00pm | MIT Steinbrenner Stadium | ||||
| Washington D.C. Slayers
|
30–24 | Rhode Island Rebellion
|
June 18, 1:00pm | Duke Ellington Field | ||||
| Boston Thirteens
|
0–52 | New Haven Warriors
|
June 18, 3:00pm | MIT Steinbrenner Stadium | ||||
| Philadelphia Fight
|
30–22 | New Jersey Turnpike Titans
|
June 18, 5:00pm | A. A. Garthwaite Stadium | ||||
Round 4
edit| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time (Local) | Venue | |||||||
| Oneida FC
|
36–26 | Boston Thirteens
|
June 25, 1:00pm | MIT Steinbrenner Stadium | ||||
| Washington D.C. Slayers
|
28–16 | New Haven Warriors
|
June 25, 2:30pm | Duke Ellington Field | ||||
| Philadelphia Fight
|
14–12 | Jacksonville Axemen
|
June 25, 5:00pm | A. A. Garthwaite Stadium | ||||
| Rhode Island Rebellion
|
30–16 | New Jersey Turnpike Titans
|
June 25, 8:00pm | Classical Highschool Stadium | ||||
Round 5
edit| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time (Local) | Venue | |||||||
| New Jersey Turnpike Titans
|
6–62 | Jacksonville Axemen
|
July 9 | TBD | ||||
| Washington D.C. Slayers
|
24–13 | Philadelphia Fight
|
July 9, 2:30pm | Duke Ellington Field | ||||
| New Haven Warriors
|
60–12 | Oneida FC
|
July 9, 3:00pm | Ken Strong Stadium | ||||
| Rhode Island Rebellion
|
48–0 | Boston Thirteens
|
July 9, 8:00pm | Classical Highschool Stadium | ||||
Round 6
edit| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time (Local) | Venue | |||||||
| New Jersey Turnpike Titans
|
16–62 | Washington D.C. Slayers
|
July 16 | New Jersey 7's Tournament | ||||
| Boston Thirteens
|
32–22 | Oneida FC
|
July 16, 1:00pm | MIT Steinbrenner Stadium | ||||
| New Haven Warriors
|
22–28 | Philadelphia Fight
|
July 16, 3:00pm | Ken Strong Stadium | ||||
| Jacksonville Axemen
|
30–4 | Rhode Island Rebellion
|
July 16, 5:00pm | Hodges Stadium | ||||
Round 7
edit| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time (Local) | Venue | |||||||
| Boston Thirteens
|
32–18 | Oneida FC
|
July 23, 1:00pm | MIT Steinbrenner Stadium | ||||
| Washington D.C. Slayers
|
16–36 | Jacksonville Axemen
|
July 23, 2:30pm | Duke Ellington Field | ||||
| Philadelphia Fight
|
84–4 | New Jersey Turnpike Titans
|
July 23, 5:00pm | A. A. Garthwaite Stadium | ||||
| Rhode Island Rebellion
|
18–32 | New Haven Warriors
|
July 23, 8:00pm | Classical Highschool Stadium | ||||
Round 8
edit| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time (Local) | Venue | |||||||
| Oneida FC
|
8–46 | Rhode Island Rebellion
|
July 30, 1:00pm | MIT Steinbrenner Stadium | ||||
| New Haven Warriors
|
68–10 | New Jersey Turnpike Titans
|
July 30, 3:00pm | Ken Strong Stadium | ||||
| Boston Thirteens
|
8–58 | Washington D.C. Slayers
|
July 30, 3:00pm | MIT Steinbrenner Stadium | ||||
| Jacksonville Axemen
|
40–16 | Philadelphia Fight
|
July 30, 5:00pm | Hodges Stadium | ||||
Playoffs
editThe playoffs consist of a two-round single-elimination tournament in August. The season's top four teams competed in a semi-final round, with the two winners going on to the Championship Final. In the first round on August 13, the first-place Jacksonville Axemen hosted fourth-place New Haven Warriors at Hodges Stadium, and the second-place Washington D.C. Slayers hosted the third-place Philadelphia Fight at Duke Ellington Field. The games were won by New Haven and Philadelphia, who went on to the inaugural Grand Final on August 27.[7] Philadelphia defeated New Haven 28–26, winning their first ever national championship.[1]
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time (Local) | Venue | Referee | Crowd | |||||
| SEMI-FINALS | ||||||||
| Jacksonville Axemen
|
4–13 | New Haven Warriors
|
August 13, 2011[8] | Hodges Stadium | ||||
| Washington D.C. Slayers
|
18–32 | Philadelphia Fight
|
August 13, 2011[9] | Duke Ellington Field | ||||
| CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL | ||||||||
| Philadelphia Fight
|
28–26 | New Haven Warriors
|
August 28, 2011 | A. A. Garthwaite Stadium | ||||
References
edit- ^ a b Daniel Andruczyk (August 28, 2011). "It's Hard to Keep a Game of Rugby League Down". rugbyleagueinternationalscores.com. Retrieved August 30, 2011.
- ^ "USARL Announce Board of Directors, 2011 Schedule, Website". fightrugby.com. February 17, 2011. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
- ^ "USARL | USA Rugby League | American Rugby League « Uncategorized « Draw for this Weekends 9′s Announced". Archived from the original on May 29, 2011. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
- ^ "USARL | USA Rugby League | American Rugby League « Uncategorized « 9's scores big as the USARL season officially begins". Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "USARL Constitution, Teams, Entry Qualifications Announced" (PDF). usarugbyleague.com. USA Rugby League. February 17, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 1, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
- ^ "Axemen slice through Philly for 1st". usarugbyleague.com. USA Rugby League. August 1, 2011. Archived from the original on October 17, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
- ^ "Warriors fight to the finish!". usarugbyleague.com. USA Rugby League. August 14, 2011. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
- ^ "USARL | USA Rugby League | American Rugby League « Uncategorized « Warriors fight to the finish!". Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
- ^ "USARL | USA Rugby League | American Rugby League « Uncategorized « Fight into Championship Final". Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2011.