2015 USARL season
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox rugby league season
| year = 2015
|previous = 2014
| next = 2016
| competition = USA Rugby League
| image =
| imagesize = 125px
| caption = USARL logo
| teams = 14
| premiers = {{leagueicon|Ipswich|16}} Boston Thirteens
| count = 1st
| minor premiers ={{leagueicon|Philadelphia|16}} Philadelphia Fight (3rd title)
| mpcount =
| matches =
| points =
| attendance =
| top point scorer =
| top try scorer =
| prevseason_link = 2014 USARL season
| prevseason_year = 2014
| nextseason_link = 2016 USARL season
| nextseason_year = 2016
}}
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.
| class="wikitable" style="width: 99%" |
| bgcolor=darkblue align="center" colspan="7"|North Conference |
| bgcolor=lightblue align="center" colspan="7"|Northeast Division |
| style="background:white; width:8%" | Colors
!style="background:white; width:25%" | Club !style="background:white; width:15%" | City !style="background:white; width:15%" | State !style="background:white; width:21%" | Stadium !style="background:white; width:8%" | Foundation !style="background:white; width:8%" | Joined |
|---|
| {{center|{{leagueicon|Ipswich|16}}}}
|{{flagcountry|Massachusetts}} |MIT Steinbrenner Stadium |2009 |2011 |
| {{center|{{leagueicon|North Queensland|16}}}}
|{{flagcountry|New York}} |2014 |2014 |
| {{center|{{leagueicon|Connecticut Wildcats|16}}}}
|{{flagcountry|Connecticut}} |Cardinal Stadium |2003 |2015 |
| {{center|{{leagueicon|New York Knights|16}}}}
|{{flagcountry|New York}} |The Castle Pier 40 |2001 |2015 |
| {{center|16px}}
|{{flagcountry|Rhode Island}} |2011 |2011 |
| bgcolor=lightblue align="center" colspan="7"|Mid-Atlantic Division |
| style="background:white; width:8%" | Colors
!style="background:white; width:25%" | Club !style="background:white; width:15%" | City !style="background:white; width:15%" | State !style="background:white; width:21%" | Stadium !style="background:white; width:8%" | Foundation !style="background:white; width:8%" | Joined |
| {{center|{{leagueicon|Bucks County Sharks|16}}}}
|{{flagcountry|Pennsylvania}} |Falls Township Community Park |1998 |2015 |
| {{center|{{leagueicon|St. George|16}} }}
|{{flagcountry|District of Columbia}} |Duke Ellington Field |2003 |2011 |
| {{center|{{leagueicon|Balmain|16}}}}
|Delaware Black Foxes |{{flagcountry|Delaware}} |Eden Park Stadium |2015 |2015 |
| {{center|{{leagueicon|Fairfax Eagles|16}}}}
|{{flagcountry|Virginia}} |Grizzly Sports Complex |2007 |2014 |
| {{center|{{leagueicon|Philadelphia|16}}}}
|{{flagcountry|Pennsylvania}} |A. A. Garthwaite Stadium |1998 |2011 |
| class="wikitable" style="width: 99%" |
| bgcolor=darkred align="center" colspan="7"|South Conference |
| style="background:white; width:8%" | Colors
!style="background:white; width:25%" | Club !style="background:white; width:15%" | City !style="background:white; width:15%" | State !style="background:white; width:21%" | Stadium !style="background:white; width:8%" | Foundation !style="background:white; width:8%" | Joined |
|---|
| {{center|{{leagueicon|Leeds|16}}}}
|{{flagcountry|Georgia (U.S. state)}} |2014 |2014 |
| {{center|{{leagueicon|Wests Panthers|16}}}}
|{{flagcountry|Florida}} |2014 |2014 |
| {{center|{{leagueicon|Jacksonville|16}}}}
|{{flagcountry|Florida}} |2006 |2011 |
| {{center|{{leagueicon|Central Capras|16}}}}
|{{flagcountry|Florida}} |2014 |2014 |
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.{{cite web|url=http://www.usarl.com/standings |title = USARL {{!}} USA Rugby League {{!}} American Rugby League « Results |access-date=2014-09-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130822155011/http://www.usarl.com/standings |archive-date=2013-08-22 }}
{{col-begin}}
{{col-3}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; | ||||||||
| bgcolor=lightblue align="center" colspan="10"|Northeast Division | ||||||||
| width="20" | {{Tooltip| !width="200" | Team !width="20" | {{Tooltip|Pld|Games played}} !width="20" | {{Tooltip|W|Won}} !width="20" | {{Tooltip|D|Drawn}} !width="20" | {{Tooltip|L|Lost}} !width="30" | {{Tooltip|PF|Points for (total points scored)}} !width="30" | {{Tooltip|PA|Points against (total points conceded)}} !width="30" | {{Tooltip|PD|Points difference (points scored minus points conceded)}} !width="20" | {{Tooltip|Pts|Competition points}} | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background: #ccffcc;"
|1 | style="text-align:left;"|{{leagueicon|Ipswich|16}} Boston Thirteens
|8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 430 | 112 | 318 | 14 |
| style="background: #ccffcc;"
|2 | style="text-align:left;"|16px Rhode Island Rebellion
|8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 342 | 282 | 60 | 10 |
| style="background: #ccffcc;"
|3 | style="text-align:left;"|{{leagueicon|North Queensland|16}} Brooklyn Kings RLFC
|8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 244 | 256| | ||
| 12 | 8 | |||||||
| 4 | style="text-align:left;"|{{leagueicon|New York Knights|16}} New York Knights
|8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 178 | 264| | ||
| 86 | 6 | |||||||
| 5 | style="text-align:left;"|{{leagueicon|Connecticut Wildcats|16}} Connecticut Wildcats
|8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 138 | 368| | ||
| 230 | 2 |
{{col-3}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; | ||||||||
| bgcolor=lightblue align="center" colspan="10"|Mid-Atlantic Division | ||||||||
| width="20" | {{Tooltip| !width="200" | Team !width="20" | {{Tooltip|Pld|Games played}} !width="20" | {{Tooltip|W|Won}} !width="20" | {{Tooltip|D|Drawn}} !width="20" | {{Tooltip|L|Lost}} !width="30" | {{Tooltip|PF|Points for (total points scored)}} !width="30" | {{Tooltip|PA|Points against (total points conceded)}} !width="30" | {{Tooltip|PD|Points difference (points scored minus points conceded)}} !width="20" | {{Tooltip|Pts|Competition points}} | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background: #ccffcc;"
|1 | style="text-align:left;"|{{leagueicon|Philadelphia|16}} Philadelphia Fight
|8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 448 | 124 | 324 | 16 |
| style="background: #ccffcc;"
|2 | style="text-align:left;"|{{leagueicon|Manly|16}} Northern Virginia Eagles
|8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 430 | 232 | 198 | 12 |
| style="background: #ccffcc;"
|3 | style="text-align:left;"|{{leagueicon|St. George|16}} D.C. Slayers
|8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 320 | 302 | 18 | 6 |
| 4 | style="text-align:left;"|{{leagueicon|Bucks County Sharks|16}} Bucks County Sharks
|8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 128 | 435| | ||
| 307 | 4 | |||||||
| 5 | style="text-align:left;"|{{leagueicon|Balmain|16}} Delaware Black Foxes
|8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 199 | 482| | ||
| 321 | 2 |
{{col-3}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; | ||||||||
| bgcolor=darkred align="center" colspan="10"|South Conference | ||||||||
| width="20" | {{Tooltip| !width="200" | Team !width="20" | {{Tooltip|Pld|Games played}} !width="20" | {{Tooltip|W|Won}} !width="20" | {{Tooltip|D|Drawn}} !width="20" | {{Tooltip|L|Lost}} !width="30" | {{Tooltip|PF|Points for (total points scored)}} !width="30" | {{Tooltip|PA|Points against (total points conceded)}} !width="30" | {{Tooltip|PD|Points difference (points scored minus points conceded)}} !width="20" | {{Tooltip|Pts|Competition points}} | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background: #ccffcc;"
|1 | style="text-align:left;"|{{leagueicon|Leeds|16}} Atlanta Rhinos
|6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 196 | 184 | 12 | 8 |
| style="background: #ccffcc;"
|2 | style="text-align:left;"|{{leagueicon|Wests Panthers|16}} Central Florida Warriors
|6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 188 | 164 | 24 | 6 |
| style="background: #ccffcc;"
|3 | style="text-align:left;"|{{leagueicon|Jacksonville|16}} Jacksonville Axemen
|6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 132 | 174| | ||
| 42 | 6 | |||||||
| style="background: #ccffcc;"
|4 | style="text-align:left;"|{{leagueicon|Central Capras|16}} Tampa Mayhem
|6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 172 | 166 | 6 | 4 |
{{col-end}}
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.
| border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse:collapse; font-size:90%; text-align:center; width:100%;" |
| style="background:#c1d8ff;"
! rowspan="2" style="width:21%;"|Home ! rowspan="2" style="width:6%;"|Score ! rowspan="2" style="width:21%;"|Away !colspan=6|Match Information |
| style="background:#efefef;"
!width=17%|Date !width=17%|Venue !width=11%|Referee !width=7%|Crowd |
| style="background:#d0e7ff;"
| colspan=7 | North Conference Divisional Semi-Finals |
| style="text-align:left; background:#f5faff;"
| 16px Rhode Island Rebellion | 54 - 34 | {{leagueicon|North Queensland|16}} Brooklyn Kings | August 1 | | | |
| style="text-align:left; background:#f5faff;"
| {{leagueicon|Manly|16}} Northern Virginia Eagles | 76 - 36 | {{leagueicon|St. George|16}} D.C. Slayers | August 1 | | | |
| style="background:#d0e7ff;"
| colspan=7 | North Conference Divisional Finals |
| style="text-align:left; background:#f5faff;"
| {{leagueicon|Ipswich|16}} Boston Thirteens | 80 - 4 | 16px Rhode Island Rebellion | August 8 | | | |
| style="text-align:left; background:#f5faff;"
| {{leagueicon|Philadelphia|16}} Philadelphia Fight | 60 - 12 | {{leagueicon|Manly|16}} Northern Virginia Eagles | August 8 | | | |
| style="background:#d0e7ff;"
| colspan=7 | South Conference Semi-Finals |
| style="text-align:left; background:#f5faff;"
| {{leagueicon|Leeds|16}} Atlanta Rhinos | 32 - 26 | {{leagueicon|Central Capras|16}} Tampa Mayhem | July 25 | | | |
| style="text-align:left; background:#f5faff;"
| {{leagueicon|Wests Panthers|16}} Central Florida Warriors | 44 - 14 | {{leagueicon|Jacksonville|16}} Jacksonville Axemen | August 1 | | | |
| style="background:#d0e7ff;"
| colspan=7 | Conference Finals |
| style="text-align:left; background:#f5faff;"
| {{leagueicon|Philadelphia|16}} Philadelphia Fight | 12 - 20 | {{leagueicon|Ipswich|16}} Boston Thirteens | August 15 | | | |
| style="text-align:left; background:#f5faff;"
| {{leagueicon|Leeds|16}} Atlanta Rhinos | 32 - 28 | {{leagueicon|Wests Panthers|16}} Central Florida Warriors | August 15 | | | |
| style="background:#d0e7ff;"
| colspan=7 | Championship Final |
| style="text-align:left; background:#f5faff;"
| {{leagueicon|Ipswich|16}} Boston Thirteens | 44 - 12 | {{leagueicon|Leeds|16}} Atlanta Rhinos | August 29 | | | |
References
{{reflist}}
{{Rugby League in the USA}}
{{2015 in Rugby League}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:2015 USARL Season}}