USA Club Rugby

Men’s Club Semi Finals squared away in DI, II, and III

Pittsburgh, Penn. & Chula Vista, Calif. – The Semi Finals in Men’s Club Rugby across all three divisions have been determined following two days of intense playoff action.

Sixteen teams are now slated to do battle for The Emirates Airline USA Rugby Men’s DI, II, & III Club Championships, held June 2 – 3 at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colo.

Some tantalizing matchups highlight the semis. Below is the breakdown by division.

Belmont Shore withstood a stern challenge from the Kansas City Blues, prevailing 22 – 20 to advance to the Semi’s. Always one to watch in this tournament, Belmont Shore again looked strong and will need to fire on all cylinders to top an upstart Metropolis side. Minneapolis based Metropolis advanced into the DI semis for the first time in club history with a gritty win over Mystic River.

Metropolis received a bump in youth with the addition of Teli Veamatahau, who toured South Africa last year with the USA Rugby High School All-Americans, and has now found his way into the starting line up at just 19 years of age.

The marquee matchup of the DI semis without a doubt will be Palmer v Glendale. Both teams will be making a return appearance to the tournament, and once again Glendale will have home field advantage. Palmer is no pushover, as they knocked off former Super League team Chicago Lions in the Quarter Finals to advance to Glendale.

In DII, the match of the day will be when San Diego Old Aztecs square off against Wisconsin. Both teams survived one close match against a strong opponent, and enjoyed a bit more breathing room in the other match from the past weekend. They have both toped proven opponents, and are no stranger to playoff rugby. Watch for this to possibly one of the best matches of the week.

If you look at the DIII score lines alone, the clear favorite to take home the trophy would be the South Bay Rhinos from the Long Beach area in Southern California. South Bay piled on 92 points in their opening match against Modesto, then piled on 30 more in the Quarter Final against Northern State. The Rhinos will have to get past Philadelphia-Whitmarsh to advance though. If they beat Philly, they will still be faced with stern opposition in either New Orleans or the Tucson Magpies. Both of those teams performed exceptionally well in the Quarters as well, so DIII is by no means decided.

The Emirates Airline USA Rugby Men’s Club Championship kicks off June 2 & 3 at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado and promises to be more action packed than ever.

The DI Semis & Final, along with the DII Final will be broadcast on a tape delay basis on Fox Soccer Plus. USA Rugby will also webcast the rest of the matches that are played inside the stadium at Infinity Park in Glendale at ustream.tv/usarugby.

Tickets are currently available and can be purchased HERE.

Complete scores from the Men’s Club Playoffs: