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, 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. They played in the new North Atlantic Division.
North ConferenceNorth East Division Colors Club City State Stadium Foundation JoinedBoston ThirteensBostonMIT Steinbrenner Stadium20092011Brooklyn Kings RLFCBrooklynMidwood Athletic Complex20142014Rhode Island RebellionProvidenceClassical High School20112011North Atlantic Division Colors Club City State Stadium Foundation JoinedBaltimore BluesBaltimoreN/A20122012Northern Virginia EaglesManassasGrizzly Sports Complex20072014Philadelphia FightConshohockenA. A. Garthwaite Stadium19982011Washington DC SlayersWashingtonDuke Ellington Field20032011
South Conference Colors Club City State Stadium Foundation JoinedAtlanta RhinosAtlantaAtlanta Silverbacks Park20142014Central Florida WarriorsDeLandSpec Martin Stadium20142014Jacksonville AxemenJacksonvilleHodges Stadium20062011Tampa MayhemTampa BayLarry Sanders Field20142014
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.
North East Division Team 1 Rhode Island Rebellion7322260272-1282 Boston Thirteens731330216613673 Brooklyn Kings RLFC7115154214-603
North Atlantic Division Team 1 Philadelphia Fight7700382140242142 Washington D.C. Slayers7601328162166123 Northern Virginia Eagles7205302338-3644 Baltimore Blues600680516-4360
South Conference Team 1 Jacksonville Axemen660022098122122 Central Florida Warriors63031871741363 Atlanta Rhinos6204136165-2944 Tampa Mayhem6105108214-1062
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.
HomeScoreAwayMatch InformationDateVenueRefereeCrowd 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
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