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,[1] 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.[2] They played in the new North Atlantic Division.
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.[3]
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.
| Home |
Score |
Away |
Match Information |
| Date |
Venue |
Referee |
Crowd |
| 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 |
File:Rhinoscolours.svg 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 |
|
|
References
|
|
| Federation |
|
| National teams |
|
| International competitions |
|
| Representative teams |
- New England Immortals
- USARL Pioneers
- Presidents Barbarians
- North Conference All-Stars
- South Conference All-Stars
|
| National competitions |
|
| Regional competitions |
|
| Unsanctioned competition |
|
| National Level Domestic Teams |
|
| Domestic seasons |
|
Philadelphia Fight (3rd title)
Massachusetts
New York
Rhode Island
Maryland
Virginia
Pennsylvania
Washington, D.C.
Georgia
Florida
