Mid-Atlantic Women’s Division III North: South Jersey Devils vs. Philadelphia Rugby D3:
This weekend a massive match is taking place in the Northern Pool of the Mid-Atlantic Women’s Division III competition; as the South Jersey Devils prepare to take on Philadelphia Rugby D3, for the top of the table. Both teams will be eager to get this win under their belts and secure the easiest path possible, for them, in their upcoming playoff series.
These two teams have been, far and away, the two strongest in their competition. For the top of the ladder Devils, they are 4-0 and have won their games by an average of 53 points. Their opposition, Philadelphia D3, have gone 3-1 and have won their games by an average of 29 points. Their one loss came against the Devils. Both teams admit they are enjoying special seasons and know they’ve come a long way. For the Devils’ head coach, Chris Kevenaar, the improvement has come from better work at the breakdown. “The difference between this year and others years is in our ability to control the ball offensively; and defensively the increase in our poaching of the ball”
Philadelphia, has seen their change stem from a more systematic and administrative stand point. They gave their D3 side its own coach, so they could develop more effectively. The new D3 head coach Bill Jabert explained, “They [Philadelphia Rugby] brought me in as a coach dedicated to the D3 side. It’s helped the players’ development a lot.”
This will be second time the two teams have crossed paths. In the first match, the Devils shut Philadelphia out 22-0. Both sides learned valuable lessons from the experience. Philadelphia learned they need to adapt their gameplan. “We know they outsize us in the forwards and they have speed on the outside,” began Jalbert. “Knowing that we need to play a more mobile game, with our forwards so we can shut it down before it gets to the outside.”
The Devils will be looking to increase their offensive output, a scary prospect. According to Kevenaar, the Devils will need to find a way to offset Philadelphia’s line speed. “We need to step up our offensive game through our backs. Philadelphia is very strong and quick off the ball.”
Both teams know the magnitude of the game ahead of them this Saturday. They know that not just the regular season title, but a higher seed in the playoffs is on the line. Despite this neither team needs any more motivation than wanting to beat the other team. Jalbert explaining his players are ready for a shot at redemption after their last outing, “They want to win this game, because they didn’t like the loss.” To help prepare for this game they have played two friendlies against tough Division II opponents in the hopes this will have them battle tested for Saturday.
The Devils want this game, as it will be good experience for their young squad to develop. “We’re definitely looking only at this weekend,” said Kevenaar. “We’ve got a young side and we need to make sure their experienced players don’t exploit us.”
The Devils will be hampered by the loss of standout player, Ivy Wiggins to an Achilles injury last weekend. Philadelphia will be looking for a spark from their versatile scrumhalf, Kate Pinker. Who despite playing 10 in the fall has slotted in seamlessly into scrumhalf. Pinker will a massive part in turning around their result from the fall.
To win on Saturday, both sides know what they have to do. Philadelphia will need to work on their defensive organization and keep their feet, to keep the ball away from the keen pilfering abilities of the Devils. Ball retention and getting the ball around the corners to the outside will be the two key elements for the Devils if they are to go two for two against Philadelphia D3.
Florida Women’s Division II: Fort Miami vs. Tampa Bay Krewe:
In a rematch from only two weekends ago, the Tampa Bay Krewe will look to make it two from two against Fort Miami and close out the regular season atop the Florida standings. The last time these two teams met, Tampa Bay needed the full 80 minutes in order to get by Fort Miami, with a try in the 74th minute giving them the winning points. However, the Krewe have been dealt a more difficult hand on this occasion. In order to secure the top of the ladder finish, they’ll need to win with a bonus point and prevent Fort Miami from securing any competition points. A tough feat to achieve away from home, but it is made even tougher when considering they have not let a team from Florida score four tries against them since March of 2018. If the Krewe are to pull off the difficult task, they’ll need a big game from their captain Ruth Black and inside center Samantha Black. These two are the motor to Tampa’s attack and they’ll need to be firing on all cylinders come Saturday if the Krewe are to land the bonus point victory.
Empire Men’s Division II Playoffs: Union County Mudturtles vs. Rochester Aardvarks:
The empire union kicks off their men’s playoffs this weekend, with the women’s playoffs beginning in April. One of the most intriguing matchups in the playoffs comes from men’s division II, where the number one Union County Mudhens take on the Rochester Aardvarks. One of the factors which makes this matchup so compelling, is nobody, based off last year’s results, would have predicted this to be a potential playoff matchup. The Mudturtles were 4-4 last year and the Aardvarks were 3-5. They have both improved remarkably over the past twelve months, the Mudturtles ran the table and are 8-0 on the season; while the Aardvarks, went 4-4 in a fiercely competitive Great Lakes competition. The Aardvarks record may not look that much better, but the product they are putting out on the field does. Look for Ryan Caufield to be the focal point of the Aardvarks’ attack. The winger has a knack for finding the line and can be a threat with his boot as well. Michael Ehrlich will be the danger man for the Mudturtles. In the six games he’s played this season, he’s contributed over 100 points to their season tally. He’ll be crucial for setting the attacking platform.
Empire Men’s Division II Playoffs: Buffalo Rugby vs. Montclair Norseman:
Buffalo Rugby has had one of the strongest years, as a club, in the country as evident by all three of their teams (two men’s and one women’s) making the 2019 playoffs. Buffalo’s D2 squad will take on the Montclair Norsemen in the Empire Union’s quarterfinals. Buffalo enjoyed tremendous success in the fall, finishing at the top of the Great Lakes table, with a 7-1 record. Their opponents this weekend, the Norsemen, also had an impressive fall, recovering from a slippery start, to go 5-3 in the New Jersey competition. Both teams demonstrate a tremendous propensity to attack; however, where this game will likely be won and loss is each team’s ability to defend. Buffalo has a, relatively, stout defense, letting in 18 points in a game. The Norsemen, on the other hand, let in 31 points a game. While letting this many points in a game will win you games in the regular season, the playoffs is another beast and both teams will need to tighten their defensive screws to advance deep into the playoffs.
Empire Men’s Division III Playoffs: Danbury Mad Hatters vs. Greenwich Rugby:
In the division III playoffs, Danbury Mad Hatters and Greenwich Rugby will faceoff for the third time this season; and for Greenwich Rugby, they’ll be hoping it’s third time’s the charm. The two sides have faced of twice this season, on both occasions the Mad Hatters have been too good for Greenwich; beating them 27-21 and 30-28 on the two occasions. Clearly these two teams are well matched for one another and both will like their chances over the weekend to advance through to the semifinals. Both teams have strong defenses; where they are separated is in their offensive firepower. Danbury has scored 415 points this season and Greenwich has scored 275. Both have the firepower to pull them through the playoffs, but with Danbury’s added explosiveness, Greenwich will have their work cut out for them trying to keep up with their pace of scoring, or trying to slow them down defensively. However, so far, this has not been an issue in their prior encounters. Garin Mooney will be the danger man for the Mad Hatters, the fullback has been unstoppable scoring 12 tries in only eight games, a large part of Greenwich’s game plan will be dedicated to slowing him down. Greenwich’s fullback, Scott Atkinson, is just as dynamic- crossing for seven tries in only five games. It should be a tight affair, with the winner likely unknown until the final ticks of the clock.
Empire Men’s Division III Playoffs: Gotham Knights vs. Rochester Colonials:
The Gotham Knights will welcome the Rochester Colonials into town this weekend for their quarterfinal matchup. Gotham tore through their competition in the fall, with the only exception being an opening round hiccup against Old Maroon Rugby. After losing their first game, the Knights reeled off seven consecutive wins. Those wins came by an average margin of 30 points. Their opposition this weekend, the Rochester Colonials, were dominant as well, going 6-2 on the season. Gotham has shown a propensity to escape against quality opposition and rise to the occasion, the Colonials have not been as resilient. They have been able to beat their lesser opponents definitively, however, have struggled when put up against teams of equal or greater caliber. This weekend will be a big test for them, to see exactly how far they’ve come since their exploits in the Fall.
