- This article is about the U.S. Rugby 15 Championship, held until 2012. For the European Rugby League tournament, see the Super League (Rugby League) article. For the current US Championship, see the PRO Rugby League article.
Rugby Super League or simply Super League ( English Rugby Super League ) - the top division of the US national rugby championship until 2012 [1] The Super League has been held annually since 1997. The tournament was created with the support of 14 of the 16 largest rugby organizations in the United States. In 2007 and 2008 18 clubs fought for the title of the strongest team. By the 2011 season, only 11 applicants remained, divided into two conferences - Red and Blue. Now, despite the fact that only 9 teams take part in the draw, the division of conferences has been preserved.
Super League (US Rugby Championship) Rugby super league2013 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Kind of rugby | Rugby 15 | ||
| Base | 1997 | ||
| Number of participants | 9 | ||
| Last winner | New York (4th title) | ||
| Winner | Belmont Shore New York (4 titles each) | ||
| Web site | Premier-Rugby.com | ||
Content
History
Super League was created with the aim of expanding the circle of competitive teams in the country. In 1997, the debut championship was held. 14 clubs divided into two divisions (West-Pacific and Central-East) fought for the victory.
The following clubs took part in the first season:
- Belmont Shore
- "Washington"
- Golden Gate
- Dallas Harlequins
- Denver Barberians
- Gentleman of Aspen
- Kansas City Blues
- Life
- Old Blue
- Old Blues
- Old Puget Sound Beach
- Old Mission Athletic Club (OMBAK)
- "Potomac Athletic"
- Chicago Lions
The first champion was Aspen, who outplayed Old Blue in the final match (29–9, New York).
In the next draw, the number of participants increased: Boston and Philadelphia Whitemash joined the league. Both clubs joined the Eastern Conference, while Dallas was transferred to the Western Conference. In 2001, having separated from the First Division, the tournament was recognized as the leading rugby match in the country. A year later, the Super League was again expanded. The status of participants received the New York Athletic Club and Hayward, which went through the merger with Old Blues.
In 2002, the Super League format underwent significant changes. The division of teams at the conference on a geographical basis was abolished, and for several seasons (until 2005) there was no differentiation. The winner of the tenth season of the Super League in 2006 was OMBAK, having outplayed Belmont Shore in the final match (36-33). By the 2007 season, the number of teams had increased to 18. The invitation to participate was accepted by the Santa Monica and Boston Irish Wolfhounds clubs. [2] Chicago Griffins took a vacant position after the Kansas City Blues were demoted.
In 2008, ESPN Classic hosted a live broadcast of the final match between Belmont Shore and New York. In a tough match rugby players from the Big Apple turned out to be stronger (31-28). In 2009, another change in the composition of participants took place, but this time their number decreased to 16. Philadelphia, Washington, and St. Louis left the league, while Life returned after a six-year hiatus.
The financial crisis of the late 2000s. forced one of the best teams in the Belmont Shore League to stop playing at the highest level. This was followed by a similar action by Santa Monica. Since the number of teams in conferences is not the same, Dallas was transferred to Red (thus, 14 teams began to fight for the champion title). In August 2010, Boston filed a petition for transfer to the minor league. In the fall of 2011, the Potomac was replaced by the Utah Warriors club from Salt Lake City . Before the 2012 season, the Chicago Lions and Utah Warriors left the league. [3]
Competition Format
Results
By season
| Year | Location | Final [4] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | Score | Second place | ||
| 1997 | San Francisco California | Gentleman of Aspen | 29 - 9 | Old Blue |
| 1998 | Boston, Massachusetts | Belmont Shore | 28 - 10 | Old Blue |
| 1999 | Denver, Colorado | Denver Barbarians | 22 - 18 | Belmont Shore |
| 2000 | San Diego California | Life | 43 - 21 | Gentleman of Aspen |
| 2001 | Rockford, Illinois | Gentleman of Aspen | 56 - 21 | OMBAK |
| 2002 | Aspen, Cororado | Gentleman of Aspen | 34 - 23 | Belmont Shore |
| 2003 | San Francisco California | Belmont Shore | 23 - 15 | OMBAK |
| 2004 | Newport, Rhode Island | Belmont Shore | 24 - 21 | Golden Gate |
| 2005 | Rentschler Field East Hartford, Connecticut | New York Athletic Club | 23 - 19 | Belmont Shore |
| 2006 | Buck Show Stadium Santa Clara California | OMBAK | 36 - 33 | Belmont Shore |
| 2007 | The Little Kew Rugby Field Santa Diego California | Belmont Shore | 27 - 21 | Chicago Lions |
| 2008 | Infinity Park Glendale, Colorado | New York Athletic Club | 31 - 28 (OT) | Belmont Shore |
| 2009 | Infinity Park Glendale, Colorado | Golden Gate | 23 - 13 | Life |
| 2010 | Rocca Field San Francisco California | New York Athletic Club | 28 - 25 | Golden Gate |
| 2011 [5] | International Sports Complex Marietta, Georgia | Golden Gate | 20 - 15 | Life |
| 2012 | Magnuson Park Seattle washington | New York Athletic Club | 32 - 29 | Old Puget Sound Beach |
By Club
| Team | Champion | Finalist | Victory Years | Years in the finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont Shore | four | five | 1998, 2003, 2004, 2007 | 1999, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008 |
| New York Athletic Club | four | 0 | 2005, 2008, 2010,2012 | |
| Gentleman of Aspen | 3 | one | 1997, 2001, 2002 | 2000 |
| Golden Gate | 2 | 2 | 2009, 2011 | 2004, 2010 |
| Life | one | 2 | 2000 | 2009, 2011 |
| OMBAK | one | 2 | 2006 | 2001, 2003 |
| Denver Barberians | one | 0 | 1999 | |
| "Olga Blue" | 0 | 2 | 1997, 1998 | |
| Chicago Lions | 0 | one | 2007 | |
| Old Puget Sound Beach | 0 | one | 2012 |
Notes
- ↑ About Rugby Super League . usarugbysuperleague.com . Date of treatment August 31, 2006. Archived December 16, 2003.
- ↑ Boston Irish Wolfhounds To Join USA Rugby Super League . rugby-rugby.com . Date of treatment August 31, 2006. Archived on October 7, 2012.
- ↑ Utah Warriors dropped from Rugby Super League | The mort report
- ↑ USA Rugby SuperLeague - Overview . usarugbysuperleague.com . Date of treatment August 31, 2008. Archived December 16, 2003.
- ↑ SFGG Holds On for Super League Title