The road to the 2024 RRRC Championship may end in Houston, but it begins this weekend as our Men’s Division 3 teams battle it out to qualify for the semifinals on April 20th, then the final on April 21st.
The RRRC Men’s Division 3 is the largest division, with 18 teams playing across four subdivisions. Each subdivision plays home/away within their region with the top two in each subdivision advancing into the postseason. These eight teams are ranked by wACP (weighted average competition points) and then by APD (average points differential). The new rankings are then organized into 1v8, 2v7, 3v6, and 4v5. Should the new ranking pit regular season subdivisional competitors against each other, they are swapped out so that we get to see new teams go head to head, and really get the best of the TRU.
Now with that all on the table, check out our final match-ups below.
Austin Blacks (1) vs OKC Tribe (7)
The Austin Blacks are back on top for another season and looking to add another trophy to their already pretty full case. I’ll keep the fanfare to a minimum as I’m pretty sure everyone knows that Austin is THE D3 side in the nation. They are 6-0 in the regular season, with their closest match being their opener at the Dallas Harlequins, which they only won by 16 points. Their only weakness is that they have yet to be put under pressure this season, something that OKC could have in their toolbox entering the weekend.
OKC are the second seed out of the D3 North, where they have a 4-2 record, one loss to the divisional leader Little Rock, and a two-point loss to the OKC Crusaders. They enter this quarterfinal on a high, after smashing Little Rock 52-10 the last weekend of the regular season. This match is their chance to avenge their D3 Championship loss last year, and finally get a sniff of the postseason glory they have been working for.
San Antonio (2) vs Dallas Harlequins (8)
Our next quarterfinal has two teams fighting for the opportunity to represent D3 at the RRRC Championship weekend for the first time since 2014. San Antonio is 7-0-1 on top of a very competitive D3 Central division. They drew with Corpus Christi their last weekend out, but outside of that they have been excellent. With an astonishing differential of 244, their closest matches have both been against cross-town rival Alamo City. With both D2 and D3 sides hosting playoff games on the same day, San Antonio is going to be rocking come Saturday, and it will be difficult to win on the road playing against that crowd.
Facing that challenge is the second ranked team from the D1-C subdivision, the Dallas Harlequins. The Harlequins suffer with the whole “in the same subdivision as the Austin Blacks” thing, preventing us the ability to really see them shine. They superbly handled the rest of the competition in D1-C, with double-digit wins over the Austin Huns and the Dallas RFC, and now is their chance to break free from the confines of the Blacks and show their true dominance. With their first trip to the D3 Championship in over 10 years on the line, expect Dallas to take this opportunity in both hands.
Shreveport (3) vs Fort Hood Old Skool (6)
I’m calling it now, this match is going to be a spicy one. Last year both of these sides put on a show during the quarterfinals and now to see them go head to head is a treat. Shreveport are the host team after narrowly securing first place over divisional rivals the Houston Arrows. Shreveport split the winnings with the Arrows, but thanks to bonus points, Shreveport came out on top. After getting eliminated in this round the last two years, Shreveport is back and ready for business. I would not want to be standing between them and the semifinals.
On the other side of this match-up is the bold and brave out of Fort Hood, TX. Fort Hood are 6-2 from regular season with losses only to San Antonio. Old Skool rugby has made it to the semifinals the last two seasons and ended their journey there. With hopes of making it to the big dance, they must first get through Shreveport. Only one will make it through to Houston and the RRRC Championships.
Little Rock (4) vs Houston Arrows (5)
Our final D3 quarterfinal pits the top of the North against the very close second in the South. Little Rock Men return triumphantly to the quarterfinals for the first time in over four years and this time as a host team. They finished 5-1 with one loss to OKC Tribe the last weekend of play. It was a pretty significant loss, but since they had first place locked down, we can only hope that it was a planned move instead of a blunder. Little Rock are no strangers to the RRRC Championships, and let’s hope they can channel the energy they’ve brought in years past, and lift another trophy.
Traveling to Arkansas are the Houston Arrows, the second seed of the South subdivision. The Arrows are also 5-1, their only loss a six point fall to Shreveport. The Arrows haven’t missed a RRRC Championship tournament since their first visit two years ago and they aren’t looking to stop now. They have losses to avenge against the Austin Blacks and getting through Little Rock is just step 1. Don’t expect a long drive to dampen their spirits, they will be bringing their A-game to Little Rock.
