RRRC Championship weekend is finally here! While many clubs are knocking the mud off their boots and giving out end of the year awards, these clubs are training in the heat and humidity as the stakes get higher. We have eight total matches over the weekend, five on Saturday and three on Sunday.
Come Sunday, three champions will be crowned, and you will want to be there. Can’t make it to Houston? Catch all the action LIVE on the TRU Youtube, and follow along on the website. To get ready for the weekend, check out our preview below.
Women's Division 2
Dallas Harlequins (2) vs sHARCs (3)
Make sure you get to the pitch early come Saturday because this first match is going to be spicy. The Dallas Harlequins are coming off a 5-1 regular season, their only loss being a one-point drop to top of the table Little Rock. It’s good to see Dallas back in winning ways after a few tough years in the Division 1 competition, they have regrouped and established a solid side under a good coaching team. The Harlequins have scored an average of 43.5 points per match, making them one of the deadliest teams entering the playoff rounds. Having lost the championship game last year by only a converted try, the Harlequins will do whatever it takes to claim the crown, and whoever stands in their way is in the danger zone.
Back for their second run at the postseason are the hometown team, the sHARCs. This club is familiar to the playoffs, with their D1 side making it to the National semifinals last year. However the D2 side will strive to take it one step further than they did last year by making it past the semis and into the RRRC Women’s D2 Championship. They have a big challenge at hand facing the Harlequins, who bested them 48-5 in the regular season. However that match was played in early December, and plenty has changed since then. sHARCs won four of their next five matches, only dropping to the top seed Little Rock. They are primed to turn the tables on Dallas and hopefully make it to their first hometown final.
Little Rock (1) vs San Antonio (4)
Defending champions Little Rock return as the number 1 seed entering playoffs after an undefeated season, and they’re looking to have a smooth repeat of last year. This year, Little Rock threw up some massive numbers over fellow D2 competitors winning games by margins of 70 and more. Now that’s not to say that they steamrolled over everyone, sHARCs came within a few scores when they hosted; and no one can forget the nail biting 13-12 win over the Dallas Harlequins in February. However Little Rock did come out on top in both of those fixtures, showing that they are the team to beat this year in the Women’s D2.
Taking on this challenge are the Riveters from San Antonio, finishing with a 3-3 record in the regular season. San Antonio haven’t missed a championship tournament since their first appearance in 2019. They won the title in 2022 with a 37-15 defeat of Little Rock, a win they are hoping to repeat come Saturday. These two sides haven’t played each other since the Women’s Division 2 semifinal last year, Little Rock coming away victorious 54-7. All signs point to Little Rock as the favorites in this match, but if anyone can pull a surprise win, it’s the Riveters.
Men's Division 3
Shreveport (3) vs Dallas Harlequins (8)
Our first Men’s D3 semifinal pits Shreveport (3) against the Dallas Harlequins (8). Shreveport hosted Fort Hood Old Skool last weekend, in a thrilling back and forth try-fest. At over 80 points scored between the two sides, that’s more than a point a minute, which is exciting no matter who you cheer for. It was the home side that had the most to cheer for though, as Shreveport confidently took the win 55-29. Sending eight different players over the try line, Shreveport proved that they are not a one-trick team. They have weapons in the pack and the back line, and will not hesitate to deploy them to get the job done. Thanks to this win in the quarterfinals, Shreveport travels to the Championships for the first time since 2017, and they don’t plan to stop here.
On the other side of this match are the Dallas Harlequins, whose surprise win over second-seeded San Antonio has put a target on their back. The Harlequins were 4-2 out of the regular season, only suffering losses to the Austin Blacks. Perhaps stifled by having to play Austin in the regular season, the Harlequins may have been underestimated entering the quarterfinal. After 20 minutes of back and forth play, the levees finally broke and the Quins were in. Five minutes later they were in again, and again. San Antonio added two of their own, but it wasn’t enough to stop the onslaught, Dallas on top 46-12 at full time. This match is going to be down to the final minute, both teams with everything to play for.
Austin Blacks (1) vs Little Rock (4)
Our second semifinal has reigning National Champions Austin Blacks (1) against Little Rock (4). Austin are currently four-time consecutive RRRC Champions for Men’s Division 3, winning titles in 2018, 2019, 2022, and 2023 along with National Championships in 2018, 2019, and 2023. They dispatched OKC Tribe in the quarterfinal 52-17, allowing the Tribe one in the first half, and two in the last 20 minutes. They enter this match in top form, having won 22 matches in a row, their last loss being that 2022 Gulf Coast Super Regional final to the Palm Beach Panthers, which was only by a converted try. So, again, Austin = good. Moving on.
The David of this David versus Goliath battle are the men from Little Rock, Arkansas who make the trip down to Houston in search of their first title since 2017 when they won the Men’s Division 2. Little Rock had the closest quarterfinal, besting the Houston Arrows 22-10. They will have an uphill battle facing the Blacks, but they do have the element of battle-toughened readiness. While the Blacks breezed through the competition, Little Rock fought tooth and nail to get where they are and they know how to buckle down when the going gets tough. Let’s hope they channel that energy for Saturday’s match.
Men's Division 4
Collin County vs HURT
The last game of the day on Saturday is a North versus South Men’s Divisional 4 Invitational match-up! Division 4 plays throughout the season and culminates in a Regional Championship. This competition played for a TRU Champion in 2018 and 2019, but fell off after COVID. Thanks to some spectacular recruitment and building efforts by these clubs, we are overjoyed to welcome back the Division 4 sides to Championship Weekend.
Representing the North are the Collin County Copperheads, who stormed on the scene this year and thrilled rugby fans in the DFW metroplex. They played their full slate of eight matches this year and remain undefeated, including close wins over established sides like Denton, Dallas RFC, and Fort Worth. They are licking their chops at the opportunity to face some new competition and prove their skill is not just confined to the Dallas area.
HURT’s second side (formerly the Henchmen, maybe still the Henchmen?) are undefeated after playing three formal matches this season. HURT’s second side formerly played in D3, but are rebuilding after COVID and it’s great to see them back in winning form this year. This is sure to be the hometown favorite as they are local and their D2 side will be playing on Sunday.
Men's Division 2
San Antonio (1) vs HURT (2)
The Men’s Division 2 played semifinals last weekend and the two winners are headed to Houston for a single winner take all match on Sunday.
First up, defending RRRC Champions San Antonio (1) hosted Dallas RFC (4) as part of a double-header. With San Antonio’s only loss of the season to Dallas earlier in December, we knew this would be a fight to the end. Bolstered by a rowdy home crowd, the boys from San Antonio led their team to a 29-15 victory, cementing their place in the D2 Final for another year. Now the question begs, can they make it a repeat and lift the trophy for a second consecutive year?
Standing smack in their way are the hometown team, HURT. HURT arguably had their biggest win of the last five years this past weekend, when they finally took down the Austin Blacks in the D2 semifinal, qualifying them for their first D2 final since 2016. With this much momentum behind them, and the fans sure to be loud at home, HURT will certainly leave it all on the field in hopes of their first RRRC title.
In terms of head to head between these two teams, since 2022 San Antonio has won two of three meetings, including the most recent match in March, 40-31. However, we gave those stats last time about HURT where they were 0-3 against the Blacks and look how that turned out. Final say is that this is one match you do not want to miss. Truly the best against the best, only one will lift the trophy.