The 2013 USARL season was the third season of the USA Rugby League (USARL). The 2013 season kicked off on Saturday, June 1, and ended with the Championship Final on Saturday, August 24, in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Fight won a double, capturing their second USARL major premiership and their first USARL minor premiership.

2013 USA Rugby League
Teams6
Premiers Philadelphia Fight (2nd title)
Minor premiers Philadelphia Fight (1st title)
Matches played27

Teams

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The USARL had planned to split 8 teams into 2 conferences to reduce travel costs. However, Oneida FC and the New Haven Warriors folded shortly before the beginning of the season, leaving the league with just 6 teams. Given the reduced number of teams, the USARL decided to retain the single table structure.

Colors Club City State Stadium Foundation Joined
  Baltimore Blues Baltimore   Maryland N/A 2012 2012
  Boston Thirteens Boston   Massachusetts Steinbrenner Stadium 2009 2011
  Jacksonville Axemen Jacksonville   Florida Hodges Stadium 2006 2011
  Philadelphia Fight Conshohocken   Pennsylvania A. A. Garthwaite Stadium 1998 2011
  Rhode Island Rebellion Providence   Rhode Island Classical High School 2011 2011
  Washington DC Slayers Washington   Washington Duke Ellington Field 2003 2011

Regular season

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Teams qualified for the playoffs based on points, with a win counting for 2 points, a draw for 1, and a loss for 0. There were no bonus points for tries or close losses. Tiebreaker order was (1) head-to-head points, (2) head-to-head aggregate score, and (3) overall point differential.

2013 USARL season
# Team Pld W D L PF PA PD Pts
1   Philadelphia Fight 8 7 0 1 402 152 250 14
2   Jacksonville Axemen 8 7 0 1 412 136 276 14
3   Rhode Island Rebellion 8 4 0 4 366 310 56 8
4   Washington D.C. Slayers 8 3 0 5 349 212 137 6
5   Boston Thirteens 8 3 0 5 252 390 -138 6
6   Baltimore Blues 8 0 0 8 44 625 -581 0

Source: USARL website.[1]

The Fight outscored the Axemen 60–58 in aggregate over their two matches, giving the Fight the minor premiership. The Slayers qualified for fourth place over the Thirteens on point differential.

Playoffs

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The playoffs consisted of a two-round single-elimination tournament. The four teams with the most points competed in a semi-final round, with the two winners going on to the Championship Final. In the semi-final round, the first-place team hosted the fourth-place, and the second-place team hosted the third-place.

Home Score Away Match Information
Date Venue
SEMI-FINALS[2]
  Jacksonville Axemen 44 - 12   Rhode Island Rebellion August 10, 2013 Hodges Stadium, Jacksonville
  Philadelphia Fight 52 - 6   Washington DC Slayers August 10, 2013 A. A. Garthwaite Stadium, Conshohocken
CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
  Philadelphia Fight 28 - 22   Jacksonville Axemen August 24, 2013 A. A. Garthwaite Stadium, Conshohocken

References

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  1. ^ "USARL | USA Rugby League | American Rugby League « Results". Archived from the original on August 22, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
  2. ^ "FIGHT defeat SLAYERS 52-6 & AXEMEN... - USA Rugby League | Facebook". facebook.com. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
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