# 2014 USARL season

The 2014 USARL season was the fourth season of the USA Rugby League competition in the United States. It began on Saturday, May 31, and concluded with the Championship Final on Saturday, August 23. The Philadelphia Fight capped their first perfect season by defeating the Jacksonville Axemen 30-18 in Championship Final, claiming their third USARL Championship.

## Teams

This season saw significant changes to the number of teams competing, as well as the structure of the competition.
In the wake of failed unification negotiations with the AMNRL in early 2014, it was announced at the USARL February 16 Annual General Meeting that the competition would be expanded by four teams: Brooklyn, Central Florida, Atlanta, and Tampa Bay. The competition would be split into two conferences (North and South) to accommodate expansion and reduce operating costs. Furthermore, the North Conference would be split into two divisions: North East and North Atlantic.
The Northern Virginia Eagles withdrew from the AMNRL and joined the USARL. They played in the new North Atlantic Division.
| North Conference |||||||
| North East Division |||||||
| Colors | Club | City | State | Stadium | Foundation | Joined |
| | Boston Thirteens | Boston | Massachusetts | MIT Steinbrenner Stadium | 2009 | 2011 |
| | Brooklyn Kings RLFC | Brooklyn | New York | Midwood Athletic Complex | 2014 | 2014 |
| | Rhode Island Rebellion | Providence | Rhode Island | Classical High School | 2011 | 2011 |
| North Atlantic Division |||||||
| Colors | Club | City | State | Stadium | Foundation | Joined |
| | Baltimore Blues | Baltimore | Maryland | N/A | 2012 | 2012 |
| | Northern Virginia Eagles | Manassas | Virginia | Grizzly Sports Complex | 2007 | 2014 |
| | Philadelphia Fight | Conshohocken | Pennsylvania | A. A. Garthwaite Stadium | 1998 | 2011 |
| | Washington DC Slayers | Washington | Washington | Duke Ellington Field | 2003 | 2011 |
| South Conference |||||||
| Colors | Club | City | State | Stadium | Foundation | Joined |
| | Atlanta Rhinos | Atlanta | Georgia | Atlanta Silverbacks Park | 2014 | 2014 |
| | Central Florida Warriors | DeLand | Florida | Spec Martin Stadium | 2014 | 2014 |
| | Jacksonville Axemen | Jacksonville | Florida | Hodges Stadium | 2006 | 2011 |
| | Tampa Mayhem | Tampa Bay | Florida | Larry Sanders Field | 2014 | 2014 |

## Regular season

The South Conference played a double round-robin schedule. The North Conference (except Baltimore) played 7 games per team. A win was worth 2 points, a draw worth 1 point, and a loss worth 0 points. There were no bonus points for number of tries or close losses.
North East Division :
| # | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Rhode Island Rebellion | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 260 | 272 | -12 | 8 |
| 2 | Boston Thirteens | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 302 | 166 | 136 | 7 |
| 3 | Brooklyn Kings RLFC | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 154 | 214 | -60 | 3 |
North Atlantic Division :
| # | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Philadelphia Fight | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 382 | 140 | 242 | 14 |
| 2 | Washington D.C. Slayers | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 328 | 162 | 166 | 12 |
| 3 | Northern Virginia Eagles | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 302 | 338 | -36 | 4 |
| 4 | Baltimore Blues | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 80 | 516 | -436 | 0 |
South Conference :
| # | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Jacksonville Axemen | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 220 | 98 | 122 | 12 |
| 2 | Central Florida Warriors | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 187 | 174 | 13 | 6 |
| 3 | Atlanta Rhinos | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 136 | 165 | -29 | 4 |
| 4 | Tampa Mayhem | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 108 | 214 | -106 | 2 |

## Playoffs

To accommodate the new conference and division structure, the USARL created a new playoff structure for 2014. In the South Conference, all four teams automatically qualified for the South Conference Playoffs. The teams with the best and worst records played each other, as did the teams with the second- and third-best records. The winners played in the South Conference Championship. In the North Conference, the teams with the first- and second-best record in each division played each other in the North Conference Playoffs. The winners played in the North Conference Championship. The winners of the Conference Championships met in the Championship Final.
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information | Match Information |
| Home | Score | Away | Date | Venue | Referee | Crowd |
| North Conference Playoffs |||||||
| Rhode Island Rebellion | 26 – 42 | Boston Thirteens | August 2 | Classical High School | | |
| Philadelphia Fight | 76 – 0 | Washington D.C. Slayers | August 2 | A. A. Garthwaite Stadium | | |
| South Conference Playoffs |||||||
| Jacksonville Axemen | 56 – 4 | Tampa Mayhem | July 26 | Hodges Stadium | | |
| Central Florida Warriors | 42 – 26 | Atlanta Rhinos | July 26 | Spec Martin Stadium | | |
| Conference Championships |||||||
| Philadelphia Fight | 52 – 26 | Boston Thirteens | August 9 | A. A. Garthwaite Stadium | | |
| Jacksonville Axemen | 40 - 12 | Central Florida Warriors | August 2 | Hodges Stadium | | |
| Championship Final |||||||
| Jacksonville Axemen | 18 – 30 | Philadelphia Fight | August 23 | Hodges Stadium | | |