# 2015 USARL season

The 2015 USA Rugby League season was the fifth season of the USA Rugby League National Premiership competition, and its first as the undisputed top-level rugby league competition in the United States. Fourteen teams competed for the USARL Championship. The season began on Saturday, May 30, and concluded with the Championship Final on Saturday, August 29, in Jacksonville, Florida. The Boston Thirteens won their first USARL Championship, defeating the Atlanta Rhinos 44-12.

## Teams

In the wake of the folding of the AMNRL, the USARL was left as the undisputed top-level rugby league competition in the United States. Three teams joined the USARL from the AMNRL: Bucks County Sharks, Connecticut Wildcats, and New York Knights. The Delaware Black Foxes joined as an expansion squad. After several unsuccessful seasons, the Baltimore Blues left the competition.
| North Conference |||||||
| Northeast 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 |
| | Connecticut Wildcats | Greenwich | Connecticut | Cardinal Stadium | 2003 | 2015 |
| | New York Knights | New York City | New York | The Castle Pier 40 | 2001 | 2015 |
| | Rhode Island Rebellion | Providence | Rhode Island | Classical High School | 2011 | 2011 |
| Mid-Atlantic Division |||||||
| Colors | Club | City | State | Stadium | Foundation | Joined |
| | Bucks County Sharks | Levittown | Pennsylvania | Falls Township Community Park | 1998 | 2015 |
| | D.C. Slayers | Washington | Washington | Duke Ellington Field | 2003 | 2011 |
| | Delaware Black Foxes | Wilmington | Delaware | Eden Park Stadium | 2015 | 2015 |
| | Northern Virginia Eagles | Manassas | Virginia | Grizzly Sports Complex | 2007 | 2014 |
| | Philadelphia Fight | Conshohocken | Pennsylvania | A. A. Garthwaite Stadium | 1998 | 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

Teams in the South Conference played 6 games on a double round-robin schedule. Teams in the North Conference played 8 games, primarily within their own division. 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.
Northeast Division :
| # | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Boston Thirteens | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 430 | 112 | 318 | 14 |
| 2 | Rhode Island Rebellion | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 342 | 282 | 60 | 10 |
| 3 | Brooklyn Kings RLFC | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 244 | 256 | -12 | 8 |
| 4 | New York Knights | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 178 | 264 | -86 | 6 |
| 5 | Connecticut Wildcats | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 138 | 368 | -230 | 2 |
Mid-Atlantic Division :
| # | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Philadelphia Fight | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 448 | 124 | 324 | 16 |
| 2 | Northern Virginia Eagles | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 430 | 232 | 198 | 12 |
| 3 | D.C. Slayers | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 320 | 302 | 18 | 6 |
| 4 | Bucks County Sharks | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 128 | 435 | -307 | 4 |
| 5 | Delaware Black Foxes | 8 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 199 | 482 | -321 | 2 |
South Conference :
| # | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts |
| 1 | Atlanta Rhinos | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 196 | 184 | 12 | 8 |
| 2 | Central Florida Warriors | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 188 | 164 | 24 | 6 |
| 3 | Jacksonville Axemen | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 132 | 174 | -42 | 6 |
| 4 | Tampa Mayhem | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 172 | 166 | 6 | 4 |
Final regular-season standings.

## Playoffs

For 2015, the USARL further extended the division and conference playoff structure introduced in 2014. In the South Conference, the teams with the best and worst records, and the second- and third-best records, played each other in the South Conference Semi-Finals. The winners met in the South Conference Final. In the North Conference, the teams with the second- and third-best records in each division played each other in the North Conference Division Semi-Finals. The winners played the teams with the best records in their respective divisions in the North Conference Divisional Finals. The winners of the Divisional Finals played in the North Conference Final. The winners of the Conference Finals 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 Divisional Semi-Finals |||||||
| Rhode Island Rebellion | 54 - 34 | Brooklyn Kings | August 1 | | | |
| Northern Virginia Eagles | 76 - 36 | D.C. Slayers | August 1 | | | |
| North Conference Divisional Finals |||||||
| Boston Thirteens | 80 - 4 | Rhode Island Rebellion | August 8 | | | |
| Philadelphia Fight | 60 - 12 | Northern Virginia Eagles | August 8 | | | |
| South Conference Semi-Finals |||||||
| Atlanta Rhinos | 32 - 26 | Tampa Mayhem | July 25 | | | |
| Central Florida Warriors | 44 - 14 | Jacksonville Axemen | August 1 | | | |
| Conference Finals |||||||
| Philadelphia Fight | 12 - 20 | Boston Thirteens | August 15 | | | |
| Atlanta Rhinos | 32 - 28 | Central Florida Warriors | August 15 | | | |
| Championship Final |||||||
| Boston Thirteens | 44 - 12 | Atlanta Rhinos | August 29 | | | |