Tampa Bay Krewe tops Daytona, headed to postseason
TAMPA BAY RUGBY EXAMINER: The Tampa Bay Krewe Rugby Football Club’s (RFC)lopsided 72 to 24 home victory Saturday afternoon (March 22) against the Daytona Beach Coconuts RFC, combined with the Miami “Bumblebees” RFC win over the Miami Tridents RFC, secured a place for the Tampa Bay Krewe in the 2013-2014 Florida Rugby Union’s (FRU) Division II (D-II) Playoffs.
2013 All Florida Day Rugby Tournament. photo Brian C. Cole
FRU D-II postseason play begins on Saturday, April 5. That day, Tampa Bay (6-4), seeded fourth after Saturday’s (March 22) matches, will travel to Miami to take on the Miami RFC (9-1), the top seed, at Amelia Earhart Park, the home pitch for the Miami RFC. The Krewe is actually the only club that beat Miami in the 2013-2014 Rugby Season (34 to 23 in Tampa on March 1).
Also on April 5, the Fort Lauderdale Knights RFC (7-3), seeded third, will make a much shorter drive up to Boca Raton to take on the Boca Raton Buccaneers RFC (8-2), who secured the second seed in the FRU D-II playoffs. The winners of the Tampa v. Miami and Fort Lauderdale v. Boca Raton matches will meet on April 12 to play for the FRU D-II Championship.
Wrap up of Saturday’s rugby action across the Sunshine State
In addition to the Krewe’s victory over the Coconuts, three other D-II matches were played across the Sunshine State Saturday afternoon. The Miami RFC (9-1) won over the Miami Tridents RFC (5-5) 15 to 5, the Fort Lauderdale Knights RFC (7-3) defeated the Jacksonville RFC (3-7) 58 to 26, and the Boca Raton Buccaneers RFC (8-2) beat the Naples Hammerheads RFC (3-7) 31 to 0.
Sarasota Surge secures perfect regular rugby season in D-III
In Division III (D-III) the Sarasota Surge RFC finished the regular season undefeated (6-0) by beating the St. Petersburg’s Bay Area Pelicans RFC (1-5) 31 to 7 Saturday afternoon. In other Saturday D-III action from around Florida, the Gainesville Hogs RFC (5-1) defeated the Brevard Old Red Eye RFC (3-3) 28 to 19, and the Palm Beach Panthers RFC (4-2) beat the Indian River Raptors RFC (0-6) 67 to 0.
Wrapping up the weekend in collegiate men’s and women’s rugby
There were three Saturday collegiate men’s matches from across Florida. The University of Central Florida (UCF) Knights RFC (4-1) beat the Florida State University (FSU) Seminoles RFC (2-2-1) 77 to 10. Also, the Florida International University (FIU) Panthers RFC (3-2) defeated the University of South Florida (USF) Bulls RFC (0-4-1) 38 to 14. Finally, the University of Florida (UF) Gators RFC (3-2) narrowly defeated the Auburn University (AU) Tigers RFC (3-2) 30 to 27.
In women’s rugby action from this weekend, the Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) Lady Eagles RFC (1-2) defeated the University of Miami (UM) Lady Hurricanes RFC (0-3) 52 to 0. The USF Lady Bulls RFC (2-1) beat the Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Lady Owls RFC (1-2) 38 to 19. And finally, the unbeaten UCF Lady Knights RFC (5-0) defeated the FSU Lady Seminoles RFC (2-4) 41 to 17.
Youth rugby action from the weekend
Only one youth rugby match was played this past weekend in Florida. On Saturday morning, the Naples Bears High School (HS) RFC defeated the Tampa Bay Krewe HS RFC 29 to 24.
Stay up to date with the latest rugby action from across Florida
The best way to stay up to date with the latest rugby action, news, and scores across the state of Florida is by visiting the website and Facebook page for Rugby in Florida. For additional rugby information for clubs outside of the Sunshine State, please visit the website and Facebook page for Rugby Mag.
