Despite the continued below-seasonal temps in the region, week 15 in Men's Midwest Division 1 USA Rugby saw the first return to a full schedule since the winter break.
The Blues were on the road to play the Dragons in Davenport. With Kansas City in 2nd place and 4 consecutive wins behind them, this match had the potential to be a run-away vs. the 7th-placed Palmer team. But the Dragons would not roll over and the margin stayed close — with a final score of 15-6 for the visitors — but not close enough to net a bonus-point loss for the hosts.
The Lions returned to regular season play in a cross-city match vs. the Griffins. The Lions dominated for long periods and came away with a well-earned bonus-point victory, 39-15. However, we learned this week that the Lions were unable to negotiate a make-up match for their 16/11/2013 fixture vs. Metropolis. The decision hands a 28-0 win to Metro.
Perhaps the most spirited match of the weekend was the Wolfhounds at Scioto Valley. With only 1 win all season, Cincinnati were playing for pride and it showed in Columbus. However, their efforts fell just short. Scioto Valley won the contest 36-31 to earn a full five points. Thw Wolfhounds did not leave empty-handed however: the high and close score netted them two bonus points.
The final match-up was a late 3PM kick-off for the Barbarians in Minneapolis. The lop-sided affair ended with a 59-3 win for the hosts. The victory clinched a spot in the national championship for Metro who now lead Kansas City by an unassailable seven points in the standings. For Milwaukee, the loss drops them to 4th place with Scioto Valley taking back 3rd place.
| Team (Rank Change) | Win | Loss | Draw | Streak | PF | PA | +/- | Bonus Try* | Bonus Loss** | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metropolis (Minneapolis, MN) | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2W | 510 | 174 | 336 | 11 | 1 | 58 |
| Blues (Kansas City, MO) | 10 | 3 | 0 | 5W | 448 | 266 | 182 | 10 | 1 | 51 |
Scioto Valley (Columbus, OH) ( +1) |
7 | 5 | 1 | 1W | 378 | 336 | -38 | 9 | 1 | 40 |
Barbarians (Milwaukee, WI) ( -1) |
7 | 6 | 0 | 1L | 304 | 336 | -31 | 6 | 2 | 36 |
| Lions (Chicago, IL) | 5 | 6 | 1 | 4W | 311 | 338 | -27 | 10 | 3 | 35 |
| Griffins (Chicago, IL) | 4 | 8 | 1 | 2L | 285 | 385 | -100 | 6 | 2 | 26 |
| Palmer (Davenport, IA) | 4 | 8 | 0 | 1L | 234 | 335 | -101 | 5 | 2 | 23 |
| Wolfhounds (Cincinatti, OH) | 1 | 12 | 0 | 2L | 223 | 443 | -220 | 3 | 4 | 11 |
* A bonus point is awarded for each match in which the team scores 4 tries or more.
** A bonus point is awarded for each match in which the team loses by 7 or less.
Coming Up, Week 16 (3-May-2014)
- Metropolis (1) at Blues (2)
- Dragons (7) at Griffins (6)
- Lions (5) at Wolfhounds (8)
- Scioto Valley (3) at Barbarians (4)
Scores, Week 15 (26-Apr-2014)
- Barbarians 3 - 59 Metropolis
- Blues 15 - 6 Dragons
- Griffins 15 - 39 Lions
- Wolfhounds 31 - 36 Scioto Valley
Scores, Week 14 (19-Apr-2014)
- Griffins 15 - 29 Milwaukee
- Dragons - Lions (Tentatvely Rescheduled)
Scores, Week 13 (12-Apr-2014)
- Scioto Valley 3 - 69 Blues
- Cincinatti 19 - 39 Griffins
Scores, Week 12 (5-Apr-2014)
- Metropolis 38 - 7 Wolfhounds
- Blues 36 - 13 Milwaukee
- Palmer 30 - 5 Scioto Valley
Scores, Week 11 (29-Mar-2014)
- Blues 54 - 11 Palmer
Scores, Makeup Week (16-Nov-2014)
- Metropolis 28 - 0 Lions (forfeit)
Scores, Week 10 (9-Nov-2013)
- Metropolis 36 - 36 Scioto Valley
- Griffins 23 - 51 Blues
- Barbarians 29 - 33 Lions
- Palmer 25 - 29 Cincinnati
Scores, Week 9 (2-Nov-2013)
- Metropolis 51 - 12 Palmer
- Lions 27 - 26 Blues
- Barbarians 52 - 14 Cincinnati
- Scioto Valley 38 - 34 Griffins
Scores, Week 8 (26-Oct-2013)
- Metropolis 19 - 21 Griffins
- Scioto Valley 28 - 43 Lions
- Blues 26 - 24 Wolfhounds
- Barbarians 29 - 19 Palmer
Scores, Week 7 (12-Oct-2013)
- Metropolis 34 - 10 Griffins
- Scioto Valley 35 - 31 Lions
- Blues 43 - 26 Wolfhounds
- Barbarians 29 - 5 Palmer
Scores, Week 6 (5-Oct-2013)
- Chicago Lions 24 - 27 KC Blues
- Palmer 14 - 36 Metropolis
- Columbus 41 - 21 Chicago Griffins
- Milwaukee 20 - 10 Cincinnati
Scores, Week 5 (28-Sep-2013)
- KC Blues 35 - 22 Chicago Griffins
- Columbus 12 - 41 Metropolis
- Chicago Lions 26 - 32 Milwaukee
- Cincinnati 15 - 34 Palmer
Scores, Week 4 (21-Sep-2013)
- Milwaukee 15 - 36 KC Blues
- Metropolis 52 - 31 Chicago Lions
- Chicago Griffins 19 - 15 Cincinnati
- Palmer 34 - 32 Columbus
Scores, Week 3 (14-Sep-2013)
- KC Blues 20 - 34 Columbus
- Cincinnati 0 - 61 Metropolis
- Chicago Lions 13 - 22 Palmer
- Milwaukee 19 - 13 Chicago Griffins
Scores, Week 2 (7-Sep-2013)
- Metropolis 19 - 16 Milwaukee
- Chicago Griffins 24 - 24 Chicago Lions
- Columbus 25 - 13 Cincinnati
Scores, Week 1 (31-Aug-2013)
- KC Blues 10 - 36 Metropolis
- Cincinnati 20 - 25 Chicago Lions
- Chicago Griffins 27 - 22 Palmer
- Milwaukee 18 - 51 Columbus
