2008 Round of 16s – National Women Club Playoffs

from USA Rugby:

Minnesota Valkyries 41, Philadelphia 10
Keystone 17, San Diego 5
New York 43, Glendale 12
Northern Virginia (NOVA) 15, Oregon Sport Union (ORSU) 5
Beantown 89, Seattle 12
Washington Furies 37, Chicago North Shore 12
Berkeley All Blues 45, Boston 10
Twin Cities Amazons 45, Atlanta Harlequins 12

Minnesota Valkyries 31, Keystone 0
San Diego Surfers 36, Philadelphia 8
New York 28, NOVA 5
ORSU 27, Glendale 24
Beantown 86, Washington Furies 5
Seattle 13, Chicago North Shore 12
Berkeley All Blues 64, Twin Cities Amazons 8
Atlanta Harlequins 5, Boston 19

Championship Semis
Berkeley All Blues vs. Minnesota Valkyries
New York vs. Beantown

Plate Semis
Twin Cities Amazons vs. Keystone
NOVA vs. Washington Furies

BOULDER, Colo. – USA Rugby, the national governing body for the sport of rugby in the U.S., joins the St. Louis Bombers Rugby Football Club as it hosts the top 16 women’s rugby teams in the nation from October 25-26 at Sportport sports complex in Maryland Heights, Mo.

The Division I Senior Women’s Club Playoffs feature rugby teams spanning across the country, all battling it out for one of the eight coveted spots headed to Orlando, Fla. for the Championships in early November. This year’s competition includes teams from the Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, the Twin Cities, Glendale, Colo., Portland, Ore., Seattle, San Diego, and the defending champions from Berkeley, Calif.

The playoffs not only serve as a precursor to the Championships, but are also a venue for Women’s National Team selectors to spot athletes for upcoming camps and international competitions.

Playoff matches get underway at 10 a.m. and run through approximately 5 p.m. on Saturday and the competition picks up again bright and early on Sunday, lasting from 9:30 a.m. through about 4:30 p.m. Please see below for the complete weekend schedule. Tickets to the event will be sold at the gate for $5 per day.

For more information on the USA Rugby Women’s Club Playoffs or Championships series, please visit www.usarugby.org or contact Director of Competition Dan Payne.

There have been plenty of predictions out there, Goff (subscription required) is predicting:

Big Four:
Berkeley All Blues v. Minnesota Valkyries
ORSU v. Beantown
(Our pick of ORSU over New York is a tough one and certainly it could go either way)

Next Four (for plate):
Twins Cities Amazons v. San Diego Surfers
New York v. DC Furies

and Jeanie the Greek is predicting:

Pool A: Berkeley over Amazons. – 21 points
Pool D: Valks over Keystone. – 5 points
Pool C: NYRCW over ORSU – 14 points
Pool B: Beantown over Furies – 14 Points

What are your predictions for the matches? Anyone want to take a stab at 1-16? Leave it in the comments, Facebook me or email me!

Click here for last year’s results.