Guest Blog: Sybil’s Wicked Predictions for WPL, D1 & D2 Championships

The YSC Team is proud to welcome another member of the YSC Family, meet Sybil. She will be bringing a more light-hearted and frankly controversial point of view to our site. The Editors of the site are a bit nervous to have her speak her mind, as we have always tried to remain fair and impartial…but we understand the need for other opinions as well. And who doesn’t love a bit of drama?To view the complete WPL, D1 & D2 Schedule, Seeds etc, go here.

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Hello again. As many of you noticed, my first predictions didn’t go so well. I thought I had done my research but obviously not…and those wild guesses on scores were just silly. This time around though, I’ve done more research and I think I’ve got it right. I also think I was afraid to put if a team was going to lose by a large margin, but I’ve got my big girl pants on today!

UPDATE: A couple of you have complained that you can’t leave anonymous comments. You can! Just put in a fake email address…and don’t tell Wendy that I told you!

 

WPL
Lets start with the Top Tier as those teams are fighting for the WPL National Championship. The teams that are competing for the title are the Berkeley All Blues, Beantown, San Diego Surfers and the Twin Cities Amazons.

Twin Cities Amazons vs Beantown
The Amazons have been on fire this year after moving up from Tier 2 last year. They led the Red Conference in points scored (246) and their defense only allowed an impressive 47 points in six games. They also boast four out of the top ten scorers for the WPL: Lynelle Kugler (8), Ashley Mulford (7), Amanda Kingzett (6) and Sylvia Braaten (5). The Amazons should be commended for their sharing of points around the field. There truly seems to be a great team spirit with the Zons.

Last year, Beantown went toe-to-toe with powerhouse New York and came in 2nd place in the WPL. This year they barely made it to the big dance, only making it over Keystone because of point differentials. To say that their season was not what they expected is probably the biggest understatement of the year! Beantown will have a tough battle against the Zons as their forwards are not quite as big and powerful. If Beantown can contain Kuglar and Braaten, they may have a shot…but without a cage and some whips, I don’t think these players will be contained.

Prediction: Twin Cities by five tries. Beantown has scored almost as many points as their defense has allowed. I don’t think they will be able to contain the Amazons  top scorers.

Do you disagree with my predictions? Let it be known via Facebook Questions on the YSC Fan Page.

Berkeley All Blues vs San Diego Surfers
One could say that Berkeley hasn’t been tested this year…most of their matches were won with bonus point in hand and by a pretty large margin. If you watched the 7s Club Championships, you couldn’t help but notice Kelly Griffin. This year in the WPL, she  is the top scorer overall and accounted for ten of the All Blues tries! Berkeley seems to be back in the saddle with former USA WNT coach Kathy Flores at the helm and I would expect to see them in the Final.

Lets just say that the Surfers have had one hell of a year, but the bubble is about to burst. In their first match, they met New York who wasn’t quite up to par yet.  In their second match, they blew the Valkyries out of the water. Then there was their first obstacle, the Amazons and they won that one by the skin of their teeth. Once they faced off with the Amazons again though they had their reality readjusted you might say….

Prediction: Berkeley by five tries. When the Surfers were tested by the Amazons they crumbled. The fairy tale run for the Surfers will end on Saturday.

WPL ChampionMatch: Berkeley All Blues vs Twin Cities Amazons with Berkeley coming out the Champs.

New York vs DC Furies
It saddens me to see New York in the bottom tier after winning the WPL twice in a row. BUT every team has a rebuilding year, or are they part of the #suckforluckscandal? Of course there aren’t draft picks in the WPL, but wouldn’t it be awesome if there were? Anyway, back to business. I thought NY might have been on a rise once they won two in a row, but then they lost twice in a row to end the season in the bottom tier. New York will be very keen to do well at Nationals though as they surely don’t want to be up for a challenge match or relegation.

The DC Furies’ best performance was last year at Nationals when they faced off with the Amazons in the Tier B Championship. The Amazons came out on top and the Furies went all the way to the bottom of the bucket. No wins this year in league play and they were outscored by 180 points. The Furies will come out strong against New York, but will have to weather an assault from the angry former National Championship team.Prediction: New York by seven tries. Unfortunately, I think that the Furies will take quite a beating in this match.

Keystone vs Minnesota Valkyries
Keystone missed out on the chance for a WPL National Championship by mere point differentials. Keystone is use to being with the best, so they will be another team that will be on the war path. They will have quite a bit to prove in Tier B and I expect to see them suiting up on Sunday against New York after they dismantle the Minnesota Valkyries.

The Minnesota Valkyries are another team that couldn’t get a single win on the board this year. This is puzzling as the team does have a few Eagles and they don’t play bad rugby. It just seems they couldn’t get on the board when it counted. Unfortunately, I feel that they will definitely be in jeopardy of playing a challenge match this year as they will most certainly be an underdog in this match.

Prediction: Keystone by five tries.

Do you disagree with my predictions? Let it be known via Facebook Questions on the YSC Fan Page.

D1
Who would have EVER predicted that two CR2 teams would end up in the D1 National Championship together? Most teams were so busy whining that CR2 had three seeds that they overlooked the regions potential completely. Perhaps more attention should have been paid to CR1 and their three seeds? (Note: all CR1 teams lost in the first round at Elite 8)

Glendale Raptors vs Chicago NS
Glendale easily defeated Belmont Shore on Saturday at the D1 Playoffs in Austin, TX. On Sunday they faced a formidable opponent, the Atlanta Harlequins. Glendale didn’t seem phased though and easily defeated them 29-5. Glendale will have high confidence going into this match as they have already defeated Chicago NS in CR2 League Play 29-8. We all know about the Raptors Eagle players, WPL acquisitions and magic mile high training facilitiy…and I think it will all come together with the Raptors defeating Chicago NS again.

Chicago NS also experienced a rough start to their season, they had to win their last three CR2 matches to even think of qualifying for playoffs. It was a heck of a run and it did get them a spot in the Final, but I think the magic will run out. NS doesn’t have the fitness (giants) or depth to combat the Raptors. This of course doesn’t mean they will take it lying down, they will put up a fight. It will be even more exciting if their go-to players are firing…namely Pam Kosanke and Jenny Lui.

Prediction: Raptors by three tries. Unfortunately for NS it will be repeat of their defeat in league pay.

D2
With no video and limited match reports for D2, these predictions began to feel like I was reaching into a hat and pulling out a name, so I just picked whom I think will end up in the D2 Final.

Prediction: Atomic Sisters vs Raleigh Venom. These two teams seem to be training and developing like a D1 team. They are always playing above their league and regularly beating their opponents. They should be the teams in the final….

Do you disagree with my predictions? Let it be known via Facebook Questions on the YSC Fan Page.

Well that is it…thanks for reading! Remember, I am a member of the YSC Team, but my opinion may or may not be shared by the YSC Editors. I am just a pawn in this game…self  commissioned to stir the pot and point out the obvious. We all hoped that Jeanie the Girls would come back…but alas a new hero has arrived! If you’d like to message me with your thoughts, feel free, I can be contacted at sybil@scrumhalfconnection.com.