New England Rugby Football Union Explained

New England Rugby Football Union
Size:150
Mcaption:Rugby Union
Abbreviation:NERFU
Status:Association
Headquarters:Boston, Massachusetts
Region Served:New England, United States of America
Membership:Approximately 3000 athletes on 80 teams (collegiate and senior)
Leader Title:President
Leader Name:Brad Dufresne
Main Organ:Executive Committee

The New England Rugby Football Union (NERFU) is a Geographical Union (GU) for rugby union teams in New England.[1]

Prior to 2013, NERFU had been a local area union ("LAU"), and part of the Northeast Rugby Union (NRU), which is the governing body for three LAU's (New York State Rugby Football Conference (NYSRFC) and Metropolitan New York Rugby Union being the others).

There are currently over 80 active teams and over 3,000 registered players in the New England area.

Mission

The mission of the New England Rugby Football Union is to manage, serve, and promote the game of rugby in the New England area, at all levels of play; to assist member teams and participants in their various forms of involvement with the game; to adhere to all the laws of the game; and to encourage and facilitate the involvement of as many people as possible in rugby activities. NERFU focuses the majority of its attention on serving rugby at the club level, and less on the collegiate and HS levels.

Divisions

Men's

Club

Division I

[2]

Division II

[3]

Division III
Division IV

Collegiate

Division I

NERFU's Division I program lost multiple rugby programs when the ivy league colleges left to form the Ivy League Rugby Conference (Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth).

Division II
=Maine Conference

=

=Boston Conference

=

=Central Conference

=

=Western Conference

=

=Southern Conference

=

=Central Conference

=

=South Conference

=

=North Conference

=

U19

NERFU has essentially abdicated its role in overseeing U-19/HS Rugby in favor of state based rugby organizations (SRBOs). In New England, there are nascent SRBOs in VT, CT and MA.

Division I
Division II

Massachusetts Youth Rugby Organization (MYRO)

The Massachusetts SBRO (http://myrugby.org) is now the umbrella organization for youth rugby in the state. All High School, U19, and U15 clubs are now under their auspices.

Boston middle schools that play rugby include Washington Irving, Edwards, Orchard Gardens, and Lee Academy.[4]

Women's

Club

Women's Premier League
Division I
Division II
Division III

Collegiate

=Eastern Conference

=

=Western Conference

=

=Downeast Conference

=

=East Conference

=

=West Conference

=

=East Conference

=

=South Conference

=

=West Conference

=

=East Conference

=

=West Conference

=

U19

Division I

Championships

1997
Men's Club D1 -
Men's Club D2 -
Men's Club D3 -
Women's Club D1 -
Women's Club D2 -
Women's Club D3 -
Men's College D1 -
Men's College D2 -
Men's College D3 - University of Massachusetts Lowell
Women's College D1 -
Women's College D2 -
Women's College D3 -

1998
Men's Club D1 -
Men's Club D2 -
Men's Club D3 -
Women's Club D1 -
Women's Club D2 -
Women's Club D3 -
Men's College D1 -
Men's College D2 -
Men's College D3 - University of Massachusetts Lowell
Women's College D1 -
Women's College D2 -
Women's College D3 -

1999
Men's Club D1 -
Men's Club D2 -
Men's Club D3 -
Women's Club D1 -
Women's Club D2 -
Women's Club D3 -
Men's College D1 - Norwich University
Men's College D2 -
Men's College D3 -
Women's College D1 -
Women's College D2 -
Women's College D3 -

2000
Men's Club D1 -
Men's Club D2 -
Men's Club D3 - New England College All Black's


Women's Club D1 -
Women's Club D2 -
Women's Club D3 -
Men's College D1 -
Men's College D2 -
Men's College D3 -
Women's College D1 -
Women's College D2 -
Women's College D3 -

2001
Men's Club D1 -
Men's Club D2 -
Men's Club D3 -
Women's Club D1 -
Women's Club D2 -
Women's Club D3 -
Men's College D1 -
Men's College D2 -
Men's College D3 - Tufts University
Men's College D4 - Bentley University
Women's College D1 -
Women's College D2 -
Women's College D3 -

2002
Men's Club D1 -
Men's Club D2 -
Men's Club D3 -
Women's Club D1 -
Women's Club D2 -
Women's Club D3 -
Men's College D1 -
Men's College D2 -
Men's College D3 -
Men's College D4 - Brandeis University
Women's College D1 -
Women's College D2 -
Women's College D3 -

2003
Men's Club D1 - Boston Irish Wolfhounds
Men's Club D2 -
Men's Club D3 -
Women's Club D1 -
Women's Club D2 -
Women's Club D3 -
Men's College D1 -
Men's College D2 -
Men's College D3 -
Men's College D4 - Wheaton College
Women's College D1 -
Women's College D2 -
Women's College D3 -

2004
Men's Club D1 - Boston Irish Wolfhounds
Men's Club D2 -
Men's Club D3 -
Women's Club D1 -
Women's Club D2 -
Women's Club D3 -
Men's College D1 -
Men's College D2 -
Men's College D3 -
Men's College D4 - Maine Maritime Academy
Women's College D1 -
Women's College D2 -
Women's College D3 -

2005
Men's Club D1 - Boston Irish Wolfhounds
Men's Club D2 -
Men's Club D3 -
Women's Club D1 -
Women's Club D2 -
Women's Club D3 -
Men's College D1 -
Men's College D2 -
Men's College D3 - Bentley University
Men's College D4 - Saint Anselm College
Women's College D1 -
Women's College D2 -
Women's College D3 -

2006
Men's Club D1 -
Men's Club D2 -
Men's Club D3 -
Women's Club D1 -
Women's Club D2 -
Women's Club D3 -
Men's College D1 -
Men's College D2 - United States Coast Guard Academy
Men's College D3 - Bentley University
Men's College D4 - Nichols College
Women's College D1 -
Women's College D2 -
Women's College D3 -
Women's College D4 -

2007
Men's Club D1 -
Men's Club D2
Men's Club D3
Women's Club D1
Women's Club D2
Women's Club D3
Men's College D1
Men's College D2 - Middlebury College
Men's College D3 - Plymouth State University
Men's College D4 - University of Massachusetts Dartmouth See: 2007 NERFU College Men's Division IV Rugby Tournament
Women's College D1 -
Women's College D2 -
Women's College D3 -
Women's College D4 -

2008
Men's Club D1 - Boston Irish Wolfhounds
Men's Club D2
Men's Club D3
Women's Club D1
Women's Club D2
Women's Club D3
Men's College D1
Men's College D2 - Middlebury College
Men's College D3 - Salve Regina University See: 2008 NERFU College Men's Division III Rugby Tournament
Men's College D4 - Holy Cross College
Women's College D1 - United States Military Academy
Women's College D2 - Stonehill College
Women's College D3 - Bryant University
Women's College D4 - Holy Cross College

2009
Men's Club D1
Men's Club D2
Men's Club D3
Men's Club D4 - Saratoga Springs Stampede
Women's Club D1
Women's Club D2
Women's Club D3
Men's College D1
Men's College D2 - UMASS Amherst
Men's College D3 -
Men's College D4 -
Women's College D1 -
Women's College D2 -
Women's College D3 -Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Women's College D4 -

2010
Men's Club D1
Men's Club D2
Men's Club D3 - Saratoga Springs Stampede
Men's Club D4
Women's Club D1
Women's Club D2
Women's Club D3
Men's College D1
Men's College D2
Men's College D3 - Salve Regina University See 2010 NERFU College Men's Division III Rugby Tournament
Men's College D4 -
Women's College D1 -
Women's College D2 -
Women's College D3 -
Women's College D4 -

2016
Men's Club D1
Men's Club D2
Men's Club D3
Men's Club D4
Women's Club D1
Women's Club D2
Women's Club D3
Men's College D1
Men's College D2
Men's College D3 - University of Maine at Orono
Men's College D4
Women's College D1
Women's College D2
Women's College D3
Women's College D4 -

Notes and References

  1. Web site: USA Club Rugby: Geographical Unions. usarugby.org/. 2014-03-04. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140213045840/http://usarugby.org/geographical-unions. 2014-02-13.
  2. Web site: New England Rugby Official Website . 2016-10-31 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20161031090657/http://www.nerfu.org/contentPage/10011609/standings . 2016-10-31 .
  3. Web site: New England Rugby Official Website . 2016-10-31 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20161031090555/http://www.nerfu.org/contentPage/10011612/standings . 2016-10-31 .
  4. Boston Globe, Youth rugby gains toehold in Boston, Dec. 23, 2012, Web site: Youth rugby gains toehold in Boston - the Boston Globe . . 2017-09-06 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304045044/http://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/editorials/2012/12/23/youth-rugby-gains-toehold-boston/eEmyzR61bd3H95ACRZTS6L/story.html?s_campaign=sm_tw . 2016-03-04 .