Hallelujah! The final week of the regular season is finally
upon us! For some, this 2013-14 campaign will have seemed extremely long, while
others will be wishing they could play more rugby. Luckily, with the playoffs
just around the corner, some teams will play some extra games, while most teams
will be ending their season on Saturday. Before I get into predictions, let's take a look at the
scenarios in each division. Remember, these are not official scenarios, but are
based on the unofficial standings here on RugbyFL.com. Division 2 With a point of any kind against the Tridents on Saturday,
Miami will clinch the top seed and the right to host the No. 4 seed in the
semifinals on April 5. However, should the Bumblebees come away with no points
against their 305 rivals, Boca Raton can steal first place by picking up a
bonus point victory at Naples. Should the Bucs just win without a bonus, they
will clinch the second seed and will host the No. 3 seed in two weeks. A bonus
point loss should be enough to also clinch the second seed. If the Bucs lose, meanwhile, Fort Lauderdale can jump up
into the second position with a win on the road at Jacksonville. The Knights
have a playoff spot sewn up, however if they fail to gain a point in Jax and
the Tridents beat Miami with a bonus point, Lauderdale could end up in the
fourth spot. The real battle is for the fourth and final playoff spot.
Krewe have a very winnable home game vs. winless Daytona. If Tampa takes care
of business in that contest, as they should, and the Tridents lose to Miami,
then Krewe claim the final playoff spot. If they don't beat Daytona, then the
Tridents are in the playoffs regardless of what they do against the Bumblebees. Got it? Ok, good. Here is my predicted order of finish for
the playoff teams: 1. Miami RFC 2. Boca Raton 3. Fort Lauderdale 4. Tampa Krewe
Semis: Krewe at Miami; Fort Lauderdale at Boca Raton Division 3 Sarasota have pretty much clinched the top seed in D3,
barring an upset loss to the Pelicans this Saturday. Below them, things are a lot more interesting, and could get
even more interesting after this weekend. Gainesville have already secured the No. 2 spot behind
Sarasota, and could leap over the Surge if something unexpected happens on the
southwest coast and the Hogs take care of Brevard on the road. Palm Beach, who fell in Gainesville last weekend, finish off
with what should be an easy victory over winless Indian River, and will finish
in third place, booking them another trip to Gainesville in a couple of weeks. Brevard are in the playoffs already, and even a win over the
Hogs likely won't be enough to lift them into third place, unless somehow Palm
Beach loses. Predicted order of finish: 1. Sarasota 2. Gainesville 3. Palm Beach 4. Brevard Semis: Brevard at Sarasota; Palm Beach at Gainesville REMEMBER! Only ONE team from each division,
not two, qualify for the USA Rugby Playoffs. Now we've got that out of the way, let's get predicting: D2 Daytona (0-9) at Tampa Krewe (5-4) - While I think Daytona
could give Krewe a run for their money early in this game, a lack of numbers
and the fact Tampa is a desperate team at the moment should give the home team
enough to pull away in the second half. Tampa Krewe 30, Daytona 14 Boca Raton (7-2) at Naples (3-6) - I'm not sure
what's got into the Hammerheads lately, but they put up 61 on Jax earlier this
month and nearly beat Miami last Saturday. You know they will be up for being
the spoiler in this contest against their bitter rivals from the past few seasons,
but I also think Boca will be ready to secure a home semifinal and have won
seven in a row since losing their first two games. Boca Raton 25, Naples 10 Miami Tridents (5-4) at Miami RFC (8-1) - The guys in
black and yellow haven't faced each other since the Bumblebees came out on top
in a friendly way back in October. The Tridents are in a big slump, having lost
three of their last four games, and their only win in that span was a
four-point squeaker over lowly Jacksonville. With that being said, Miami aren't
exactly playing their best rugby at the moment, having lost to Krewe at the
beginning of the month and then needing a late try to edge Naples last week. A
ton on the line in this game, and I expect the home team to pull out a narrow
victory. Miami RFC 27, Miami Tridents 24 Fort Lauderdale (6-3) at Jacksonville (3-6) - Lauderdale
will be hoping Naples beats Boca so they have a shot at a home semifinal, but
they will have to win this one after a long trip north. Lauderdale will have to
travel with at least a good chunk of their better players to pull a win out,
and I think they'll have just enough to do so. Fort Lauderdale 21,
Jacksonville 17 D3 Gainesville (4-1) at Brevard (3-2) - The Hogs won
their big contest last week over Palm Beach to put themselves comfortably in
second place and should be able to lock up that spot with a road win. Red Eye
really have nothing to play for at this point, so would be crazy to risk
hurting key players with the semifinals on the horizon. An upset would be a
surprise, but not a massive one. Gainesville 29, Brevard 20 Indian River (0-5) at Palm Beach (3-2) - The Panthers
will be angry after losing their shot at a home semifinal last weekend, and
this game is going to get ugly, quickly. Palm Beach 88, Indian River 0 Bay Area Pelicans (1-4) vs. Sarasota (5-0) - After
getting walloped in their first two games, the Pelis have really earned some
respect for themselves since then with two close losses to Brevard and
Gainesville and a 70-point haul vs. Indian River. While I would love to have
the cojones to pick the upset here, I just can't bring myself to do it. Sarasota
42, Pelicans 12 Last Week: 5-1 Season: 42-13 (76.4%) All-Time: 91-31 (74.6%)
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