Axemen finish 6-0 with runaway win over Warriors

Source: Brian Cole | Rugby Wrap-up

With this win, the Axemen finish first in the Southern Conference (SC) of the USA Rugby League (USARL), and will host the SC USARL number four seed in the first round of the playoffs next Saturday, 06 August.

With their loss, the Warriors drop to 0-5-1, ad finish fourth in the SC USARL.  This sets the stage for a matchup between Jacksonville and Central Florida next weekend.

All Axemen for first half of game

The first half of the Jacksonville vs. Central Florida game was all Axemen.  The Axemen quickly scored three unconverted tries to take a 12-0 lead over the Warriors.  Just before halftime, Jacksonville scored a converted try to take an 18-0 advantage going into the second half.

Jacksonville runs away with win after second half dominance

Jacksonville scored another converted try soon after the start of the second half to take a 24-0 lead over Central Florida.  The Warriors answered with a try of their own, but failed to convert the kick, bringing the score to 24-4.  Shortly after Central Florida’s unconverted try, Jacksonville responded with a conversion and try of its own to build the lead to 30-4.

Jacksonville earned another try and conversion to build the team’s lead to 36-4.  The Warriors then responded with an unconverted try to cut the Axemen’s lead to 28 points.  After the last Central Florida try, Jacksonville responded with two more tries and conversions, bringing the final score to Axemen 48 – Warriors 8.

What lies ahead for both clubs

As mentioned earlier, the Jacksonville Axemen and the Central Florida Warriors will meet again next Saturday, 06 August, as the first and fourth seed in the SC USARL compete for a spot in the SC USARL Championship Game.  Should Jacksonville defeat the Warriors again next week, the SC USARL Championship will take place in Jacksonville, because the Axemen finished the 2016 USARL Season at the top of their conference.