Despite doing everything they had the power to do, the one loss this season was enough to keep Saratoga from their first championship. Unlike past years when a playoff system allowed top teams a chance to make amends for missteps, the point system employed by the New England Rugby Football Union kept Springfield in the driver's seat when they dispatched a severely short handed Mad River Club, 60-5. Having to borrow three players from Springfield and still playing one man short, Mad River had little chance of coming through with an upset that Saratoga needed to slip by in the standings so they could capture the title.
Under the scoring guidelines, a team gets four points for a win and an additional point if they score at least four tries. A losing team can still get points, however, if they score four tries (1 point) and/or if they lose by three points or less (1 point). Using this system, Saratoga put itself in a position to tie or win the division with their victory versus Monadnock, had Springfield tied and not scored four tries. Even if Saratoga tied Springfield in the standings, despite the fact that they lost to Springfield head-to-head, Saratoga had a higher point diferential (points scored versus points allowed), and they would have been awarded the championship.
The point became moot quickly, however, and Springfield captured the division crown by outpacing Saratoga by a league standings point total of 24-20. The four point differential comes from Saratoga's lone loss on the season, which was to Springfield.
The team is still in high spirits as it boasts a 5-1 regular season record and a second place finish in only its second year of divisional play. After making the playoffs last year with a 3-3 record and finishing the season in fourth place, the club was happy with its improvement.
Come cheer the club on as it competes in a "friendly" (a game against a non-league opponent) when they challenge some of the top players from three area colleges this Saturday at Shenentaha Creek Park at 1:00 PM.
Chat With The Vets This Saturday
What is Bill McLain's secret to the throw-in? What does Doug McCluskey feel about leading such a youthful backline? How does James Rigney feel about having the team's highest penalty-to-minutes-played ratio? This Saturday brings you a chance to chat with some of the vets on the sidelines! It will largely be a "futures" game for the Stampede, featuring vets for the first 20 minutes and then some of the new faces that have joined the club this season for the remainder of the match. Players will be there to answer all of your questions about the game, the season, and the team. Catch some commentary as well as what the future holds for this growing club!
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