Big Weekend for Both Codes in America

There are plenty of big rugby union and rugby league matches on in the U.S. this weekend. In rugby union, the North America 4 series wraps up with its grand final and consolation final Saturday. The U.S. Falcons and Canada West will meet in the championship decider, while the U.S. Hawks and Canada East will play for third. The semifinal matches, played earlier this week, can be viewed online in the video archive of the Glendale Raptors, hosts for the semifinal and final rounds at their Infinity Park home ground in Glendale, Colorado. The consolation final kicks off at 6:00 p.m. local time (5 p.m. Pacific U.S., 8 p.m. Eastern U.S.), and the grand final starts at 8:00 p.m. local time (7 p.m. Pacific U.S., 10 p.m. Eastern U.S.).

Both matches can be seen live at the NA4 site, and will presumably be archived in the can be viewed online in the video archive of the Glendale Rugby video archive. In the meantime, here are some highlights from the first clash between the grand finalists, which was handily won 55-3 by Canada West:



In rugby league, the final week of the American National Rugby League's regular season is on. With only six teams of the ten-team league qualifying for next week's knockout rounds and the top two sides getting a bye in those rounds, there is a lot to play for. The Aston DSC Bulls and New Haven Warriors are locked at the top of the competition points table. This weekend's match will determine what seed them and the other playoff qualifiers will take during the postseason. This weekend comes on the heels of last week's intense "War at the Shore," an annual regular-season feature wherein all of the AMNRL sides leave their home grounds to meet at one venue and play the weekend's fixtures back-to-back. The War at the Shore atmosphere also features tag rugby matches and other festival events. See highlights below: