04/24/2026
MD3 Matchup:
Charlotte vs New Orleans
Saturday
April 25th
11:00am cst
First up we’ve got our two Men’s D3 semifinals.
The Gulf Coast region has produced all the Men’s D3 National Champions since 2018, making this region a powerhouse when it comes to Men’s D3 club rugby.
The Charlotte Olde Originals defeated the defending D3 National Champions, the Columbia Rhinos, in the Carolinas Championship to advance to this Super Regional.
They went 8-0-1 in the regular season, drawing 31-31 back in November against the Rhinos.
In the league semis, Charlotte hosted Southern Pines, only giving up one try in the final 10 minutes to win the match 55-7.
In the Carolinas final, Charlotte came out hot against the Rhinos, scoring two unanswered tries in the opening minutes. Columbia didn’t scare easily though, and managed to tie the score back up shortly before halftime, when the Olde Originals scored once more to take the lead into the break. From there, the difference came down to kicking. Blake Jackson kicked two penalty goals for Charlotte in the second half that ended up being the key to the win, final score 37-34.
Charlotte should come into this match with a lot of confidence; they’ve already taken down the top dogs, who’s next?
Forced to take on the top seed are the men from New Orleans, who won the play-in on April 11th over the Georgia Champions, the Savannah Shamrocks.
New Orleans took home the True South Championship after defeating the Pensacola Aviators 56-27.
Their path through the playoff rounds included a 55-28 win over the Memphis Blues in the semifinals.
When Pensacola defeated Huntsville to meet New Orleans in the final, it was New Orleans who had the upper hand. They defeated Pensacola back in the regular season, 33-21 on December 6th; so they knew what it took. The game was never really out of hand for New Orleans, who ran up the score 32-3 entering halftime. Pensacola got a few scores on the board in the second half, but New Orleans had locked down the win by then.
Despite winning the True South Championship, New Orleans had one final hurdle before they could book their tickets to Austin, taking on the Savannah Shamrocks in Georgia.
Three tries for James Richardson helped seal the deal for the visiting side.
New Orleans now finds themselves in their first Gulf Coast Super Regional match in three years, taking on the top seed for a chance in the final.
With nothing to lose, New Orleans could be our Cinderella story of the tournament.
- Kat Roche
Livestream on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/live/HT3nAs8tU5o?si=L75z-4-t55LDkddj