Naples 9s Recap

Both the men’s and women’s teams traveled to Naples this past weekend for the inaugural Naples 9s tournament. In what was set out to be a long day from the start, the Jax Axe women took the field in the first round of play against Roots Rugby.

The Jax Axe women lost is a close 8-10 match, and were definitely finding their groove. They followed that with a first in Jax Axe history with a fantastic 14-10 win over Carolina. The Jax Axe women were tied for first and a coin flip against Carolina put them in the first seed. Carolina beat Roots Rugby to earn a spot in the finals against Jax. The Jax Axe women fought hard in the finals, but were ultimately defeated 16-4 by the Carolina Storm. With many new players, and the women’s team only in it’s 2nd year, the effort they put in to advance to advance to finals was commendable.

The Axemen took two wins in the morning, first in round 2 with an 18-10 victory over Jamaica followed by a 10-0 win over Tampa. Jacksonville finished out the pool play with a close 18-24 loss to the USARL Exiles. That led to a semifinal round against the Jamaican Exodus team with a 22-0 loss for a very exhausted Axemen squad. Regardless, the team had a lot of success early on and the season looks good with a lot of new talent.

Rugby league season is here! We’ll see you all in Jax on June 25th when the women take on the Tampa Mischief, and the men battle the South Florida Speed. Get your season tickets now!