The Midwest RCT kicks off this weekend.

Not to be confused with the Midwest All-Star Challenge, which is smaller and was held on this past Sunday, the Midwest RCT is one of the official USA Rugby-sanctioned Regional Cup Tournaments (for Cup read All-Star or Select Side).

The RCTs were begun as a way for state-based organizations to field their all-star teams. That has morphed, over time, to include select sides run by groups that draw players from a subset of teams within a large state (Celtic Ohio, Indy Speed) or sides that draw players from a larger geographical area (EIRA Heartland, 5785). 

Now there's a new player in the game, Major League Rugby. The Houston SaberCats will field a Boys Tier 1 team in the Midwest RCT in Cottage Grove, WI. They will be in a pool with the Badger Selects and Illinois Tornadoes.

In the other pool, the Celtic Elite, which won both of their games this past weekend in the Midwest All-Star Challenge, will face Minnesota Youth Rugby, and Team Wisconsin, two traditional state-baed teams (as are the Tornadoes).

The Tier 2 Boys bracket will feature five teams—Celtic Elite, Minnesota, Illinois, and Badger Selects.

It's a fairly well-attended Girls Tier 1 bracket, with Celtic Elite, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indy Speed. But, as we've noted in previous pieces, the Girls Tier 2 bracket is not strong, and it has not been strong anywhere we've seen ... yet.

That's not to say that Wisconsin, Celtic Elite, and Indy Speed can't play, but more that we only have three teams in attendance.

Missing in the girls bracket is Tennessee, which rolled to a championship in 2018 when the tournament was in Indiana.

Format

Tier 1 Girls will run a straight round-robin. Tier 2 Girls will have all three teams play each other twice. Boys Tier 2 will be a straight round-robin (three games each) with the top two playing a championship and the bottom two playing for 3rd.

The Boys Tier 1 will see each team play the other team in its pool, and one team from the other pool. Then the pool winners will play for 1st, and the others will play for placement.

Everyone, then, gets two 40-minute games on each day.