After a period where it seemed we might not have a Northeast RCT at all, we actually have a very compelling tournament.

The key to the rescue of this event was changing the fee structure. USA Rugby has decreed that official Regional Cup Tournaments should charge $450 per team. However, those fees were based on Colorado standards for hotel room costs for refs, fees for medical support, and field fees. In the Northeast, those costs are much higher. So a compromise was met, whereby all teams that entered agreed to an additional $350 donation to the host organization. 

That donation might seem like a lot, but it's cheaper than 30 plane tickets to another location. The compromise was met, and the games are on. 

Here's what we have:

Boys Varsity. Two pools will play in a (mostly) separate competition. There is one crossover because we've got 9 teams.

The pools have been split up in what appears to be a Varsity 1 and a Varsity 2 group, with the Varsity Gold including Metro NY, Virginia, Celtic Elite, Rugby PA, and Maryland.

Virginia is expected to carry a large contingent of Fort Hunt and West End players, and will be very strong. Metro NY is led by Xavier prop Omar Mtarfi, captain and scrumhalf Luke Persanis (Pelham), and a nifty center pairing of Tom Treussard (Xavier) and Hadrien Touchon (New York). 

Pennsylvania includes the snappy Jeremy Davies, the redoubtable center Brian Stella, and intelligent flyhalf Mike Weir (all of Doylestown), with players such as Gavin Zeigler (Cumberland Valley) bringing talent from other programs. The Varsity Gold will be hugely competitive.

The Varsity Blue is not quite as strong, but includes New Jersey, another Virginia team, Connecticut, and Western NY. Locals New Jersey will want to show well, but watch out for Connecticut.

The Boys JV bracket is split in much the same way as the Varsity, except there's a DC Elite team (that promises to be very tough up front) and a Raleigh Red Hawks outfit from North Carolina. MetNY is heavy in Play Rugby and Xavier talent, with a freshman scrumhalf-flyhalf connection of Damian Morley and Henri Ross-Pelat both from PRUSA.

The Girls Bracket is small with New Jersey, Western New York, and Connecticut on the slate. They will play a round-robin. New Jersey are heavy favorites.

Check here for scores.