This year, the Division I, II, and III playoff formats were all arranged such that in each division, 16 clubs played in Eastern and Western regional brackets with two teams from each region advancing to the semifinals. This meant that each semifinal match at level of play featured an Eastern Side versus a Western side. In those semifinal matches, played today, not a single side from the East survived. Six semifinal matches, all won by the Western representatives.

That mean that not only will all of these competitions be won by a Western side, but an Eastern side won’t even appear in the final at any of these levels.

Although other American competitions used different playoff formats, they also point toward Western dominance. The Collegiate Men’s Division I championship match last month featured a pair of Western sides, as did the Boy’s High School and Under-19 age-grade competitions from two weeks ago.

Tonight’s Rugby Super League final and last month’s Girl’s Under-19 final were also won by Western sides, though the runners-up were from the Eastern side of the country in both cases. The 2009 Women’s Club final has yet to be played, but a Western side bested an Eastern side in the 2008 tournament. The only exceptions to this pattern of Western dominance are the Women’s Collegiate Division I and II tournaments and the Men’s Collegiate Division II tournament, which were all won by Eastern sides in May.

Of twelve national champs, then, that means nine are from the West. Again, perhaps just as telling is that more than half of those championships didn’t even feature an Eastern side in the final. More Western dominance next year? We’ll see …

The competition is a second-tier international tournament for players under 20 years of age, as the top 16 teams play in the Junior World Championship. The JWRT will still interest many American fans, though, as the United States is one of the eight teams playing in it after moving down from the top tier following a winless showing at the Junior World Championship last year. The United States has already beaten the Cayman Islands and will play home side Kenya Saturday.

The video work is very simple and is sometimes unaccompanied by commentary, but the video is also clear and from a good viewpoint. If you’re finding it hard to see good rugby matches on the television or computer because you don’t have a subscription to a pay service, have a look.

That said, it sure is a sight to see Ratu Nasiganiyavi, the hulking Australia Under-20 wing who will play for the New South Wales Waratahs next year, go tearing down the sideline. Although Australia isn’t in tomorrow’s Junior World Championship Grand Final today, the try-heavy performances from Lote Tuqiri’s cousin have certainly been a bright spot. Have a look at just a couple of his moments from the tournament (scoring a try at the beginning of the first clip and scoring another at about 4:50 of the second one):

The good news is that Canada’s Under-20 side broke the North American losing streak in the Junior World Championship by beating Fiji 17-10.

The bad news is that the win put North American representative sides at 1-7 on the week. In the Churchill Cup, the United States fell to Ireland “A” 46-9 while Canada lost 17-16 to Argentina “A.” In the Junior World Championship, the United States was beaten 20-6 by Samoa and 41-14 by Scotland, and Canada’s lone win over Fiji was tempered by a 60-18 hiding from England. Meanwhile, England Counties won a rematch over a U.S. Select side 31-16, then put down a Canada select side 31-6.

And then there’s the ambiguous news. A North American side is guaranteed to win (or at least not lose in case of an honorable draw) a Churchill Cup match Saturday, as the United States and Canada are set to play for the Churchill Cup’s wooden spoon (a.k.a. the “bowl final”).

In the Junior World Championship, Canada will take on Scotland while the United States matches up with Fiji. Both of those matches are scheduled for Wednesday.

From the West:

• Women’s Club: Berkeley All Blues (Berkeley, California)
• Men’s Collegiate Division I: University of California-Berkeley (Berkeley, California)
• Women’s Collegiate Division I: Stanford (Palo Alto, California)
• Boy’s U-19: Highland (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Boy’s High School: Jesuit of Sacramento (Sacramento, California)
• Men’s Division II: Red Mountain (Phoenix, Arizona, area)
• Men’s Club Division III: Reno (Reno, Nevada)

From the East:

• Rugby Super League: New York Athletic Club (New York, New York)
• Men’s Club Division I: Life University (Marietta, Georgia)
• Girl’s U-19: Divine Savior (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
• Men’s Collegiate Division II: Radford University (Radford, Virginia)
• Women’s Collegiate Division II: Shippensburg University (Shippensberg, Pennsylvania)

That’s seven championships in the West and five in the East, though two of each region’s championships are lower division titles (Men’s Club Division II and III in the West, and Collegiate Division II Men’s and Women’s in the East). Also the Women’s Club champions listed are from 2007, as that competition doesn’t end until November.

Remember, though, that the top side in the top comp (NYAC in the Rugby Super League) is an East Coast side.

As Armchair Playmaker explained earlier in the week, there is also a boy’s high school championship, which is for programs from one school while the U-19 title is for programs with players from multiple schools. Jesuit of Sacramento (California) won that title. The girl’s U-19 grand final is tomorrow.

In the semi-professional Super League, the highest level of domestic rugby union in the United States (and yes, we are aware of the confusion caused by giving a rugby union comp in the United States essentially the same name as the top European rugby league competition), 2007 champions Belmont Shore will take on New York Athletic Club on Saturday at Infinity Park (the only dedicated municipal rugby stadium in the United States) in a grand final match in Glendale, CO.

The senior men’s Division I and II semifinals will also be held Saturday at Infinity Park, followed by grand finals on Sunday. In the first division, the Glendale (CO) Raptors get to play (on their home ground, no less) against the Pearl City (Muscatine, IA) Black Bears, while Olympic Club (San Franciso, CA) takes on Life University (Marietta, GA). The second division semifinals pit Brandywine (Philadelphia, PA area) against Detroit (MI) and Wisconsin (Madison, WI) against Red Mountain (Phoenix, AZ area). In addition to the Sunday grand finals, both competitions will have a consolation final Sunday as well.

Infinity Park will also host the senior Men’s Division III grand final Sunday between Reno (NV) and Michiana (South Bend, IN area).

While all of that action is taking place in Colorado, Pittsburgh, PA will be the site of the boy’s high school and boy’s and girl’s U-19 national tournaments from Friday to Sunday. Each of these events will feature eight entrants from across the nation, and quarterfinals, semifinals, and a grand final will be played along with consolation bracket matches ensuring that every side plays three matches on the weekend. In case you’re wondering what separates the boy’s high school and boy’s U-19 tournaments, the former is for sides from only one school and the latter is for sides representing more than one school. A club can only compete in one competition, though the distinction is murky as a one-school side can slide into the U-19 comp by adding a token player from outside of the school.

In case you missed the collegiate championships earlier this month, you can still watch full-match video online free of charge on the USA Rugby Network. Featured matches include the men’s and women’s Division I semifinals and finals and the men’s and women’s Division II grand finals.