The New York Exiles host the Chicago Tempest at Mount Vernon Memorial Stadium during Round 13, the final round of the Inaugural Women’s Elite Rugby season!

The Chicago Tempest are already ruled out of the Legacy Cup wth a 0-9 record so far, but have this final opportunity to grab their first victory in their final game. The New York Exiles, on the other hand, currently sit 4th but have a narrow shot at making the final and will need a bonus point victory here to maximise their chances. Last week, the Exiles handed the Denver Onyx their first (and only) defeat of the season, so their confidence is sky high. These teams have met once in the past, with New York taking a 17-48 road victory all the way back in Round 2.

It was the Tempest who got on the board first through Canadian Sevens player Vanessa Ciappetta in the 14th minute, before the Exiles hit back through Misha Green-Yotts in the 21st, followed by Chloe Jex in the 29th. The pendulum swung back towards the Tempest, who evened things up through Kit Buzby, before swinging back to the Exiles who took the lead on the stroke of half-time thanks to a Jetta Owens score. Although the 2nd half started with both sides evenly matched, the New York Exiles gradually began to pull away. Another Jetta Owens score extended their lead, and tries roughly every 10 minutes knocked the wind out of the Tempest’s sails. A final score of 43-14 sealed the victory for New York including 23pts from Jetta Owens alone, a WER record.

The Exiles had done all they could, they would now need to wait for the result of the Bay Breakers v Denver Onyx game to know if New York had made the final. They sit 1pt ahead of the Breakers as things stand, so need a big Onyx victory.

The Denver Onyx travel to the Big Apple to face the New York Exiles during Round 11 of WER’s inaugural season!

Heading into this game, the Denver Onyx had recorded a  7-0 record with 7 bonus points for a flawless 35pts to lead the league, and were coming off of a huge 53-21 victory against the Boson Banshees. The New York Exiles, sat in 4th place heading into this game with a 4-4 record, are are aiming to trip up the seemingly invincible Onyx and possibly jump to 2nd with a bonus point victory here. These teams have met once in the past, with the Onyx dealing the Exiles an enormous 62-7 defeat back in Round 3.

The story was very different the second time around, but they didn’t start that way. The Onyx ran out to a 0-12 lead thanks to tries from KB Slaughter and Madison Sheveland, before the Exiles hit back through Chloe Jex for a half-time score of 7-12. New York started the second half as they finished the first, with a flurry of scores from Cari Pick, Jetta Owens, and Scout Cheeks to claim a 24-12 lead. A Kiana Lally score closed the gap for the Onyx, but that’s all they could manage.

A final score of 24-17 to the New York Exiles hands the Denver Onyx their first defeat of the season! This game also featured the first married teammates in WER history, with Misha Green-Yotts starting for the Exiles while her wife Gael Green-Yotts was in the reserves!

The Twin Cities Gemini travel to the Big Apple to face the Exiles at Mount Vernon Memorial Stadium during Round 9 of WER’s inaugural season!

The last game of the 3rd placed Exiles was a 28-34 road win over the Gemini back in Round 7, and they are fresh off of their Rd 8 bye. Sat just behind them in the standings in 4th, the Gemini’s most recent game saw them fall 19-38 to the formidable Denver Onyx, and they are looking to snap a 2-game skid. These teams have met once previously, in that Round 7 clash taken by the Exiles at TCO Stadium.

The Bay Breakers travel across the country to face the New York Exiles in a cross-country clash curing Round 4 of the inaugural WER season!

The Breakers are coming off a huge home win over the TC Gemini, and are looking to continue that momentum. The Exiles were on the losing side of an even bigger Denver Onyx victory last week and are looking to bounce back. These teams have never met before.

The first game in Women’s Elite Rugby (WER) history saw the New York Exiles face the Boston Banshees at Mount Vernon Memorial Stadium to usher in a new era of women’s rugby in the United States!