WATCH LIVE! Brevard Old Red Eye Rugby Club Takes on Powerhouse Detroit Tradesmen in USA Club Rugby National Championship
By Space Coast Daily // May 16, 2026
Red Eyes won their first Gulf Coast Super Regional D3 title and a spot in the Final Four in Chicago
WATCH LIVE! Brevard Old Red Eye Rugby takes on the Detroit Tradesmen in the USA Club Rugby National Championships.
By Kat Roche, Club Rugby
After months of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears, 20 teams, including Brevard Old Red Eye, are in Chicago to play for the USA Club Rugby National Championship!
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – There are five trophies on the line, one for each of the divisions, and by the close of Sunday, those trophies will be claimed by the best of the best.
First up, we have Brevard Old Red Eye taking on the Detroit Tradesmen. Brevard won the Gulf Coast Super Regional, the breeding ground for D3 National Champions.
And I say this because the last six D3 National Championship titles have gone to Gulf Coast teams. Four to the Austin Blacks, one to the Columbia Rhinos, and one to the Palm Beach Panthers.
If Brevard wishes to add their name to that list, it’s all or nothing for the next two matches. Brevard actually finished 5-2 in the regular season, chalking up two losses to the Palm Beach Panthers.
In the Florida final, however, Old Red Eye got its revenge, smashing the Panthers to qualify for their third Super Regional in a row.
In 2024, they lost in the final to the Austin Blacks, 18-14, who went on to take the National title. In 2025, they lost in the final to the Columbia Rhinos, 31-24, who went on to take the National title.
This year, they defeated the Austin Blacks in the semifinal 46-34 before taking on New Orleans in the final. New Orleans took a 24-0 lead into halftime, looking like it would be another disappointing finish for Brevard, but Old Red Eye was not about to go down without a fight.
It was slow going, but Brevard dotted down once, twice, and suddenly, with ten minutes left in the match, we had a game on our hands.
When Jean-Eric Van der Elst Portero (what a name!) scored in the 74th minute, the stands were riotous. Koby Deacon converted for Brevard to take the lead 26-24. The final five minutes were chaos as New Orleans desperately tried to take back the lead, but Brevard stood firm.
The final whistle went, and the Florida fans stormed the field. Brevard did it; they were heading to Chicago.
Old Red Eye knows the competition only gets tougher from here, but they’ve been through hell and come out the other side. Florida might just have another National Championship team on their hands.
Standing in the way of Brevard and this fairy tale ending are the men from Michigan, the Detroit Tradesmen.
While Brevard had their share of regular-season losses and close games, Detroit is the opposite. The Tradesmen have been near unstoppable this season, going undefeated in league play since they kicked off in August.
After winning the Midwest Championship over the Chicago Blaze back in November, they stacked their spring schedule with friendlies to better prepare for the playoffs.
It clearly paid off as they blanked the St. Louis Hornets in the Super Regional semifinal 66-0, advancing to the final.
It turns out they would once again face the Chicago Blaze after Blaze eked out a win over the Rocky Mountain Champions, the Denver Highlanders, 21-12.
In the all-Midwest final, Detroit scored early and scored often to storm out to a blazing lead over Chicago. With a halftime score of 31-12, the Tradesmen were only halfway through their scoring streak.
Both teams dotted down a few more times, but it was never out of Detroit’s control, final score 58-31.
If Detroit makes it to the final, it will be the first time since 2019 that a Midwest D3 team has made it to the National Championship match, following in the footsteps of the Grand Rapids Gazelles.
The last time the Northern Super Regional Champion reached the final was in 2023, when the Colorado Springs Grizzlies won their semi.
The last time a Midwest D3 team won outright was in 2011, with Metropolis claiming the National title over the Syracuse Chargers.
It would also be the Tradesmen’s first time in a D3 National Championship match, and their first visit to any National Championship match since 2018, when the D2 team finished as runners-up.
AUSTIN, TEXAS – The Brevard Old Red Eye Rugby Club continues its dominant 2026 campaign, capturing the Gulf Coast Super Regional D3 Championship in Austin with back-to-back statement victories.
Fresh off securing their third consecutive Florida Rugby Union Division 3 title earlier this month, the Red Eyes, coached by Mike (Kiwi) Nevin, carried that momentum into regionals—and elevated their game when it mattered most to win their first Gulf Coast Super Regional D3 title and a spot in the Final Four in Chicago, May 16 and 17.
On Saturday, the Red Eyes, led by two tries from winger Dewayne Parks and New Zealand-born flyhalf, Koby Deacon, delivered a powerful performance against the hometown Austin Blacks, earning a decisive 46–34 victory in a high-scoring battle that showcased their depth, pace, and attacking precision.
This avenged a four-point loss to the Blacks in the GCSR Final two years ago.
The Blacks went on to easily win the National Championship that year.
They followed it up on Sunday with an incredible second-half performance, spurred on by Man of the Match and team captain, Brock Roper, coming back from a 24-0 halftime deficit to defeat a strong New Orleans side 26-24 to secure the Super Regional title and punch their ticket for the national playoff picture.
Last year, the Red Eyes lost the GCSR Final in 2OT to the eventual National Champion, Columbia, SC, and the Red Eyes look to continue the trend of the last nine D3 National Champions coming out of the GCSR.
Founded on a culture that blends physical, hard-nosed rugby with a strong sense of camaraderie, the Red Eyes, who last year celebrated their 50-year anniversary, have built one of the most resilient and tight-knit programs in Division 3, consistently competing for the Florida Rugby Union D3 Championship.
With a strong Space Coast, national, and even international following, and a roster spanning generations of players and a history that includes championship runs and international touring, the club continues to embody both competitive excellence and community spirit.
