Rouse amassed his points through four tries, 30 conversions and nine penalties, an obvious beneficiary of San Francisco’s impressive attacking machine.

Life University’s Nolte Coetzee finished third with 69 points while Denver’s Maximo De Achaval takes fourth spot with 64.

Old Puget Sound Beach captain / Coach Evan Haigh rounds out the top five with 61 points.

For the final list of scorers click here.

YOUR CLUBS TOP SCORER

RED CONFERENCE

San Francisco: 107 Points – Volney Rouse

Belmont Shore: 53 Points – Ata Malifa

Denver Barbarians: 64 Points – Maximo De Achaval

Chicago Lions: 53 Points – Josh Cocking

OMBAC: 60 Points - Sam Gonzales

Chicago Griffins: 38 Points – Trent Garrett

Santa Monica: 46 Points – Matt Sonter

OPSB: 61 Points – Evan Haigh

BLUE CONFERENCE

Life University: 69 Points - Nolte Coetzee

NYAC: 103 Points – Dan Power

Old Blue: 55 Points – Tom Drewe

Dallas: 52 Points – Vaughn Crowe

Charlotte: 23 Points – Jason Zehmke

Boston: 24 Points – Johannes Christian Swanepoel

PAC: 16 Points – Togamau Julius Fanueli

Boston Irish: 28 Points – Shawn Hibbard

The boys from the nation’s capital gear up for season 2009 with plenty of optimism despite only claiming one win in last years Super League campaign.

Their record of one win, four losses and two ties had them finish fourth in their conference, out of the finals zone, but Coach David Etches believes the side will lift their game in his second year at the club.

Etches, a former under age England representative, says the change in conferences and some returning experience gives his side a real shot at a run to this years finals.

“We have a squad with plenty of veteran performers and a few talented youngsters mixed in,” he told usarugbysuperleague.com.

“Several older players have returned to the squad after a couple of years absence, particularly in the backline. Our backs were very young and inexperienced last year so we expect improvement in that area.

“I think our side will be a close knit group that will be very competitive. Our goals are firstly to win each week's game, which I believe is very possible with our schedule. Secondly we will be aiming to secure a home quarter-final.

“If we do the latter, I believe we will have given ourselves a real chance to make the final.”

Etches expects the side to be led by centre Greg Suellentrop and lock Geoff Eddy.

Suellentrop played flanker last season before tearing his hamstring but now back fully fit Etches has moved the elusive mover to the centres where he can get quality ball in space.

Eddy meanwhile has been a vast improver in the forward pack after his debut Super League season last year.

“Suellentrop should have a real chance to have a big impact on our games offensively now we have him a bit wider and Eddy has improved in every aspect of his game, making him a real physical presence around the park,” Etches confirms.

With less than two weeks to season kick-off Etches is looking forward to this weekends trial match against Super League’s latest edition side, Life University.

Previously PAC warmed up with a solid six tries to one victory (36-5) over Division One side Schuylkill.

The side opens their Super League campaign away to Charlotte but already the clubs fans are looking forward to the round five clash with New York Athletic Club, the reigning Super League champions.

“Having lost our nearer rivals in Washington and Philly, our biggest rival is now NYAC, as we play them often and they are the most successful club on the east coast in recent times,” Etches explains.

“We beat them in New York in the fall and if we can repeat that success this spring in DC, the team should have the confidence to make a playoff run.”

[E]2009 Schedule

Round 1 (March 14) – Away to Charlotte
[E]Round 2 (March 21) – Home to Boston Rugby
Round 3 (March 28) – Home to Life Running Eagles
Round 4 (April 4) – Away to Old Blue New York
Round 5 (April 18) – Home to New York Athletic Club
Round 6 (April 25) – Away to Boston Irish Wolfhounds
Round 7 (May 2) – Home to Dallas Harlequins

Coach Profile

Name: David Etches

Coaching Career

Years at Current Club: Two
Previous Clubs: None
Coaching Achievements: None

Playing Career

Clubs: Metropolis, Minneapolis MN, 1998-2000
PAC, Washington DC, 2000-present
Achievements: Represented England at Under 16 and Under 18 level

Last season’s champions enter the 2009 campaign with only one thought on their minds… they want to go back-to-back and once again reign supreme.

Flush with confidence after their exciting double overtime win over Belmont Shore in last year’s title decider, New York Athletic Club are ready to rumble once more.

The side finished the 2008 regular season with six wins and just one loss (to Belmont Shore) before disposing of San Francisco Golden Gate and the Denver Barbarians in the finals ahead of their clutch title win.

Packed with representative talent, you’d be a brave individual to suggest this side won’t be around when the whips are cracking once again in 2009.

Coach Michael Tolkin, now in his 10th year at the club, is confident with his side’s preparation thus far and has set lofty goals for the year.

“We are all about winning the division and winning the national championship once more,” Tolkin says.

“Our squad has been preparing well and it is an intelligent side so there is no reason to suggest we can’t be successful once more.

“We are very similar to last year but a little younger. We welcome Jeremy Atkins at centre, Angelo Malifa at fly half and USA forward Lou Stanfill at number 5.

“Weather has been rough in New York City this winter and it has been difficult to train, but the boys have done well to get into form and remain in positive spirits.”

The side has warmed up for the Super League season with matches against Cal (lost 27-19) and the USA under 20s (won 29-13) and will kick start their competitive schedule hosting Boston Rugby.

The big local derby match against Old Blue New York isn’t scheduled till round six in late April.

2009 Schedule

Round 1 (March 14) – Home to Boston Rugby
Round 2 (March 21) – Away to Life Running Eagles
Round 3 (March 28) – Home to Charlotte
Round 4 (April 4) – Away to Dallas Harlequins
Round 5 (April 18) – Away to Potomac Athletic Club
Round 6 (April 25) – Home to Old Blue New York
Round 7 (May 2) – Away to Boston Irish Wolfhounds

Coach Profile

Name: Michael Tolkin

Coaching Career

Years at Current Club: 10

Previous Clubs: None

Coaching Achievements: Two National Super League Championships (2005, 2008), USA A team v England Counties 2008; Assistant coach USA U-19 (1992-1995) & (1997-2002); Two National High School Championships - Xavier High School (1993 & 2007) 16 North Eastern Championships - Xavier High School

Playing Career

Clubs: New York Athletic Club

Achievements: Two time club MVP; Met Union Rep side 1989-1996; Eastern Rugby Union 1991-1994.

“Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” (Romans 5:3-4)

This is a quote Life University coach Scott Lawrence lives by so it’s no surprise he uses it in his capacity as mentor of the USA Rugby Super League’s newest team.

Having rejoined the premier division after a six year absence, the Running Eagles are full of pride and passion and are pumped to prove themselves on the big stage once more.

Having dropped out of the competition in 2003 the 2000 Super League champions have taken the place of St Louis after winning the 2008 Division I Championship and while they know the step up will be tough, they won’t die wondering.

There is likely to be some ‘suffering’ but with the main goal of the season to improve each and every week not just as players but as men you can’t help but have a soft spot for the side.

“We are a very young team, essentially a collegiate team competing in a premier men’s competition so it will be challenging for us,” Coach Lawrence says.

“But we have a great ethos here in this program which emphasises team first and we will always strive to be a better team no matter the odds.”

Recruitment has been strong over the past three seasons at the University but just how they stand up against other Super League clubs remains to be seen.

They will take on Potomac Athletic Club in a friendly this weekend before kick-starting the regular season against the Dallas Harlequins, no mean feat as it’s away from home against a team who went 4-2-1 last year.

If that wasn’t hard enough their first home game, in round two, is against the reigning champion New York Athletic Club.

“We are new to the league so it will be a learning curve but as a team we’ll be looking to improve against the KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) we set for ourselves each week,” Lawrence explains.

“We are under no illusions. We know we need to improve significantly to compete but I have full confidence in this squad.”

The passion inside Lawrence makes you want to believe him. It makes you feel they can do something extraordinary against the odds. So surely the men he mentors are feeling his vibes.

2009 Schedule

Round 1 (March 14) – Away to Dallas Harlequins
Round 2 (March 21) – Home to New York Athletic Club
Round 3 (March 28) – Away to Potomac Athletic Club
Round 4 (April 4) – Home to Boston Irish Wolfhounds
Round 5 (April 18) – Away to Old Blue New York
Round 6 (April 25) – Home to Charlotte
Round 7 (May 2) – Away to Boston Rugby

Coach Profile

Name: Scott Lawrence

Coaching Career

Years at Current Club: 6

Previous Clubs: None. (Coached Midwest NASC side with Paul Bergman)

Coaching Achievements: Division I National Championship 2008, USA Rugby High Performance Manager

Playing Career

Clubs: Michigan State, Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, Halifax, Northampton

Achievements: USA 15s, USA 7s, NASC Player and Captain, NA4 Player and Captain

They may have finished last in their conference with just one win last season but Old Puget Sound Beach has high hopes and expectations for 2009 with a new coach and a new look squad set to upset the apple cart in the West.

The Seattle based club welcomes back Australian Evan Haigh, a point scoring machine fullback who played with the club in 2006, as its new player / coach and could very well be a dark-horse for the finals in what is a very strong Western Conference.

Despite being pitted in a conference with the likes of Belmont Shore, OMBAC, Denver and San Francisco the boys from OPSB fear no-one and are licking their lips in anticipation for the season to kick-off.

“We are looking stronger, fitter and more intelligent every time we step onto the field,” Haigh says with extreme confidence.

“We have a number of new players stepping in who have brought a new buzz to the club and lifted the professionalism of our approach to rugby.”

Despite heavy snow and poor weather in the countries Pacific Northwest OPSB has had an extremely positive pre-season.

The squad has been playing in the Canadian BC league with the Seattle Rugby Club over the past month and the players have won three of four games.

Having lost a close game (17-12) to Abbottsford the side kicked things up a notch to defeat Kelowna (13-6), Kamloops (33-12) and Langley (52-0) and is now primed to take this form onto the Super League stage.

OPSB will be led by a number of quality players, surrounding some impressive youth.

New faces in the team include Andrew Locke at fly half, Owen Gondor at hooker and the elusive Ryan Carpenter on the wing.

You can also expect a big season from new blindside flanker Jack Holland.

“We have had an excellent influx of young new players into the club to surround some of our established top grade players,” Haigh claims.

“Jack Holland is extremely talented and has height and athleticism but what makes him special is his rugby brain which was cultured during the last two seasons in New Zealand.”

Most sides who win only one game in the prior season might have modest goals but not OPSB.

“Our first goal is to make the RSL finals series and we all firmly believe that we will achieve this because we have nothing to lose and we believe it our time to perform,” Haigh says.

“Our second goal is to win the title. Once you make the finals, anything can happen. And our third goal is to create an Elite Development pathway with a view of producing USA Eagles.

“We believe the Northwest is the forgotten territory and its time let everyone know what great talent we have up here.”

OPSB open their season away to OMBAC.

2009 Schedule

Round One (March 14) – Away to OMBAC
Round Two (March 21) – Home to Santa Monica
Round Three (March 28) – Away to Chicago Lions
Round Four (April 4) – Home to Chicago Griffins
Round Five (April 18) – Away to Belmont Shore
Round Six (April 25) – Home to San Francisco
Round Seven (May 2) – Home to Denver

Coach Profile
Name:   Evan Haigh

Coaching Career

Years at Current Club: First Season as coach

Previous Clubs: ACT Brumbies Rugby Development Officer (Canberra, Australia)

Coaching Achievements: Under 19s Monaro Representative Side

Playing Career

Clubs: Queanbeyan Whites RFC (New South Wales, Australia) 2001 -05, Canberra Vikings (ACT, Australia) 2005, Old Puget Sound Beach (Seattle, USA) 2006, Currie RFC (Edinburgh, Scotland) 2006-07, OMBAC (San Diego, USA) 2007, Darlington RFC (County Durham, England) 2007-08, Seattle RFC (USA) 2008.

Playing Achievements: Australian Capital Territory (ACT) U19's (2001), ACT U21's (2002), ACT Senior Squad (2005), USA Hawks NA4 (2006).

The 2006 champions and two-time Super League runner up wants to be back on top of the pile in 2009 but they know it won’t be easy to get there.

As part of a very strong Western Conference OMBAC must hit the ground running, something head coach Jason Wood has spent the pre-season preparing for.

The side has played pre-season games against Olympic Club from San Francisco and Meraloma (Won 42-18) from Vancouver and also competed in the Ft Lauderdale, Florida Ruggerfest tournament where they lost the final to Super League newcomers Life University.

The side is captained by Chris Clever, older brother of USA Eagles captain Todd Clever, and has an impressive blend of youth and experience.

Seasoned veterans like Riaan Hamilton, Jason Raven, Troy Donoghue and Sammy Gonzales will combine with a long list of new players including 2008 San Diego State graduates Joe Fontana, Ryan Howe and Bryan Branch.

OMBAC’s Super League season begins by hosting Old Puget Sound Beach at OMBAC Rugby Complex within Qualcomm Stadium. Kick-off for the main game is 3pm.

2009 Schedule

Round One (March 14) – Home to Old Puget Sound Beach
Round Two (March 21) – Away to Denver Barbarians
Round Three (March 28) – Home to Belmont Shore
Round Four (April 4) - Home to San Francisco
Round Five (April 18) – Away to Chicago Lions
Round Six (April 25) – Home to Chicago Griffins
Round Seven (May 2) – Away to Santa Monica

(Pic: New recruit Chase Brogan, taken by Cortney Crego)

There is arguably no better place to live while playing rugby than Santa Monica with its beautiful beaches, variety of cultures, foods and entertainment.

The setting is laid back, it’s friendly, some would say divine.

But don’t for a second think the Santa Monica Dolphins aren’t serious about their rugby.

This club is deadly serious and they intend to prove it in the 2009 Super League.

The Dolphins might not have the bankroll of some other clubs in the West but they do have plenty of heart and an impressive history that has given the side great character.

Having joined the Super League in2007 the club has had two reasonable seasons going 4-3 in their first year and 3-3-1 last season but reasonable is not their goal… they want to be play-off bound.

Coach Stuart Krohn, a former Dolphin himself, is looking for his side to build off last season where the side had chances to win some tight games but inexperience and fitness cost them.

“We have had a very effective pre-season going back to late last year and the side has responded well to tough but enjoyable training,” Krohn explains.

“We have injected some youth into our side and their enthusiasm is infectious but we also have some experienced players joining us.”

Having lost fly half Riaz Fredericks to retirement, fullback Brendon Daniels to England and centres Nathan Jones and Craig Wells to other clubs the Dolphins will boast a new look backline in 2009.

Indigenous Australian Matt Saunter comes into the side at fly half, bringing skill and vision while Samoan Charlie Va’ai joins at centre.

Former CAL captain Chase Brogan also joins the Santa Monica backline.

The combination between scrum half David Hughes and Saunter will be crucial to the Dolphins chances.

Hughes will be hoping to stay fit for the season after missing chunks of 2008 to a serious shoulder injury.

Other key players for the Dolphins are prop Adam Guerra (although work commitments may limit his appearances for the club) and forwards Joe Killefer and Eddie McKenna.

Both Killefer and McKenna are young but both continually improve their game.

McKenna is coming off a huge season where he was named the SoCal Super League Player of the Year.

If the Dolphins are to make the Super League play-offs for the first time they’ll need to do so by defeating some quality opposition.

They also need to overcome a three game away stretch in rounds four through six.

“All of the games in the Red (West) conference are tough, there are no easy confrontations,” Krohn says.

“Belmont, OMBAC, San Francisco, Denver, both Chicago teams, and Old Puget Sound Beach all provide different challenges and if you are a fraction off your game you will get beaten because the standard is so high.

“We are certainly not complaining though. We'd rather play in this conference, because every week is a test of our skill, determination and character and with quality opposition comes quality rugby and a better chance to improve.”

Santa Monica opens their season by hosting the Chicago Griffins.

2009 Schedule

Round One (March 14) – Home to Chicago Griffins
Round Two (March 21) – Away to Old Puget Sound Beach
Round Three (March 28) – Home to Denver Barbarians
Round Four (April 4) – Away to Belmont Shore
Round Five (April 18) – Away to San Francisco Golden Gate
Round Six (April 25) – Away to Chicago Lions
Round Seven (May 2) – Home to OMBAC

By Alex Goff

2008 Record: 5-2, 3rd in Red Conference
Lost in Quarterfinals to NYAC 19-14

SFGG, the continued bridesmaids of the Super League enter the 2009 heavily conscious of the fact that they lost to eventual champs NYAC by a mere five points. They can improve on that, can’t they?

They certainly could given that the club returns most of its lineup from 2008. And to that outfit club director of rugby Paul Keeler has added an influx of American talent.

”That continues to be our main focus – recruiting, developing and promoting home-grown players,” said Keeler.

Tevita Okusi and Faimlao Tapui join the club, as do former or current USA U20 players Kevin Erskine and David Tamhilau. They join a bunch of talented young rugby players such as Danny La Prevotte , Josh Merliner, Damien Fatongia and Mile Pulu.

”Last year I think we slipped up with early close losses that forced us to have to win out on the road,” said Keeler.

“We were able to do that, but couldn’t pull out another road win in the end. Many people and clubs do not realize how difficult it is to travel and win especially, cross-country, and week-in and week-out.”

So Keeler will be forced to teach that lesson to a new group of young players. He will be learning on an experienced group – especially front rowers such as Conor Coyne and Mone Laulaupeaalu, and in the backs Mose Timoteo and Toshi Palamo command all sorts of respect.

Will that be the right mix? Hard to tell. SFGG has so long leaned on the experience of veterans. Now Keeler brings youth, and hopes to harness that energy to go just a little bit further.

“We are excited at where we are at the moment,” said Keeler.

“We feel that we are ahead of where we were this time last year and we always looked at this as a multi-year process.  As a club we strive to concentrate on performance, and let the winning take care of itself.  Of course, we would like to win the league, and at the very least in order to win it, you will have to beat SFGG.”

By Alex Goff

2008 Record: 3-4, 3rd in Blue Conference
Now in: Western Conference

In 2008 the Chicago Griffins finished 3-4 and missed the playoffs, but they weren’t that far out – one more try against Charlotte would have changed it all around.

So when new coach Wes Parkes arrived in the Windy City in September he knew he had a club that was close to being among the top teams, if he could just find that little area of improvement.

Parkes spent the fall experimenting with some lineup options and looking at the new players.

”The fall season was about looking at who we have here and what they’re able to do,” Parkes said.

“And also during that time we blooded nine new local guys into a new level of rugby. That was good – we’re trying to create depth and we’re mixing experience with those new players.”

He needs to having lost a few - Murray Roeske, Ryan Westaway and Scott Puckett have moved on, but they’ve added an Australian-heavy group including Trent Garrett, Stephen Wolff, Jeff Jackson, Andrew Castrission and Jeremy Osborne.

All have had little time between the end of the fall and the start of the RSL season to really get ready. They played only two games outside – against Austin and Pearl City, both wins. But for Parkes the real work was done over the winter.

”I think we’ve trained exceptionally well during the winter,” said Parkes, whi is also a personal trainer.

“We had a good winter conditioning program and that proved to have worked. We’re pretty fit and I was pleased to see in our two outings that we improved markedly in the second game. Against Pearl City I was quite pleased with how we coped. We knew what we were up against and we put ourselves under pressure.”

Parkes wants the Griffins to be more than a team that relies on its tight five – using a deep three anchored by Brendan Brown and a solid loose forward trio to attack out wide and maintain continuity.

”I am looking for quality across the park,” the coach said.

They will be doing this in an extremely tough schedule that includes the four Californian teams, who have all had much more game time leading up to this weekend.

”I think we’ve matured, but where that places us in the contest I don’t know,” Parkes said.

“I like the team; they have good spirit and good self belief. The training’s been tough but the guys have pulled together and I’m very, very excited.”

By Jackie Finlan

2008 Record: 5-2, 2nd in Red Conference, lost in semifinals to NYAC 22-8

Denver coach Dave Hodges has layered his Super League goals, which begin with a win Saturday against San Francisco Golden Gate and escalate to a home seed in playoffs – but the weeklong and season-long goals are evenly weighted.

”With the league restructure into two eight-team conferences, on paper, the Western Conference is tougher, but we’ll see if that bears true at the end of the season,” said head coach Dave Hodges.

The Barbarians can’t afford to gaze too far into playoff land, as one misstep during the regular season could cost them a repeat post-season berth.

“In this conference, we can’t take an early loss and expect to make it up later,” Hodges explained. “All the teams are strong.”

The Barbos are ironing out the wrinkles left by natural turnover, but Hodges is happy with the team’s three pre-season matches.

Denver crushed the Gentlemen of Aspen 67-15 nearly three weeks ago, lost to a fit and fierce BYU team (32-20) the following week, and downed visiting Charlotte 40-7 last weekend.

“We were a little rusty in our game against Charlotte,” said Hodges, “but we focused on our attacking game, forgoing some easy penalties.”

Hopefully that’s enough to sink San Francisco Golden Gate this Saturday, a team Hodges believes could be the team to beat in the West.

Denver lost key players in stalwarts Mike Landau in the front row and scrumhalf Tyson Meek.

“But that’s the thing,” Hodges says.

"There’s solid competition from at least two players for every hole.”

Dai Maddocks and recent addition Mark Trumble from Tulsa have stepped into prop and have really solidified the front row; fresh faces at flyhalf – veteran Dan Bludeau and newbie David Laidlaw are battling for the starting #10 jersey; and the Meek vacancy is being filled by long-standing Barbo Matt Lancaster and Welshman Sam Gillam.”

The roster still boasts well recognized talents in lock Mike Mangan, a superb loose forward combo in Nic Johnson, Justin Stencel and Pat Quinn, as well as Mark Bokhoven on the wing.

Hodges acknowledges that winning the Western Conference is a huge accomplishment, but with a promising lineup, he also knows it’s not out of reach.

“We need to earn enough bonus points so we can have a home seed in the playoffs,” Hodges explained.

“Not just because of the effect on our performance, but on our wallets. We missed out on one bonus point last year and spent thousands of dollars getting to New York.”

So it’ll be a mixture of the tried-and-true “one day at a time” and “eye on the prize” mantras that will hopefully lead last year’s Super League semifinalists to the top of the Western Conference.

By Ed Hagerty

2008 Record: 4-3, 2nd in White Conference. Lost to Belmont Shore in quarterfinals 36-8.

The Boston Irish Wolfhounds started practicing indoors in early January, as there was and is still snow on the ground in Massachusetts. They held their first official outdoor practice on March 11th.

But they still managed to play four preseason games in preparation for the 2009 Super League season, losing to Army with a mixed team and then traveling to Florida where they dropped a decision to the USA U20s before defeating the Cayman Islands and Palmer College pretty solidly at the Fort Lauderdale Ruggerfest.

The team’s strength has traditionally been with its forwards but Wolfhounds coach Steve Teasdale feels that the club has a good balance this year, with accomplished backs and a solid set of forwards to win them possession.

“The pack is not as big as it has traditionally been but it is a bit faster. So we have a better balance this year,” said Teasdale.

Among the forwards that Teasdale expects solid contributions from are tighthead Jake Sprague, a promising young player who came over from Mystic River; new USA cap Brian Lemay in the front row; loose forwards Peter Lennon, who captains the side, and Jason Wright.

Among the backs who are maturing into representative-quality players are center Owen Collins and halfback Mark Tutton, who is back from New Zealand .

In addition to Jake Sprague, other new additions include loosehead Dave Hogan from All-Ireland League team Young Munster, lock Mark Litke from Old Puget Sound Beach, and Irish loose forward Stuart Abbot from Greystones and Leinster.

“Our pack,” said Teasdale, “was getting a little long in the tooth and we needed some younger blood. We got that in a balance between overseas experience and good promising American players. Compared to last year’s Wolfhounds this team is a little younger. Whether it’s going to be better will be determined in the next few weeks.”

And, added Teasdale, “a major strength the club is benefiting from are the contributions of Colin Jones as the forwards coach and having Shane Moore, who captained Irish Schools, as the backs coach.”

Regarding the Wolfhounds’ opponents in the eight team Eastern Conference, Teasdale said, “Clearly every game is very important and the worst thing you can do is underestimate anyone. We don’t know who the up-and-coming sides are, but having Life in the mix has made the Eastern Conference much more competitive. Life’s presence is going to make qualifying for the playoffs a much harder task for all the teams. Every team must look at every game as very important.  

“The Wolfhounds’ goal this year is to play to our potential. We have a new side, and we’ll see how we perform. We have the capability to be a good side but we have a learning curve to go through and we’ve got to get the chemistry right.”

By Ed Hagerty

2008 Record: 1-4-2, 5th in Blue Conference

Old Blue (New York City) began practice for the 2009 Super League season with indoor training during the first week in December; outdoor training started on January 31.

The club made up for that by traveling to Georgia where they played preseason scrimmages against Life University and the Chicago Lions, and they added a crosstown scrimmage with 2008 Super League Champion New York Athletic Club earlier this month.

Director of Rugby Sean Horan felt that the scrimmages “Went very well. We treated them strictly as scrimmages and focused on areas we needed to work on. We emerged injury free, which was key, because we had a lot of pre-season injuries last season. Overall our pre-season was a success.”

Horan considers this season a rebuilding/transition year.

“We want to bring the core players back together and focus on attracting young American talent from the New York City area. We are looking within the club and from the local area to develop players. It’s been a very strong recruiting winter and we should be a bit better than last year.”

Forwards that significant contributions are expected from include prop and club captain Chris Carey, former Eagle hooker Mark Griffin, Will Brazier, who can play both hooker and prop, and former college football standout James Lik, capped in 2005, at second row.

Among the backs flyhalf Ross McClelland, who had a great fall season, center Dom Waring and wing Mike Malan, a former NFL Europe football player, are athletes that will be depended upon.

And they add two players who had successful stints at DI clubs in the area – No. 8 Justin Ripley comes over from Long Island and center Troy Hall, who played in four IRB 7s tournaments for the USA last year, joins the XVs team after a standout 7s summer for Old Blue.

Old Blue also acquired a new head coach, Guillaume Cieutat, who has a Rugby League background.

“He’s doing great,” enthused Horan “He’s got the boys running and they’re extremely fit. He’s instituted a rugby league style in the backs where they’re running a lot of angles, a lot of flat ball and different maneuvering. He’s installed a sound structure and a lot off discipline, which the club was lacking.”

Helping out Cieutat are former Eagle coach Ray Cornbill and Northeast all-star coach Jaco Visser.

Old Blue won just the single game in 2008, but it’s clear that record could have been a lot better with a little luck – they tied twice and lost one game by just two points; turn those around and you’ve got a 4-3 record.

”It’s a big rebuilding year and every team is our strongest opponent,” warned Horan, but added that doesn’t mean they can’t have goals.

“Our goal this year is to get back in the playoffs.”

By Ed Hagerty

2008 Record: 5-0-2, won Blue Conference, lost to Chicago Lions in quarterfinals

After playing a full fall season in New England’s DI league, Boston began practice for the 2009 season during the first week in January.

They were indoors the majority of the time, getting outdoors at the beginning of March, and got few on-field opportunities.

A mixed Boston squad played a single preseason game against White Plains and augmented that with a possibles versus probables match.

According to Captain Brendan Ridge, Boston’s strength lies in the coaching of Eugene Mountjoy, its defense and its ability to play as a unit.

Despite several inquiries to determine Boston’s key players, Ridge declined to single out any of his forwards or backs.

“We play as a very cohesive unit and don’t have a super star mentality,” said Ridge.

“I wouldn’t say nobody stood out, but that everybody stood out; it was a cohesive unit working together as one. You can see that in last year’s try scoring stats, which were pretty well distributed.”

Boston continues to recruit from a deep local talent pool.

Their philosophy, said Ridge, “has always been to build from local colleges and programs. We have very few imports and the ones we have got here on their own, and came out to play for us. Almost all of our recruiting is from local colleges and universities.”

That philosophy helped push Boston to an undefeated regular season – five wins and two ties – in 2008.

As for this year, “we’re very similar; we’re focusing on being successful in areas such as team attack,” said Ridge. “We have a good head coach in Eugene Mountjoy and we’ve beefed up our coaching staff with the addition of two new assistants in Mike Rosbottom and Mike Diamantopoulos.”

Team depth has also improved thanks to the efforts of Chris Williams. At the end of last year their lack of depth came back to haunt them and that’s been addressed with the off-season addition of new players from local colleges such as Boston College , Northeastern and the University of Hartford .

In an Eastern Conference full of unknown factors, Ridge said, “I’ve played in the Super League for a while and we try not to take any one team more seriously than another. I know that any of the eight teams are capable of beating any of the others on a given day. One team that does stand out is the NYAC, last year’s National Champ, who we play in our opening match this weekend.”

It’s going to be tough for Boston to get through all seven matches without a loss, like last year, but they’ll trade that for a win or two in the playoffs.

By Jackie Finlan

2008 Record: 6-1, 2nd in Blue Conference. Lost to Denver in the Quarterfinals

When asked to project the success of his team this Super League season, Charlotte coach David Hamilton said, "Had you asked me seven days ago, I might have been more optimistic."

During last week’s away match vs. the Denver Barbarians, Charlotte suffered two major injuries, losing loose forwards Jack Lang and Ryan Kearey, and will now open its season with a completely new back row.

Recently joined scrumhalf/utility back Dutch Jones is out for a couple of weeks, and playmakers Justin Stencel (to Denver) and Seta Tuilevuka have moved on.

Hamilton has empowered the younger players to step up.

Twenty-year-old Michael Felts, a graduate of the Charlotte high school rugby system, is one of those players who will hopefully capitalize on the starting opportunity.

“Mike is in his third year with us,” Hamilton said of the winger/fullback, “and this is his chance to establish himself. It’ll be interesting to see who will perform under the pressure.”

Injuries are always unfortunate, especially when the majority of the 2008 squad spent last fall and preseason solidifying a game plan that aimed to eradicate last year’s Super League shortcomings.

Knocked out in the 2008 quarterfinals against eventual champion New York AC (39-24), Hamilton’s adjustments revolve around keeping the ball in hand and establishing their set pieces, which struggled against larger packs.  

“We’ve certainly changed some things,” Hamilton said, “to challenge other teams and keep things fresh with our players.”

Charlotte tested its strategy in three pre-season matches against Life (L 7-33), Media RFC (W 38-10) and Denver (L 7-40) and are looking to the playoffs again this year.

But first they need to get past Potomac AC this Saturday.

The teams have opened their seasons against each other the past three years, with Charlotte losing the first two meetings and winning the 2008 matchup.

Despite Charlotte’s recent success against its conference mates and finishing 6-1 in the Blue Conference in 2008, Hamilton doesn’t expect an easy win.

“PAC has a different coaching staff this year,” Hamilton explained, “and they have a really physical pack. We’re going to have bad weather in Charlotte, so it’s going to be a challenge for us. It’s going to be difficult to compete.”

By Alex Goff

2008 Record: 5-2, Lost final to NYAC in OT

Champions in 2007 and runners up by a hair in 2008, Belmont Shore should rightly feel they wouldn’t need to change much to contend again.

And yet a few changes have been thrust upon them.

Head coach Jonnie Cox moved to England, prompting the club to bring back Matt Webber, who led them through 2006.

They’d love to have Nese Malifa running the offense at flyhalf, but Malifa’s 7s duties, combined with post 7s World Cup surgery, will nix that as a regular option.

What they do have is a returning core of players that include Eagles Ben Wiedemer at lock, Mark Kernen and Henry Bloomfield in the back row. Caine Elisara, MVP of the 2007 final and the only man to win two Super League titles (USA and Canada) in one year, returns after a year away to not only patrol at flanker but captain the squad.

Matt Hawkins has made the move from OMBAC to Belmont Shore, but his 7s duties could well mean he’s not available much, either.

In the backs Rob Laird, Iopu Sanonu, Pete Sio, Brent Ilgin, Tony Fratangelo and Ata Malifa all bring continuity, experience and ability to the threequarter unit.

”Most of the guys been training pretty hard since November,” said Weidemer.

”Some more joined in January. So far it’s been really good. We had a tough game against LA this past weekend and it kind of forced us to get one more good hit-out before Super League starts.”

Among the players to watch who are new or becoming more prominent, Arkansas native Jake Grubbs seems set to take over at tighthead prop. Former USA u19 back Cory Joseph spent some time in New Zealand and has been playing well, and Jonathan Pratter – the track man recruited to 7s will see a little time too.

”JP’s got some wheels, and with speed like his you almost have to have him on the field,” said Wiedemer.

So it’s a largely unchanged team.

”Nothing from last year really needed fixing,” said Weidemer.

“We thought we were solid all around. Aside from some crucial errors we would have had another trophy. We weren’t deficient personnel-wise or tactically. It was just errors and execution.”

And as evidenced by their late comeback to force overtime in last year’s final, Belmont Shore has heart, too.

”I don’t know of any club in the US trains like we do or is as tight as we are,” said Wiedemer.

By Alex Goff

2008 Record: 4-3, 3rd in White Conference, lost to Belmont Shore in semifinals

It seems like few think of the Chicago Lions as one of the elites of the Super League, and yet they’ve reached the semifinals in each of the past four seasons, making the final in 2007.

There’s little reason to believe they can’t do it again, but if they do contend for a title it will take a lot of work from some young players.

Head coach Marty Wiggins did have to say goodbye to flyhalf/center Scott Peterson, who moved back to Indianapolis. But he has also welcomes several new faces.

University of Minnesota star center Lucas Thiem adds some firepower in the midfield, and Ed Long is another UM talent. Matt Kelly has joined the club from the South Side Irish, eager to test his mettle in the national league.

Add to that several returning players in the pack – flanker Tommy Dolan, front-rower Chad Slaby and lock Dustin Hugen among them – and you have some stability. USA tighthead prop Jon Vitale captains the side. Not a vocal man, Vitale will lead by example.

”We have a lot of voices on the club,” said Wiggins.

“Leadership can come in many forms, and Jon is one of those whose actions speak volumes. In every action he has totally applied himself. He wants to be back in the national team and he is working very hard. The players see that.”

In the backs, the loss of Peterson will be felt, but they have plenty of ability there and work well as a team.

”The key is we need to work on player development and molding the team around the talent we have,” said Wiggins.

“We can’t invent things that aren’t there, and we have to evolve and develop around the skill sets that we have. We have some very, very athletic players in this country, and it’s about marrying those things to what we want to accomplish.”

So Wiggins doesn’t want to create a club in anyone’s image but that of the Lions, and the athletes he is able to recruit. That’s how they will continue to be successful.

Success won’t be easy, though. In the Western Conference the Lions will have to be on every week.

”There are no days off,” Wiggins said. “It’s a short season, an acid test for the players. You can’t afford to let up any week because there are so many good teams in the conference. But the players want it. It’s how you test yourself. Will we make the playoffs? There are a lot of unknowns out there.”

By Jackie Finlan

2008 Record: 4-2-1, 4th in White Conference

Youth is the name of the game in Dallas, and with the number of early-20s players either sitting out their college seasons or graduating through the ranks to play Super League, the Harlequins are breeding their success from the ground up.

Coach Michael Engelbrecht has been blooding his young players with vets, taking on Texas DI teams in the fall and spring. They’ve been faring well, outscoring opponents by more than 40 points a game.

Those tallies can be misleadingly for players with no Super League experience, so coach is mindful of his players’ perspective.

“We let them dream,” Engelbrecht said, “but we have to be real. Therefore, we can’t look too far down the road and must have a game-by-game focus.”

Aside from a full fall and pre-season schedule, the ‘Quins take a lot of contact at practice to prepare themselves for the rigors of RSL.

That said, playoffs are definitely in the Harlequins’ scope. Though they’re young, “they’re salty,” Engelbrecht said. Former US U19 Jimmy Jewison and tighthead Gonzalo Ruiz are both 21 and will be supported by pack leader Jason Rogers at lock. Tim McNeeley, Jason Engelbrecht (21) and Ben Oppliger all bring a lot of experience on the flank.

New faces in scrumhalf James Gallo, flyhalf Charles Davidson and Kieran Ross mix with stalwart performers Johan Van Rensburg as captain and center and Vaughn Crowe at flyhalf.

As Dallas finds its stride in winning matches this season, the focus will become earning those ever-precious bonus points. They just missed the playoffs last year, even though they finished 4-2-1 in the White Conference. They were edged for a playoff spot by teams who managed more close losses.

They begin their season against returning Super League team Life University. Even though Dallas doesn’t have any experience playing Life, Engelbrecht got a look at them while in Ft. Lauderdale with the US U20s (a coaching commitment that will take him to Kenya for almost a month in April during the World Junior Trophy). Life is “fast and physical. We’ll definitely have our work cut out for us,” coach assessed.

Challenged or not, young or not, there is still a brand of Quins rugby in which Engelbrecht is confident.

“It’s traditional ‘Quins,” coach explained. “We’re smaller in the front, so we have to be smarter, physical and more mobile in our forward pack. We also have the ability to play to the ball and over the ball.”

If Dallas can play to it strengths and continue to draw fresh blood from its feeder system, and if they can at least squeeze out those bonus points every week, then perhaps they won’t just miss out on the postseason this time.

The huge Western Division clash will be the first rugby event staged at the venue and will kick off at 4pm.

The partnership between the Barbarians and Dick’s Sporting Goods Park to produce this featured rugby game introduces the RSL to the finest venue, with the greatest seating capacity, of any match in the history of the league.

Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, home of the Major League Soccer Colorado Rapids, has a capacity of 18,086 and is a state-of-the-art stadium surrounded by 24-lighted playing fields.  

The Barbarians and the Lions, both charter members of the RSL founded in 1996, were semi-finalists in the 2008 Rugby Super League championships making this clash a highly anticipated battle.

The Barbarians have twice been US National Club Champions and were established in 1967.

The Lions, founded in 1964, won the last outing between the clubs in overtime in the 2006 RSL Quarter-finals in Chicago.

This match is the culmination of a three-year business relationship between the Barbarians and Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, which began when the rugby club committed to playing its matches at the facility.

The day will also feature high school and college rugby making the $10 ticket price an absolute bargain.

Children under the age of 10 accompanied by an adult will be admitted free.

The first curtain raiser will feature two of the top high school programs in Colorado (Denver East High School and Chaparral High School), with kick off at 12:30 pm.

The second game will match the University of Colorado Rugby Club and the Denver Barbarians Division II side, with kick off at 2:00 pm.

Tickets are available at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Park Box Office from Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., via phone by calling 1-866-461-6556, at the kiosks inside all Colorado Dick’s Sporting Goods locations, or online at TicketHorse.com.

For more information on the Barbarians go to www.denverbarbarians.com

For more information on the Lions go to www.chicagolions.com

For more specifics on Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, go to: www.dickssportinggoodspark.com/Stadium/Facts.aspx.