| By Benjamin Everill There is plenty to play for in the final round of Rugby Super League action as play off places go on the line in the Blue Conference while play off seeding is the focus over in the Red Conference. With Life University and New York Athletic Club already guaranteed the top two seeds in the Blue Conference, five other clubs will battle it out for the remaining two spots in a massive weekend of rugby. In the Red Conference the four teams heading to the playoffs are decided but their seeding is far from settled which means home finals are on the line. History shows home finals are crucial in this competition so there will be plenty of tough footy showcased. BLUE CONFERENCE CHARLOTTE (4TH) @ OLD BLUE NEW YORK (3RD) This is probably the most critical game in the Blue Conference as the winner will cement a place in the post season while the loser is every chance of being bundled out of the top four. The best either Old Blue or Charlotte can manage is a third place finish however should they lose and other results go against them they could crash as low as sixth in the standings, finishing their challenge for the 2009 RSL title. If Charlotte loses without a bonus point they would need PAC to beat Dallas, without obtaining a bonus point and Boston to lose to Life University to have any chance of holding on to fourth place. Both teams must regroup from heavy defeats. Old Blue fell 38-5 to NYAC last weekend while Charlotte was shut out 41-0 at Life University. With a much stronger attack and defence Old Blue is favoured to clinch third spot with a win here but if they are at all complacent Charlotte will pounce. Old Blue has scored an average 25.2 points a game and conceded 24.2 while Charlotte are only managing to post 17 points a game while conceding 26.3. LIFE UNIVERSITY RUNNING EAGLES (1ST) @ BOSTON (6TH) Boston face mission almost impossible if they are to be involved in the finals. Not only do they have to beat the currently undefeated Life University Running Eagles but they also need Charlotte and Dallas to lose so they can leapfrog them into the finals zone. First things first for Boston though. How do they find a way to crack the Life Uni defence which has been phenomenal this season? Last weekend the Running Eagles clinched top spot in the conference with a shut out 41-0 win over Charlotte while Boston fell 28-7 to Dallas to put their season on the brink. Life now boasts an offence which is scoring 31.5 points a game and the RSLâs best defence which is conceding just 11.3 points a match. Boston on the other hand are scoring just 20.2 points and giving up 24.3. There is some light at the end of the tunnel for Boston and their fans. With Life already assured top spot coach Scott Lawrence may opt to rest players with niggling injuries. Should this prove the case, the door will be unlocked and the home side will have a better chance to find a way through it. DALLAS HARLEQUINS (5TH) @ POTOMAC ATHLETIC CLUB (7TH) This is another massive match up with both sides needing victory to feature in the finals. Dallas can clinch a spot in the post-season with a win and can finish as high as third should other results go their way while PAC can clinch a spot in the finals with a bonus point win as long as Boston is beaten and Charlotte lose without gaining a bonus point. Dallas come into the match on the back of a hard fought 28-7 win over Boston while PAC put away the Boston Irish Wolfhounds 26-10 to stay in contention. While Dallas (3-3) boast the superior record over PAC (2-4) they have failed to play well away from home losing both of their away matches so far this season. Itâs a psychological barrier they must overcome as even if they manage to sneak into the finals with a win, theyâll be playing away against a top Red Conference team. With just 77 points scored this season PAC needs to find a way to lift its offence to gain a bonus point for four tries but with the knowledge there is no tomorrow you can be sure theyâll chance their arm. Dallas must focus on the basics of rugby, take their opportunities as they come or face finals oblivion. NEW YORK ATHLETIC CLUB (2ND) @ BOSTON IRISH WOLFHOUNDS (8TH) The final match in the Blue Conference has no bearing on the make up of the finals with NYAC guaranteed to finish second regardless of the result here. Boston Irish can not make the play offs but it is conceivable they could offloads last place in the Conference to PAC should they manufacture a bonus point win and PAC fail to take anything from their match. It will be interesting to see how NYAC approach the game. Will they rest players before the finals or will they look to tune up their attack and defence before the play offs begin? RED CONFERENCE CHICAGO LIONS (3RD) @ SAN FRANCISCO GOLDEN GATE (1st) The match of the round in the Red Conference is most certainly this one between the Lions and San Francisco. A home final goes on the line here with the winner guaranteed a place in the top two while the loser is almost certain to miss out on the chance to host a Blue conference side in the first week of play-offs. Chicago can actually finish anywhere from first to fourth depending on results while the home side could fall as low as third although they are in the box seat as a bonus point win would clinch top spot in the conference. San Francisco enter the match after four blistering wins over the Chicago Griffins, OMBAC Santa Monica and OPSB, the combined total being a massive 216-51, showing just how deadly they can be. The Lions have won their last two matches but have been a little scratchy, gaining their wins over OMBAC and Santa Monica in the dying moments. BELMONT SHORE (2nd) @ CHICAGO GRIFFINS (5TH) Belmont Shore can clinch a home final with victory over the Chicago Griffins and possibly move up to top spot should San Francisco lose or should Belmont gain a bonus point win and San Francisco win without the bonus point. For the Griffins, the game is about pride on their home turf as they look to finish the year strongly. The Griffins rocketed up to fifth spot with an impressive 30-17 win over OMBAC in San Diego and can maintain the respectable position with a win here while a loss could see them slip back to sixth. Belmont has won five straight games after a tie in the opening round to be the only undefeated side in the Red Conference, their last win a last minute 17-16 result over Denver in Denver. DENVER BARBARIANS (4TH) @ OLD PUGET SOUND BEACH (8TH) Denver canât be usurped in the finals but they can strive to move up to third if they can muster a bonus point win over the last placed OPSB in Seattle. Should the Lions fail to earn any points against San Francisco and the Barbarians take maximum points the teams will tie on 22 points however Denver would clinch third thanks to a 28-6 victory over their rivals earlier this year. With this in mind you can be sure the visitors will be looking to play attacking rugby at OPSBâs fantastic new rugby venue. The home side officially opened the pitch last week against SFGG and while the heavy 73-25 score line against them seems massive, it belies the effort put in by the home side against a red hot San Francisco. If the Barbarians think they are facing an easy task, they should think again as OPSB is full of pride and will fight to the death knowing they can rid themselves of last place with a win. OLD MISSION BEACH ATHLETIC CLUB (7TH) @ SANTA MONICA (6TH) While neither side here can feature in the play-offs this southern Californian match up always turns out to be a cracking game of rugby. Injuries have cruelled both side in 2009 but they will muster their squads for one last assault to guarantee they donât finish on the bottom of the Red Conference standings. Santa Monica come into the match having suffered a heartbreaking injury time loss to the Chicago Lions while OMBAC fell to the other team from the windy city, the Griffins, last weekend. Both clubs have tremendous pride and will give 100percent to the final whistle.
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