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The upcoming 2010 Rugby Super League (RSL) Season should be one of parity, with the team that gets off to a hot start, more than likely, finding itself in the best position to capture an advantage against their playoff competition. Teams from all over the league seem to be on par with each other due to the usual departure of various team members and the acquisition of new and unusually young talent.

In addition, part of the reason for the relatively even playing field is the departure of two RSL teams: Belmont Shore, one of the most successful RSL teams since the inception of the league, and Santa Monica. Those clubs' departures leave OMBAC as the only Southern California RSL team and could propel its proximal counterparts to runs at the title.

With the kickoff of the 2010 Rugby Super League season just a couple of days away, it's time to take a look at how the teams in each conference are stacking up.

East Preview

Perennial contenders New York Athletic Club look like they have had a successful off-season.  Newcomers such as U.S. Eagles prop Jake Sprague have joined the club, moving over from the Boston Irish Wolfhounds’ 2009 RSL squad.  NYAC has also secured the talents of USA Sevens players Troy Hall and Pete O’Brien, who has provincial experience in Ireland.  Coach Mike Tolkin has crammed as much playing time as possible into the last few weeks with fixtures against Media RFC and a trip to Ruggerfest in Fort Lauderdale.  Generally happy with the results so far, he notes the valuable learning process of getting punished for fundamental mistakes.

Still in the Big Apple, Old Blue coach Gui Cieutat is also fresh off a successful trip to Florida where he took a young squad to play a couple of games against Miami-based opponents.  He feels the squad is getting ready to gel and step up to the Super League level, and with a renewed focus on homegrown talent, he is looking forward to taking on what he calls a “red-hot” Boston team. 

That Boston team had a great Fort Lauderdale tournament with wins over Boca Raton and a noteworthy win over NYAC, the latter being played in horrific weather conditions.  Boston has a young and eager squad, bolstered by a couple of recruits with Division 1 experience in Ireland.  With their focus on fitness, conditioning and game preparation, this Boston side continues to improve and is certainly a team to watch in 2010.

Boston’s cross-town rivals, the Boston Irish Wolfhounds will surely be looking to improve on last year’s 1-6 record. Another team with a number of new faces on their roster, new Wolfhounds Coach Adam Lewis seemed to be playing his cards close to his chest at Ruggerfest, trying out various combinations.  Hopefully their final run-out in West Point against Army, which they lost 26-22, doesn't quite indicate what we can expect for 2010.

Further South, Potomac Athletic Club (PAC) will also be looking to improve on last year’s standings.  Their first week’s opponent, Charlotte Rugby Club, will no doubt be looking to continue the club’s solid results from the fall season. Charlotte has struggled with getting preseason games in because of the weather, relying primarily on in-house preparation.  Joe Crowley and Dutch Jones are two promising young backs that are expected to contribute to Charlotte’s run this season, complementing veterans such as hooker Jason Hinchmann.

Last, but certainly not least, we have Life University.  Following their spectacular return to the Super League last year, Director of Rugby Dan Payne will surely want to go one further in 2010 and win it all.  With solid D1 and developing undergraduate programs, Life should have no problem maintaining depth and will likely be the East team to beat in 2010.  

West Preview

In recent years, teams in the West have seemed to have had the bulk of the glory in the Rugby Super League, with NYAC being the only team to break the Western domination.  Time will tell, however, whether the teams in the West will continue their dominance in 2010.

The Dallas Harlequins is one team that expects their new residence in the West Conference to be a challenge.  Previously in the East Conference, coach Mike Engelbrecht is anticipating a different style of play in their new home, with the ball being moved around more.  Interestingly, the move to the wide open spaces of the West might actually mean less of a travel burden on the Harlequins. 

Dallas made it to the quarterfinals last year, losing to the eventual champions San Francisco Golden Gate. Incidentally, Vaughn Crowe, who scored all Dallas’ points in that game has retired, along with other notables David Care and Scott Schmidt.  Dallas hopes to get a number of new recruits up and running quickly, while Zach Rutledge and former USA U-19 player Jimmy Jewison are expected to continue to impress. 

Also looking to develop young players is Old Puget Sound Beach.  Their two preseason games have been encouraging, and Coach Haigh seems to be still experimenting with his lineup.  The club has been focusing heavily on recruitment and about half the roster are expected to be players who are new to the RSL.  Investing in the future should pay dividends in raising the level of rugby in the Northwest.  Old Puget split their two preseason games against tough Southern California opponents, winning against Santa Monica and dropping one against Belmont Shore.

Continuing the youth theme, OMBAC also expect a serious youth contingent for the upcoming season.  Joe Welch is a National Team player who should flourish, as well as Number 8 Tai Tuisamoa.  Zach Pangelinan is a former international soccer player who has been in the National player pool and is developing as a great flyhalf. 

Last year, however, the club had several games in preseason, and felt they peaked a bit early.  In addition, several preseason injuries hurt the club in 2009.  This year, there have been significantly fewer games scheduled and it remains to be seen what the trade-off between game preparation and injury prevention might be this year.

Struggling to get quality games into their preseason preparation, the Denver Barbarians had just three outdoor sessions before their tune-up scrimmage against National Collegiate Champions Brigham Young University.  This annual fixture is an important part of Denver’s preparation, and the teams seemed well matched, with the Barbarians edging a close contest.  A League semifinalist the last two years, Denver will host the National Champions San Francisco Golden Gate in the season opener at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on Sunday.  With a raft of representative level players on display, it promises to be a great season opener for the spectators. 

San Francisco Golden Gate coach Paul Keeler will no doubt want to get his defense of the RSL crown off to a good start.  San Francisco had their final tilt of the preseason with a well attended game and a victory against Olympic Club, with a portion of the proceeds from the gate and a subsequent reception contributed to the KAM Foundation, a breast cancer patient support foundation.

Heading over to Chicago, the Chicago Lions have deepened their roster with a slew of recent college grads.  The Lions will be aiming to continue their streak of qualifying for the playoffs the last five years, and with their success on the sevens circuit, the Lions will be looking to use speed to their advantage.   Scrimmages against Life University have featured in their preseason preparations.   The Lions will have their bye-week first and then begin their campaign in week 2 against the cross-town rival Chicago Griffins. 

The Chicago Griffins had their first run around of their preseason in Fort Lauderdale and team representative Brendan Brown was happy with the improvement shown over the two days.  He mentions Andrew Suniula and Keikiokalani ‘Keiki’ Misipeka as new and exciting players to watch as the Griffins look to improve their record from last year.  With a six game season, it looks as if there is little room for error for the members of the very strong West Conference.    

West Conference

Old Mission Beach Athletic Club @ Old Puget Sound Beach 
Magnuson Park - Saturday, March 13 - 3 p.m. (PST)

OMBAC coach Jason Wood is excited for the start of the season, saying "(the team) is just excited to get out and start playing rugby." Due to the Gainey Cup matches being rained out, OMBAC's Super League side hasn't seen much preseason work.

Old Puget Sound Beach starts the season the same way it did last year, with a very tough match against OMBAC. This year, however, the game is on their pitch and OPSB is looking for a win early out against the SoCal side.

San Francisco Golden Gate @  Denver Barbarians
Dick's Sporting Goods Park  -  Sunday, March 14 - 1 p.m. (MDT)*notice Daylight Savings Time begins.

The reigning champions, San Francisco Golden Gate, tuned up for the season with a preseason win over the previously unbeaten Olympic Club. Although they lost some key players, especially RSL All-Conference flyhalf, Volney Rouse, San Francisco's depth should prove to be the strength that keeps them competitive.

The off-season also brought some changes to the Denver Barbarians. The Barbos announced that Stephen Hazel, the only coach to win an RSL Championship with Denver, would return to the club as head coach for the 2010 season after last coaching them in 1998 and 1999. Hazel's return, coupled with the announcement that thier home games will be hosted in the stadium at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, makes for a highly-anticipated start to the season.

Dallas Harlequins @ Chicago Griffins
Riis Park -  Saturday, March 13 - 1 p.m. (CST) 

The Dallas Harlequins 2010 Super League season will be very different than the 2009 campaign. After a short period of competing in the Eastern Conference, the 'Quins will be heading out west in search of gold. The team was switched to the Western Conference after the departure of Belmont and Santa Monica and this road may prove harder for the boys from Dallas, as they no doubt wish to replicate their successful 2009 season, which saw the side reach the quarterfinals only to be ousted by SFGG. 

After missing out on the RSL playoffs last year, compiling a 2-5 record, the Chicago Griffins look to give Dallas a big welcome to the Western Conference at home this weekend. The Griffins hope to capitalize on last year's experiences and look for this to be a bounce back season for their club. After introducing a variety of players to the Super League last year, the Griffins hope to see the same cast of characters adjusting quickly this year.
 
EAST Conference

Charlotte @ Potomac Athletic Club
Wallenberg Field - Saturday, March 13, 3 p.m. (EST)

This season, Charlotte is looking to advance to the playoffs they just missed last season. It may be easier said than done, however, as they have had a number of players retire after last season. This season, they will see several new players placed in key positions to see how they develop.

“I am looking for my younger players to step up and take over the reigns of the retired players,” said Charlotte club coach David Hamilton.

PAC played Washington last weekend as their pre-season warmup for their first league game. PAC opened the scoring and were able to extend their lead to 24-7 at the break, however by the final whistle had let Washington come back to within three, 36-33.

Although PAC won, they will no doubt want to prove themselves worthy of another win against Charlotte this weekend at home.

Boston Irish Wolfhounds @ New York Athletic Club
Travers Island - Saturday, March 13, 1 p.m. (EST)

The Boston Irish Wolfhounds travel to NY on Saturday to face an always tough NYAC side. Following a reasonably successful fall season, the Wolfhounds' new coach Adam Lewis is highly motivated to look forward to a competitive 2010 RSL season.

The New York Athletic Club may not have finished its 2009 season as well as it had hoped, but the two-time Super Leage Champions (2005 and 2008), has several reasons to expect a turnaround for this upcoming season. As one of the most successful Super League clubs, NYAC has built up there squad with several Eagles, Collegiate All-Americans and experienced overseas players and look to take it to the Boston Irish in their first match at home in NY.
 
Boston Rugby Club @ Old Blue
Columbia University’s Baker field - Saturday, March 13, 3 p.m. (EST)
 
Boston spent the fall playing in the Northeast DI league and worked on getting a number of their players accustomed to the higher level of play, which seemed to work considering their recent success at Ft. Lauderdale’s Ruggerfest in which the Boston club went undefeated and downed 2009 RSL finalist Life University 13-5 for the championship.

Boston has also seen a coaching restructure in the offseason, which should also have a positive effect on the side.

Old Blue toured South Florida in the preseason as a tuneup and bonding session for its RSL side. The team has been drilling and training hard since early January, and is thirsty for action.