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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 U19 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 is 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 in 2010.
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 BYU. 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 RSL 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.
SFGG 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 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 (New Haven Warriors Rugby League) 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.
