Testimonials
| Men’s Club Teams Battle for Championship in Glendale |
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Day 1 Spotlights Rugby Super League Title MatchBOULDER, Colo.(May 26, 2009) – The top Division I, II and III teams from across the nation will go head-to-head in two days of intense action when the USA Rugby Men’s Club Championships take over Glendale’s Infinity Park from May 30-31. The tournament gets underway on Saturday with a full day of semifinal match-ups, starting with the first Division III contest between Northern State (S.D.) and Danbury at 9:30 a.m. As an added highlight to the weekend, the Rugby Super League Championship match featuring Life University (Marietta, Ga.) versus San Francisco Golden Gate Rugby Club caps off Saturday’s competition. Slated for a 7 p.m. (MST) kickoff, the match is set for a LIVE broadcast on ESPN Classic. The 2009 champions from each division will be crowned on Sunday, with kick offs at 11 a.m. (DIII), 1:30 p.m. (DII) and 4 p.m. (DI). All championship matches and select semifinals will be shown on Fox Sports Rocky Mountain. Please read below for a full schedule breakdown of the weekend’s competition. RUGBY SUPER LEAGUE In its first year back in the Super League after earning a promotion from Men’s DI Club, Life University enjoyed a perfect 7-0 season and clinched its place in the final with an impressive 25-3 victory over 2008 runners up Belmont Shore (Long Beach, Calif.) in the semifinals. San Francisco Golden Gate heads into the finals following a heart-stopping last second victory over the Denver Barbarians in the semis. SFGG trailed Denver late in the second half, but in the game’s last breath, Golden Gate prop Jason Bowden crashed into the try zone to put his team out front 19-16 as the final whistle blew. “We said all season we wanted to be the team you had to beat to win the Super League,” San Francisco Head Coach Paul Keeler said in the lead up to the match of the year. “We need a full team effort to get the job done, just like we have had all season. "Some falsely assume because of the amounts of points we score that we play this overly expansive game and that our back line is our only strength but that is not the case,” Keeler adds. “Our forwards do tremendous work and we need that to continue if we are to play well. We know they have a strong pack and team. They are the closest thing to a professional team in the USA with all the time they dedicate to rugby but our forwards are the best in the country in my opinion and we will be looking to take it to them come Saturday.” The Rugby Super League is the premiere level of men’s club rugby in the United States and serves as a major selection vehicle for opportunities with the USA Rugby Men’s National Team. DIVISION I Pearl City is the only 2008 semifinalist that will make a return trip to Glendale’s Infinity Park in 2009. Last year, the Iowa-based team met a disappointing semifinal loss at the hands of the Glendale Raptors, but with its 41-11 Round of 8 victory over Atlanta Old White, the squad gets a chance to redeem itself this time around. The Iowa team now looks ahead to the semifinals where it meets Las Vegas – and getting past the Blackjacks should prove a trying task, as they roll into Colorado on the heels of a thrilling playoff finish versus Glendale. Down by as much as 22 points in their Round of 8 meeting against the Raptors, Las Vegas refused to back down and try-by-try, the team muscled its way back to a 22-20 game as the second half wound down. It seemed time was running out for the Blackjacks, who missed two late penalty kick opportunities that would have put them up top, but at the death, No. 7 Tom Carter powered in for a huge try. The successful conversion ushered in the final whistle, with the score stuck at 27-22 in Las Vegas’ favor. While the final day of playoff competition in Columbia ended in disappointment for Atlanta Old White, fellow Georgia-based club the Atlanta Renegades ended its playoff journey on a high note, earning a place in the semifinals with a victory over the Detroit Tradesmen. Although Detroit shot ahead to an early 10-0 lead, Atlanta continued to gain momentum in the first half and before the first 40 minutes had elapsed, the Renegades had built a 19-17 lead. Atlanta wing Roderigus Ceaser notched one more try in the second half to set the score at a 24-17 final. Looking ahead to the semifinals on May 30, the Renegades will face the Gentlemen of Aspen. The Colorado team downed Los Angeles 15-7 in the Round of 8 to continue on its quest to the Championship round. DIVISION II Top Division II seed East Palo Alto clinched a spot in the semifinal round at Infinity Park, following a 26-11 win over Southern California club Back Bay. East Palo Alto will face a tough match against Indianapolis in the semis. After pulling a massive upset over the defending DII Men’s champion Red Mountain in the playoffs, the Albuquerque Aardvarks continue on to the semifinal semifinals where they face Pennsylvania side Lancaster this weekend. DIVISION III The final day of the Men’s Division III playoffs competition saw some tight finishes to keep title hopes alive. After leading 18-10 at halftime, Danbury held off a late comeback from Blacksburg to clinch a spot in the semifinals. The Connecticut club now advances to meet South Dakota team, Northern State in the semifinals. In its final West Regional match, Northern State put in an impressive 33-7 performance against Fort Worth to advance. In another thrilling finish in the DIII contest, the Round of 8 match-up between Lexington and Middlesex was decided by a late penalty kick. Middlesex led 10-3 at the half, but Lexington made a strong comeback in the second half, eventually pulling ahead 18-17 at 70 minutes, following a try from flyhalf Aaron Breeck. However, less than five minutes later, Middlesex’s Jason Stefani kicked a penalty to put his team over the top 20-18, where the score held until the final blow. The No. 7 seeded Middlesex next meets No. 3 seeded Beaumont in the semifinals at Infinity Park. For more information on the USA Rugby Championships Series, visit www.usarugby.org/goto/Championships. Media interested in attending the event, please contact Ashley Voss at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 720-514-3426. MEN’S CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS MATCH SCHEDULE – Infinity Park, Glendale, Colo. Men’s Club Championships – May 30 – Stadium Division I Semi-Final Las Vegas vs Pearl City – 1:00 PM Division I Semi-Final Atlanta Renegades vs Aspen– 3:30 PM Rugby Super League Final – 7:00 PM Men’s Club Championships – May 30 – Park-South Division III Semi-Final Northern State vs Danbury– 9:30 AM Division III Semi-Final Beaumont vs Middlesex– 11:30 AM Division II Semi-Final East Palo Alto vs Indianapolis - 1:30 PM Division II Semi-Final – Albuquerque vs Lancaster - 3:30 PM Men’s Club Championships – May 31 – Stadium Division III Final – 11:00 AM Division II Final – 1:30 PM Division I Final – 4:00 PM Men’s Club Championships – May 31 – Park-South Division III Consolation – 10:30 AM Division II Consolation – 12:30 PM Division I Consolation – 2:30 PM |
