RSL RIVARLY WEEK REVEALS EMERGING CONFERENCE LEADERS; Belmont Shore , Chicago , and New York AC Win to Maintain Conference Leads

DALLAS (April 2, 2005) � Week three of the seven-week RSL regular season pitted longstanding conference rivals against one another for important early season conference jockeying.

Both the Eastern and Western division leaders continued their winning ways as teams in both conferences began to battle for early playoff positioning. 

The match of the day in the Eastern Conference featured the first place Chicago Lions  hosting a hard-charging Philadelphia-Whitemarsh side that sought to build momentum off of last weeks 33-0 drubbing of Boston RFC. A back and forth opening frame featured Philly�s mastering of the gusty,
"Windy  City"  winds. Ball control and strong forward play had Philadelphia
entering the second half with a 10-7 advantage over the Lions. The second-half gave the home crowd something to cheer for as Chicago came storming back. Down 24-7 at the 65th  minute,  Chicago �s backs bounced on a content P-W side. Long scoring runs from Chicago  backs� Captain Scott Jones, Scott Peterson and Eric Bluemel tied the score at 24 at the 78-minute mark. Duncan Blowers completed the Chicago  comeback after converting a 30m penalty kick in swirling winds as the clock reached full time securing Chicago �s spot atop the Eastern Confernce with a 28-24 home win.  

In other Eastern Conference action, an impressive 26-20 road win for the New York Athletic Club (NYAC) over a talented Kansas City Blues side allowed NYAC to keep pace in the point standings with the Chicago Lions. In soggy Washington, host Potomac Athletic Club (PAC) escaped saturated conditions with a 17-11 win over a scrappy Washington side. The match pitting Old Blue (2-0) against Boston RFC (0-2) was postponed due to inclement weather. The RSL competition committee will determine when this match will be rescheduled. 

Over in the Western Conference, Belmont Shore nailed host OMBAC with a telling 58-17 defeat in San Diego. Belmont jumped on OMBAC early - leading the host�s 25-3 at half. Supported by Lee Peina�s accurate foot, (5/5 Conv., 2 PK) Belmont returned home with an early season five-point conference lead. In other Western Conference action, the San Francisco Golden Gates shook off their rust from last weekend�s postponement to defeat host Denver 20-13. A late SFGG PK by Matt Sherman sealed the road win for the visiting Golden Gates. In a hard fought rainy match with the traveling Harlequins, Old Puget Sound Beach was able to distance themselves late in the match with determined drives by their first row, defeating Dallas 27-17. The final match of the third week had Olympic Club earning five points on the afternoon as the routed visiting Aspen 47-7.   Seven tries on the day for the Blues kept them in the conference hunt for early playoff positioning.

The USA Rugby Super League is proudly sponsored by Michelob Amberbock, the official beer of the Rugby Super League, by Kudu Rugby, the official rugby outfitter of the Rugby Super League, by Summit Rugby Balls, the official ball of the Rugby Super League and by Rugby America, official screen printer of the Rugby Super League.

RSL EASTERN CONFERENCE RESULTS
Old Blue @ Boston RFC   � Postponed due to Inclement Weather
New York Athletic Club 26 @ Kansas City Blues 20
Washington RFC 11 @ Potomac Athletic Club 17
Philly-Whitemarsh 24 @ Chicago Lions 28

RSL WESTERN CONFERENCE RESULTS
Gentlemen of Aspen 7 @ Olympic Club Blues 47
Belmont Shore 58 @ OMBAC 17
Dallas Harlequins 17 @ OPSB 27
SF Golden Gate 20 @ Denver Barbarians 13