2005 RSL Schedule Released; Realignment rekindles rivalries
  
Dallas (December 9, 2004) - The USA Rugby Super League will revert to an East and West Conference structure in 2005. The League made the announcement in releasing its 2005 schedule.

The Super League is aware of the fact that rugby is a game that embraces and holds on to traditions, and recognizes that it needs to keep traditional rivalries in place. Long-standing rivalries such as PAC-Washington, Belmont Shore-OMBAC, Denver Barbarians-Aspen and Dallas Harlequins-Kansas City Blues will be given a new lease on life in 2005 via the intra-conference schedule.

"We need to have these kind of games continue," says Super League chairman Keith Engelbrecht. "It�s where we come from, it�s our roots. These are storied American rivalries that are important to the game of rugby in this country."

The Super League�s decision to reintroduce the East-West Conference system is also based on three other issues, including a desire to accommodate the USA men�s national team commitments, a possible expansion in 2006, and an airline/travel/time component.

"Due to the combined efforts of USA Rugby, and the IRB, in scheduling the US Eagles� fixtures for the next few years in advance, the Super League is now able to plan around that, and as a result, the 2005 championship game may well coincide with the USA versus Wales international on the weekend of June 4th," continues Engelbrecht.

"This was an all things considered decision. We are trying to accommodate a lot of different demands on running a League. There are now real world travel constraints that need to be addressed. Long haul, trans-continental flights are becoming fewer, hence travel costs are increasing, and we�ve tried to accommodate that in our schedule.

"The new Conference structure is also a stepping stone to possible expansion in 2006. As future expansion is examined, resetting to traditional geographical alignment allows us to set the table for a future re-alignment in which more teams may be involved. We�re also trying to work with referees to make their commitments more cost effective."

The new season is scheduled to commence on Saturday, March 19, 2005.

Click here for the full schedule

Eastern Conference	Western Conference
New York Athletic Club	Old Puget Sound Beach
Old Blue	San Francisco Golden Gate
Chicago Lions	Olympic Club Blues
Kansas City Blues	Belmont Shore
Potomac Athletic Club	OMBAC
Washington	Gentlemen of Aspen
Philadelphia-Whitemarsh	Denver Barbarians
Boston	Dallas Harlequins