RUGBY: Super League expands post season

In an effort to give more teams a chance of making the post season, the US Rugby Super League has revamped its playoff structure.

The number of teams from both the Eastern and Western Conferences that will qualify for the playoffs this year has been increased to eight, instead of just the top two clubs from each conference as was the case in 2000.

The top four placed sides from each conference will go through, with the top seeds from one conference slotted to play the lower seeds from the opposing conference. The higher placed clubs at the end of the regular season will have home field advantage.

This system was put into practice once before in 1999. In that year, Western Conference fourth seed Belmont Shore surprised everyone by knocking off the Eastern Conference top seed Life College and then past champs the Gentlemen of Aspen en route to a showdown with the Denver Barbarians in the Super League Championship match in Denver.

The decision to expand the 2001 post season was made in the wake of the sanctioning of the League by USA Rugby and the governing body’s subsequent ruling that Super League teams would not have to compete in the National Clubs Championship. That ruling has freed up RSL clubs, from both a financial and logistical standpoint, to focus solely on the premier men’s competition.

Super League chairman Keith Engelbrecht said now teams are not constrained by additional costs, “In 2000 we couldn’t afford to have a long post season because of the incremental costs of travel. This year though the general consensus is that we can do it because we’re not involved in the Sweet 16 (Division I National Championship) which, when coupled with Super League commitments, really hurt us in the past.

“By putting the top four teams from each conference into the playoffs, it gives us a true national champion. And there’s even the possibility that, as was the case in ’99, the two finalists could come from the same conference.”

This year’s Championship game will be played on June 9th in Rockford, Illinois northwest of Chicago.