With just two matches left in regular season play, strong performances in week seven are crucial for teams like OMBAC, San Francisco Golden Gate and Belmont Shore which currently sit in a dead lock at 3-2. A win this week could mean the difference between a possible playoff berth and a May 3 end of season.

With a victory over the Boston Irish Wolfhounds last week, the Chicago Lions staved off its biggest threat in the White Conference standings to hold steady in second place. The Lions team has a strong chance of growing its lead and securing a playoffs spot over BIW, as it meets Washington this weekend.

Meanwhile, Boston Rugby continued its winning streak and effectively bumped previously undefeated Charlotte from the top of the Blue Conference standings, with a 45-31 victory in North Carolina.

Results from Week 6 - April 19 matches
Old Puget Sound Beach 17-45 Old Mission Beach
Belmont Shore 17-27 SF Golden Gate
Denver Barbarians 36-19 Santa Monica
Boston Irish Wolfhounds 17-18 Chicago Lions
New York Athletic Club 34-22 Dallas Harlequins
Philly-Whitemarsh 29-27 Washington
St Louis Bombers 23-15 Old Blue
Chicago Griffins 34-10 Potomac Athletic Club
Charlotte 31-45 Boston Rugby

Match of the Week:

This weekend’s Red Conference match between current leaders the Denver Barbarians and Southern California powerhouse OMBAC is sure to provide elite level competition, featuring more than 10 capped Sevens and 15s Eagles between the two sides in the final push toward the RSL playoffs.

Among others, Denver boasts the strength of Rugby World Cup 2007 Eagles Mike Mangan and John Van Der Giessen, as well as reserves Chris Moreno and Tyson Meek, not to mention veteran flyhalf Link Wilfley, who rounds out the top 10 U.S. scorers with 63 points, and USA Rugby Strength and Conditioning Coach David Williams.

And OMBAC is certainly not lacking depth either. Quickness will be the San Diego squad’s strong suit, filling out key roster spots with several Sevens speedsters including Todd Clever, Riaan Hamilton, Matt Hawkins, Vili Matanibucaka and Chris Wyles, as well as RWC fullback Tui Osborne and reserve prop Mike French.

At 3-2, Old Mission Beach Athletic Club needs a win this weekend to keep its playoff hopes alive – especially with its regular season closer coming against defending champs Belmont Shore. However, the Denver Barbarians are surely not going to let OMBAC just breeze on by. Currently atop the Red Conference standings, the Barbarians look to maintain this top position and travel to Little Q this weekend with a 4-1 record after beating Santa Monica at home in week six.

Red Conference

The 2007 RSL Champion Belmont Shore team heads to Santa Monica after being dealt its second loss this season at the hands of San Francisco Golden Gate last week. The Long Beach team currently finds itself tied with SFGG and OMBAC in the ‘W’ column and a win would be of great help in its quest to return to the Finals. Santa Monica took a tumble in the Red standings last week following its loss against Denver, bringing its record to 3-1-1 on the season.

At 1-4, Old Puget Sound Beach is the odd one out of the Red Conference playoff race as it heads to Treasure Island to face San Francisco Golden Gate this weekend. SFGG has never missed an RSL postseason and after getting off to a rough start in 2008, the team again finds itself in strong contention for a playoff spot after pushing past Belmont Shore to go up to 3-2 on the season.

Fixtures:
Denver Barbarians @ Old Mission Beach Athletic Club 
Belmont Shore @ Santa Monica
Old Puget Sound Beach @ San Francisco Golden Gate

White Conference

The Chicago Lions shook off a two-game losing streak last weekend, coming from behind to eke out an 18-17 victory over the Boston Irish Wolfhounds on the road. Currently in second place in the White Conference, the Lions look for win number four as they head to D.C. to take on the yet winless Washington.
 
Philly picked up its first win of the season against fellow conference underdog Washington last weekend and now heads to the Big Apple to meet current division leaders NYAC, which battled back from a five point deficit at the half to overtake Dallas 34-22 at home last week.

After dropping a heartbreaker to the Chicago Lions at home in week six, the Boston Irish Wolfhounds are hungry for a win this weekend in their playoff hunt. The team currently rests just behind Chicago in the conference standings at 3-1, with a make-up game against St. Louis still to come on May 10. With a loss against NYAC last weekend, Dallas dropped from second to fourth place in the conference.

Fixtures:
Chicago Lions @ Washington 
Philly-Whitemarsh @ New York Athletic Club
Boston Irish Wolfhounds @ Dallas Harlequins Glencoe Park

Blue Conference

2008 has certainly been a tough year for Old Blue. After making it to the quarterfinals last season, the New York squad is currently positioned at the bottom of the Blue Conference heap at 0-5. PAC sits in a similar situation, heading into week seven at 1-4 after going 4-3 last year to end up in the middle of the Blue standings. 

Boston dethroned Charlotte in week six to take its place at the top of the Blue standings, with a final score of 45-31. The win should solidify Boston’s first trip to the playoffs since 2001, when the team was knocked out by then RSL team the Gentlemen of Aspen. St. Louis heads to Boston after picking up its first win of the season over Old Blue at home, 23-15.

Charlotte’s Cinderella season was given a reality check last weekend, as errors proved costly for the North Carolina team and ultimately resulted in a 45-31 loss against Boston Rugby. Now relegated to second place, Charlotte travels to the Windy City to meet a tough test from the 3-2 Griffins team, which knocked off PAC 34-10 last week to keep the playoffs in sight.

Old Blue @ Potomac Athletic Club
St. Louis Bombers @ Boston Rugby
Charlotte @ Chicago Griffins