However, the biggest piece of the puzzle still left unsolved lies inside the Red competition, where the playoff hopes of the majority of the conference hang in the balance, pending this weekend’s results.

Red Conference

Heading into the final round of play, there is a possibility of four Red teams emerging to the post-season – Belmont Shore, OMBAC, Denver and SFGG each have 20 points or more and neither of the remaining conferences have more than one team above the 20 point mark.

After kicking off to tumultuous starts this season, Old Mission Beach Athletic Club and San Francisco Golden Gate have continued to gain momentum through week seven. Wins for both California clubs propelled them into a four-way conference tie at 4-2 with fellow RSL strong forces Belmont Shore and the Denver Barbarians.

OMBAC’s 43-17 defeat over Denver bumped the San Diego club into second place in the Red standings at 21 points, just behind defending champs Belmont Shore (22), with Denver and SFGG nipping at their heals at 20 points each.

This week, OMBAC travels to Long Beach to close out the season against Belmont Shore. The San Diego squad continues to improve each week and has a shot at winning the conference if it can muscle out one more win over Belmont.

If this happens, Belmont would remain at 22 and possibly finish in fourth place in the standings, provided Denver defeats Old Puget Sound Beach and SFGG defeats Santa Monica – creating the potential for the two wild cards to emerge from the Red Conference. (Photo courtesy of Jennie Alwell)

White Conference

Inside the White Conference, NYAC has already secured its spot in the playoffs after dominating Philly at home 60-20 last weekend. With Philly and Washington ruled out, the remaining race between the Chicago Lions, Boston Irish Wolfhounds and Dallas is still up in the air.

Currently in second place, Dallas travels to Philly this weekend and can likely expect to pick up five more points with a win to end the season at 21, which probably leaves them just shy of the playoffs.

Meanwhile, flight trouble last weekend leaves the Chicago Lions with two games left to play – one at home against NYAC this weekend and a make-up match versus Washington on the road on May 10. The Windy City squad can be expected to win at least one match with a bonus point, putting them up to 20 - meaning a missed playoff opportunity. However, with two wins, the Lions could go on to secure a second place finish and a playoff berth for the fourth straight season, with a possible 25 points.

The Boston Irish Wolfhounds also have two games remaining (hosting Washington this weekend and versus St. Louis on May 10), with a few possible outcomes depending on how the rest of the conference contests pan out. If Boston can win its last two games and grab bonus points, they can finish as high as 22 points – which might be enough to either slide into second place - provided NYAC upsets Chicago - or to grab one of the wild card spots, pending the Red Conference results. (Photo courtesy of New York Athletic Club)

Blue Conference

Still undefeated heading into week eight, Boston Rugby Club stands the best chance of winning the Blue Conference, pending a victory at home against Potomac Athletic Club this Saturday.

However, with a make-up game against the Chicago Griffins and an away game versus the St. Louis Bombers still remaining for Charlotte, two wins for the North Carolina team could instead align it atop the Blue. On the flip side, if Charlotte loses both games, they are ruled out of the playoff hunt completely.

This weekend is also hardly the end of the road for the Chicago Griffins. The Griffins travel to New York to meet Old Blue on Saturday and play a make-up match against Charlotte on May 10. At 0-4-2, perennial playoff contenders Old Blue could put up a fight against the Griffins to notch one win on the season, but if Chicago finishes strong they have a possibility of emerging to the final eight.

Trailing with single digits in the points column, PAC, St. Louis and Old Blue are out of contention. (Photo courtesy of Sheryl Bury-Michals)

Results from Week 7 - April 26 matches

Santa Monica 10-39 Belmont Shore
Old Mission Beach 43-17 Denver Barbarians
SF Golden Gate 58-7 Old Puget Sound Beach
Washington v Chicago Lions (May 10)
New York Athletic Club 60-20 Philly-Whitemarsh
Dallas Harlequins 22-15 Boston Irish Wolfhounds
Potomac Athletic Club 25-25 Old Blue
Boston Rugby 36-15 St Louis Bombers
Chicago Griffin v Charlotte (May 10)

Round 8 Fixtures:

Red Conference

Denver Barbarians v Old Puget Sound Beach - Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Denver - 3 p.m. (MDT)
Belmont Shore v Old Mission Beach Athletic Club - Cal State Long Beach 3 p.m. (PDT)
Santa Monica v San Francisco Golden Gate - Webster Middle School - 11330 Graham Place, Los Angeles - 3 p.m. (PDT)

White Conference
Chicago Lions v New York Athletic Club - Schiller Woods, Chicago 1 p.m. (CDT)
Philly-Whitemarsh v Dallas Harlequins - Stone Harbor Rugby Pitch, Stone Harbor, NJ - 2 p.m. (EDT)
Boston Irish Wolfhounds v Washington - Cultural Centre, Canton, Mass. - 3 p.m. (EDT)

Blue Conference
St Louis Bombers v Charlotte - Sportport Stadium, 12525 Sportport Rd., Maryland Heights, Mo. - 7 p.m. (CDT)
Old Blue v Chicago Griffins - Baker Field - Columbia University 12:30 p.m. (EDT)
Boston Rugby v Potomac Athletic Club - Franklin Park, One Franklin Park Rd. - Dorchester, Mass. 12:30 p.m. (EDT)