Forty-six men’s DI clubs compete this weekend in a series of league games. Here’s a rundown:

West

Kansas City at home against a battered Highlanders team looks like a Blues win. Glendale, even without a couple of players, should have little trouble at Boulder.

The big question-mark game is Denver Barbarians at Provo. Both teams are making their 2012-2013 league season debuts. This will come down to execution. The Barbarians are in better shape in their preparation and in their coaching setup, but if they make mistakes, Provo will punish.

It’s not a long season for these teams, but there’s still plenty of rugby to play. Glendale should move to 2-0, and KC to 2-1 after this weekend, but they won’t be clear of anyone as the Barbarians or Provo will be 1-0.

Midwest

Palmer hosts the 5-0 Cincinnati Wolfhounds in a crucial game for the Iowa team. They need to win to get to 3-3 and have any playoff aspirations at all.

The Chicago Griffins do not have an easy game with the 3-2 Detroit Tradesmen coming to town. The Tradesmen travel fairly well, despite being 1-2 on the road. The Griffins need this one badly, as a loss will drop them below .500.

The major clash has to be Metropolis at the Chicago Lions. Metro likes their chances. They are 5-0, but this is a difficult road game. The Lions are 4-0-1, with that tie being against the Griffins two weeks ago.



South

This is the first game of the South DI Matrix (they like to call it a matrix). Life is missing four players who are with the USA Selects team at the ARC. Won’t matter – the Renegades are very good, but Life has excellent depth.

Still, if someone is going to be Life, this might be the week to do it.



Mid-Atlantic

The battle this weekend is between 2 ^nd and 3^rd. Maryland, 4-0, takes on 3-1-1 NOVA. If Maryland wins, they can lay claim to being the top dogs, even if PAC retains 1^st – PAC has a loss and an extra game on the record. Pittsburgh can inch up on the competition if they beat Raleigh.

With those four teams pulling away, it’s now or never for Norfolk (1-2) and Schuylkill River (2-2). A loss by either will leave that defeated team with three under the L column, and the reality of having to win almost all their remaining games to make the top four, and the playoffs.



Empire

The Bison and the Bulls. Buffalo and Old Blue are both 5-0 and look to be 6-0 after this weekend. They will likely clash for 1^st unblemished in a week. Four other teams look poised to make a surge to be in the top four – 3-2 White Plains and their stingy defense take on Morris, while 2-3 Village Lions play 1-4 Long island. WP and VL can make up ground on New York (hosting Buffalo) and Monmouth (hosting Old Blue).



New England

The Boston Irish Wolfhounds and Boston Rugby Club are 4-0, and probably feeling pretty fresh after a week off. The ‘Hounds host a 3-1 Mystic River team not to be taken lightly. This is a must-win for BIW if they want to keep pace with Boston.

Boston is missing John Quill and Tony Purpura (at the ARC), but they host 1-3 Hartford, so they shouldn’t have difficulty. Middlesex is favored against New Haven and can secure their hold on 4 ^th by winning, and should Mystic lose, they could even move to 3^rd.