Teams from Boston through to Florida along returning champs the New Zealand Police will compete in the USARL’s ultimate Pre-Season Tournament.

Texas Roadhouse will be Providing Concessions at the Game. Ladder 133 Bar & Grill will be holding the Post Match Function Award Ceremony with everyone gaining free entry. The function includes a $10 Backyard BBQ along with $3 Dollar Draft Beer Specials or $10 Dollar Domestic Bucket of Beer Specials.

Tickets are $5 each with gates opening at 9am -  Tucker Field Cumberland RI.

What is Rugby League 9s?
Rugby league nines (or simply nines) is a version of rugby league football played with nine players on each side. The game is substantially the same as full rugby league (13 a side), with some differences in rules and shorter games. Nines is usually played in festivals, as its shorter game play allows for a tournament to be completed in a day or over a single weekend. It has become more popular than the similar rugby league sevens (rugby league with seven players to a side), with many tournaments using nines to distinguish it from rugby union sevens.

The same as rugby league laws with the following exceptions.

• Each team is allowed a squad of up to fifteen players, with no more than nine players on the field at any time. Unlimited substitutions are allowed from a named bench of four players.
• The match lasts for 20 minutes, divided into two halves of 9 minutes. 2 minute interval allowing for the teams to change ends.
• Each half starts with a place kick.
• Scrums consist of no more than 5 forwards, with a maximum 3 in the front row and 2 in the second row. When the ball is in the scrum no more than 4 players from each team shall act as backs. The ball must emerge from behind the feet of the second row.
• Conversions after a successful try take the form of drop kicks. Players from the team that has conceded the score do not have to retire behind the try line but must not interfere with any conversion attempt.
• When points have been scored the team against which points have been scored will receive a drop kick from the team that scored (must travel at least 10 meters).

The Marines are coming off an impressive start to their tour defeating a spirited Slayers in the nations capital on Tuesday. The match was scoreless game until the Marines struck first in the 25 minute mark. Despite a number of efforts the Slayers couldn’t find the try line as the Marines quickly racked up points defeating them 46 to 16.

For the Immortals it sees USA only players representing 5 of the USARL clubs. While match fitness and conditioning will be an issue, the player pool with origins from New England only see it as an opportunity for representative football while the ban on USARL players representing the USA continues.

Robin Peers, Head Coach of the Immortals commented, “I am very proud to be head coaching the Immortals for this fixture and have been really impressed with the player’s preparations. I would like to extend my congratulations to the players that have been selected as a New England Immortal.”

New England Immortals Squad:

1. Cam Correia [Rhode Island Rebellion]
2. Brian Lee [New Haven Warriors]
3. Eric Gonzales [Rhode Island Rebellion]
4. Jon Mixon [Boston 13s RLFC]
5. Matthew Tannozzini [Rhode Island Rebellion]
6. Shain Singleton [Rhode Island Rebellion]
7. Derek Trahan [Rhode Island Rebellion]
8. Matthew Callan [New Haven Warriors]
9. Brian Schacht [New Haven Warriors]
10. Steve Crandall [Rhode Island Rebellion]
11. Tim Prada [Boston 13s RLFC]
12. Fred Jacobs [Rhode Island Rebellion]
13. Brad Crandall [Rhode Island Rebellion]

Interchange:

• Jose Montanez [Rhode Island Rebellion]
• Brian Amaral [Rhode Island Rebellion]
• Antony Nardollio [Rhode Island Rebellion]
• Jesse Pearce [Oneida FC]
• Joe Roucken [New Haven Warriors]
• Greg Richer [Oneida FC]
• Jeremy Rinn [Rhode Island Rebellion]
• Dan Green [Oneida FC]

Shadow Reserves:

• Tam Tran [Boston 13s RLFC]
• Matt Troila-Kelliher [Boston 13s]
• Nick Martirossian [Rhode Island Rebellion]
• Asa Jearld [Washington DC Slayers]

The New England Immortals vs. British Royal Marines fixture takes place this Friday, April 27th at Tucker Field [Cumberland, RI 02864].

Kick-Off is 7:30PM (ET).  For further information on the game and for ticket enquiries please visit http://ri_internationalrugby-eorg.eventbrite.com/ or contact Lawrence Almagno: Lawrence@rebellion-rugby.com /  +1(401)255-8201.

The Rhode Island Rebellion has had a busy offseason with its continued effort to give back to the community. Having teamed up with Providence’s Institute for Non-Violence, RIR is now entering its fourth week of an eight-week program in which over twenty kids from the institute are undergoing rugby training headed by the Rhode Island Rebellion staff.

The Rebellion has also announced its plans to create a work re-entry program for those in the training school. The program would hire between four and six participants for the season, providing them with the opportunity to assist in areas such as public relations, marketing, player and manager interviews and game set-up. To help raise money to reach their goal of $6,000, the Rebellion will hold a fundraiser in which its CEO Lawrence Almagno will have his head and beard shaved at the halftime of the Rugby 9’s championship game on May 19th. Additionally, the North American Match Officials Association (NAMOA) will run a modified refereeing course and a youth coaching course. This will be part of the participant’s required community service and would teach them the skills required to assist adult coaches with the middle school program.

The institute located in Providence, RI, hopes to expand their organization using the USARL & AYRLA as a starting point to spread their message across various east coast cities. Their non-violence courses and practices will be reflected into the rugby coaching and refereeing clinics.

The Rhode Island Rebellion will continue its partnership with the Providence After School Alliance (PASA). This includes the extension of the two teams from both the Esek Hopkins and Roger Williams middle schools. Registration will be open for Middle School level students ages 11 through 14 and will begin on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting the third week of May.

RIR will extend its efforts to high school students as well. Running separate from the team’s association with PASA, this program for teens ages 14 through 18 will be run under the AYRLA and funded by the Rebellion. The registration period will begin on March 30th and run until April 13th. Piggy-backing on the middle program, the high school program will share both the playing field as well as other resources. Hendricken High School, the alma mater of RIR’s Almagno, will also participate and has agreed to take part in a Rugby 9’s tournament with the other teams.

The outlook for the summer is also bright, as Almagno hopes to partner again with PASA to run 4 – 6 middle school programs from July 9th through August 3rd.

For more information, please visit Rhode Island Rebellion’s website, http://www.rebellion-rugby.com, and check for updates at www.USARL.com

It’s hard to fault Oneida FC for how their inaugural season turned out.  The team, thrown together just minutes after Pittsburgh withdrew from the league, only had a few months to prepare for the 2011 USARL season. The result was an Oneida club that struggled off the field as much as they did on it.

Founder Mikhael Shammas quickly realized that if Oneida had any chance of survival then they needed to operate independently from their established brother club the Boston 13s RLFC.

Andrew Laine, one of the survivors from that ill-fated 2011 campaign, has stepped up and taken the reins to make sure that history won’t repeat itself.  This year Oneida will see a domestic player pool filled mostly with local athletes, the majority of which are new to the game of Rugby League.  Recent try-outs have been a great success with top-level Union players from local Boston clubs and ex-collegiate athletes trying Rugby League for the first time.

In addition, Oneida are in the process of negotiating with three import players (the maximum allowed for the USARL) for key positions that will guide them around the field.

The first of which is captain and coach Dustin Cooper. Cooper, a former Australian NRL player , has played A-grade for the Melbourne Storm, Newcastle Knights and Cronulla Sharks.  He will be supported by Tony Duggan, a former UK Super League player for the Celtic Crusaders and the UK’s top scorer in 2006 and 2007.

“What a difference 12 months can make. It has been a tireless effort since last September but the work is finally paying dividends” says Oneida GM Andrew Laine. “It has been my prerogative since taking over as GM to erase the memory of the 2011 season and move forward into the 2012 season in a positive and organized light.”

He continued, “We are also meeting with two ex-professional players now living in Cambridge and heard about the Club and are interested in coming on as assistant coaches to help strengthen our domestic talent both on and off season. In addition to having a full coaching staff, we hope to have a dedicated Strength and Conditioning Coach and a Team Manager.”

The signing of Dustin Cooper and Tony Duggan will surely send a message to the other teams league, assuring them that Oneida are looking to avoid the tag of cellar dwellers and begin a new era for the USA’s oldest club.

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

2012 begins with the British Royal Marines touring the USA from April 22 to May 2. The first of their matches will be in Washington DC against the DC Slayers on April 24. The second match will be in Providence, Rhode Island, on April 27 against the New England Immortals “All-Star Team”, with their final match at Quantico Marine Base, Virginia, against a combined DC Slayers, Baltimore Blues & Philadelphia Fight squad.

Then a first for Rugby League in the USA, with the DC Slayers international tour to Jamaica taking on the local Hurricanes Rugby League in Kingston on May 5.  Dane Campbell of the Jamaican Hurricanes believes it will be a massive opportunity for them to show they are more than capable of hosting major events and teams in true Jamaican fashion.  The tour hopes to be the first of many between both leagues.

May marks the return of the ‘USARL International 9’s Tournament’ being held in Providence, Rhode Island, on May 19. Along with a majority of the USARL clubs, the New Zealand Police “Fencibles” will return to USA shores to defend their 2011- 9‘s Tournament title.  This international event has attracted support from City and State Governments and Sport Commissions. It will showcase Rugby League in a format that will excite an estimated 200 participants in Rugby League youth programs which commenced in September 2011. They included 56 Middle School participants last Fall, with another 56 expected this Spring along with 25 High School aged youth, as well as the launch of a 6-week High School 9-a-side Rugby League competition. AYRLA youth camps will also be held during the Summer.

That won’t conclude the USARL’s proceedings for 2012 though. The Jacksonville Axemen will again host another international event, the Atlantic Cup, during November.

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

AYRLA (American Youth Rugby League Association) partner with the Providence After School Alliance and the Institute for the Study and Practice of Non-Violence to provide non-violence training, coaching clinics and internships along with Rugby League activities, competitions and camps.  As title sponsor of Rhode Island Rebellion, Paul Ullucci, President of Ullucci Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine, has provided $10,000 to Classical High School, Providence, for assistance with new grand-stand seating facilities.

Similar AYRLA After School and Non-Violence programs will commence in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Washington DC, Florida and California.

PREMIER RUGBY LEAGUE COMPETITION

June 2 heralds the commencement of the premier Rugby League competition in the USA with 8 clubs, from Boston in the north to Jacksonville, Florida in the south, participating in the USA Rugby League National Competition.  Round One will see matches played in Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington DC.  The 2011 defending champions, the “Philadelphia Fight” will have their work cut out for them as a number of teams have made significant improvements in the offseason.  The quality of matches for this year’s competition will be a the highest level played in the USA to date.

The highlight of the USARL season proper will be the Championship Grand Final in Boston, Massachusetts, on Saturday August 25.

The Baltimore Blues have replaced the New Jersey Turnpike Titans for 2012 and although they may lack some experience they will make up for it in their strong desire to succeed. The local ‘derby’ with the DC Slayers on June 30 will no doubt hold a special place in the hearts of both clubs.

Amongst all of this action, the North American Match Officials Association (NAMOA) will administer match officiating of all games and host educational courses for Match Officials and Coaching development.  NAMOA continues to offer the highest level of referring in the USA with ongoing accreditation programs at an international and domestic level.

In the mean time, the USARL is committed to the ongoing development and success of Rugby League in the USA and is scheduled to continue their open and transparent approach to the unity of Rugby League, working in conjunction with all parties; AMNRL, RL European Federation and the RL International Federation to provide all participants an equal opportunity to represent their country via a National Governing Body that has a focus on both domestic and international interests.

Peter J Illfield
Chairman
USA Rugby League

With several new and exciting personnel changes, the Boston 13s hope for a big turnaround from last years’ 2-6 season. The club, a founding member of the USA Rugby League (USARL), will face seven other elite east-coast teams in the 2012 USARL National Championship. New coaching staff, international players and returning domestic talent promise to make for an interesting and anticipated comeback.

At the forefront of those changes is the acquisition of a new head coach. Details have yet to be publicly disclosed, however Mikhael Shammas will be stepping aside as coach to focus on his role as the club’s President, his roles within the USARL and facilitate the growth of NAMOA [North American Match Officials Association]. Shammas confirmed that a professional Rugby League coach from the U.K. has been recruited to champion a newly forged coaching department for the Boston club. An official head coach announcement can be expected in the coming weeks.

Another big shakeup for the 13s is the strategic decision to recruit international athletes, in contrast to their position on this in 2011. The addition of two players, Trent Pirihi and Reymark Medina-Berkin, from Australia and New Zealand respectively, will increase playing experience on the 13s’ roster. These additions will also further facilitate the underlying domestic development of the Boston-based talent.

Drafted via Scrum Nation; a Melbourne-based rugby league academy, both Pirihi [back-row forward] and Berkin [full back] have graduated the academy as standout players and students in 2010 and 2011. Scrum Nations’ mission is to provide young men aged 13 to 19 with rugby league coaching and technical skills, as well as access to community role-models and education-based packages on healthy lifestyles, nutrition and positive life choices. Partnered with the Victoria Police Rugby League Club, the academy provides players with lectures on issues affecting and challenging young men in today’s society. This mission is synonymous with the 13s’ own core values of leadership, commitment, camaraderie and consciousness.

“It is with great honor and privilege that we have the opportunity to work closely with Scrum Nation and their vision of merging sports with active social responsibility,” said Shammas. “Irrespective of the geographical distances between our organizations, the B-13s are excited to receive Trent and Rey for the 2012 season, and know they will become true ambassadors of the club; both on- and off- the field.”

Due to the coaching change, the official team roster for the 2012 club has not yet been set and the British head coach will lead this charge upon his arrival in early April. To start the process, the 13s will host open tryouts on Sunday, April 15th. Tryouts will begin in the morning with an intensive assessment of core skills, players’ strength and conditioning, and offensive and defensive capacity. There will then be break for lunch and a video session, before an additional on-field assessment of players’ teamwork, team strategies and techniques in the afternoon. Upon the conclusion of tryouts, only the top 25 players will be selected for the Premier Side. A Reserve Grade roster will be created for players not in the top 25; and a dynamic system of player promotion and relegation between the two squads will be managed by coaching staff to ensure elite performance throughout the season.

Many former players are keen on returning for the 2012 season. The 13s’ 2011 award winning players, whom maintain first-right of refusal to return to the club, include Drew Shalian [the “Fifi” Award], Dustin Ward [Iron Man award], Austin Chappell [Leadership Shield] and Steven Davy [Presidential award]. Niko Lehman-White, who won the 13th Warrior Shield for 2011 MVP, will be gifted jersey number 13 for the upcoming season in tradition with the highest of the club’s perpetual awards.

The Boston 13s will kick off their season on June 2nd against regional rival Oneida FC of Cambridge. The match will also represent the first of a three-game annual series, “Battle of the Charles”, which the 13s won 2-games to-1 last season.

Fans should also keep an eye out for the Title-Town Cheerleaders, who will be performing at all home games, as well as making appearances at all major team functions and events.

For more information on the Boston 13s RLFC, click here.

The tour is part of the EX Virginia Gauntlet an event that is designed to create a competitive, social and morale building that aims to help build and strengthen the Corps ties with both the American public and the USA Marine Corp

The first event sees the British Royal Marines playing in the nations capital against Washington’s very own DC Slayers on April 24th. The Slayers were one of the leading teams in 2011 but will have their work cut out for them as they are still minus their import players and have yet to take the field in 2012. Regardless of their conditioning, they will welcome the pace of the game as they get ready to take on Jamaica in the weeks following.

On April 27th, the Rhode Island Rebellion will be hosting the 1st ever International Rugby League Match in Rhode Island History. The Rebellion will host The British Royal Marines as they face the New England Immortals an all star team comprised of the best American born rugby league players from the New England Region. The principle member clubs are:
 Boston 13s RLFC, New Haven Warriors RLFC, Oneida FC, and the Rhode Island Rebellion RLC.

Fans traveling from outside RI will revive 30% each ticket on regional train service with the purchase of a full price ticket. The Sheraton Hotel PVD is proud to offer fans rooms and 4packs of tickets for 89.00 per night. Fans can upgrade their 4pack of tickets to VIP for only 5 dollars at the gate. To purchase tickets click here.

The RM tour will wrap-up on Monday April 30 as a combined Philadelphia Fight and DC Slayers take on the Marines at Quantico Marine Base in Virginia.

USARL vs Royal Marines Schedule

• vs DC Slayers – Tuesday April 24 (6pm)
  Raoul Wallenberg Pitch – (across from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum
  between Independence and Maine Avenues)
• vs New England Immortals – Friday April 27 (7:30pm)
  Tucker Field, 5660 Mendon Road, Cumberland RI
• vs Fight/Slayers Select - Monday April 30 (5pm TBC) –
  Quantico Marine Base in Virginia

For more information about the RM Sports, please visit their website at: http://www.rmsports.co.uk

Games to look out for are the Dragons vs the Knights; Broncos against the Eels and Tigers against the Sharks.

These games are available for a short time thanks to Live NRL TV. LiveNRL is a subscription based internet channel that shows all NRL games throughout the 2012 regular season including the State of Origin and the NRL Finals.

The USA Rugby League has partnered with LiveNRL TV so a percentage of the paid subscriptions go back to the USARL.

To support the USARL, please subscribe to LiveNRL TV by first clicking on the following link. Support USARL through LiveNRL Click Here.

Known domestically as the Telstra Premiership, the NRL is world’s elite rugby league championship, boasting 16 teams across Australia and New Zealand. This exclusive media rights agreement brings coverage of live matches to FOX Soccer and FOX Soccer Plus beginning March 1, lasting through the 2013 season. Additionally, the network is carrying Australia’s premier rugby league regional series, the State of Origin.

The NRL Telstra Premiership title is contested between 15 Australian clubs and one team from New Zealand, with the 2012 campaign kicking off the first week of March. The season lasts through September, culminating in a premiership-deciding game, the NRL Grand Final. This event is one of Australia’s most popular sporting spectacles and one of the largest-attended club championships in the world.

“By bringing the NRL Telstra Premiership to our family of networks, we have ensured that rugby fans across the United States have access to one of rugby league’s most esteemed competitions,” said David Nathanson, General Manager of FOX Soccer. “The NRL is an exciting, fast-paced brand of rugby league, with some of the richest rivalries in the sport today. Coupled with the historic State of Origin series, we are providing our fans with a full slate of premier rugby league properties.”

FOX Soccer Plus’ first NRL Telstra Premiership contest takes place on Saturday, March 3, when Penrith Panthers host Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (3:30 a.m. ET). Coverage continues on Monday, March 5 as South Sydney Rabbitohs play Sydney Roosters (3:00 a.m. ET).

FOX Soccer is airing both the NRL Grand Final and State of Origin matches. The latter represents an annual best-of-three rugby league series contested by the Maroons and the Blues, two teams that represent the best players in Queensland and New South Wales, respectively. Players are selected to represent the state in which they first played senior rugby league. The State of Origin series is one of Australia’s most-watched sporting events dating back to the early 1980’s.

FOX Soccer Plus is carrying two NRL Telstra Premiership matches per week throughout the season, along with weekly half-hour highlight shows to recap each round of play.
For more information regarding FOX Soccer, please visit www.FOXSoccer.com, www.twitter.com/FOXSoccer and www.facebook.com/FOXSoccer.

Full NRL information can be found at www.nrl.com.

ABOUT FOX SOCCER AND FOX SOCCER PLUS
FOX Soccer, part of the FOX Sports Media Group, offers the most comprehensive multi-media coverage of world-class soccer available in the United States.  Encompassing FOX Soccer, FOX Soccer Plus, FOXSoccer.com and FOX Soccer 2Go, the network serves as the primary television, online, and mobile smart phone and tablet destination in the U.S. for elite competitions including England’s Barclays Premier League and FA Cup, UEFA Champions League, Italy’s Serie A, Women’s Professional Soccer and the Australian Hyundai A-League in addition to such prestigious tournaments as England’s Carling Cup, the CONCACAF Champions League™ and CONCACAF Gold Cup.  Flagship FOX Soccer is Nielsen-rated and available to service providers in High-Definition, reaching more than 40 million cable and satellite households nationwide. FOX Soccer Plus is a premium network providing the core fan with even more international and domestic high-level sports competitions in HD.  In addition to live, exclusive soccer matches from the best leagues in the world, FOX Soccer Plus delivers premium rugby from the RaboDirect PRO 12 League, Aviva Premiership and Heineken Cup, among other competitions.  Live match coverage is also available online via premium broadband service FOX Soccer 2Go, and for fans on-the-go, via the new FOX Soccer mobile and tablet applications.  For more information – as well as news, features, analysis stats and more – visit one of America’s most-visited online soccer destinations at FOXSoccer.com, and the network’s Facebook page and Twitter feed (@FOXSoccer).

ABOUT THE NATIONAL RUGBY LEAGUE
The National Rugby League (NRL) is the world’s premier rugby league competition, with sixteen teams across Australia and New Zealand delivering thirty weeks of lightning-paced skill, power and entertainment in Australia’s most-watched television sport.The intense unpredictability of this gladiatorial competition has seen nine different premiers over the last 13 years, and 2012 is already being seen as the closest race ever staged in the 104-year history of the Premiership.Over the first 26 weeks, all sixteen teams will play for the right to take part in a four-week finals series that culminates in the Telstra Premiership Grand Final at ANZ Stadium, known to many around the world as the main venue for the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000.For more information visit www.nrl.com.

Also supported by the Amity Township Athletic Club in the Daniel Boone School district, the youth touch rugby league program will commence on April 14 and carry through the Spring and Summer months in conjunction with the American Youth Rugby League Association.

The April 14 event in an introductory class designed to show kids and parents the basics of Rugby League and a precursor to the 10 week league. Lead by Philadelphia Fight CEO and former USA Tomahawk Ryan McGough, it will coincide with part of the USARL regular season in the hope that some of the kids will play pre matches to Fight home games

Specific skills and games will be played including:

• Catch & pass
• Run & pass
• Evade & defend
• Play-the-ball
• Small games

The day is open to kids ages 7-16 and there is no cost to attend.

For those interested, please RSVP with Ryan McGough at by Friday April 6

Youth Rugby League Clinic
Date: Saturday April 14, 2012
Time: 10-12pm
Location: Playing fields at 55 Amity Park Road, Birdsboro, PA 19508
Cost: Free