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The Montana Rugby Union (MRU) is heating up near the end for the 2009 season with two clear front-runners in Bozeman Cutthroats and Missoula All-Maggots.

Two massive clashes on tap this week have major implications in the points table only two weeks from the Union Cup.

The Eastern Division has shaken out with Bozeman Cutthroats taking two forfeits and one legitimate win to set the pace.  Weather and player availability forced two clubs to cancel on Bozeman early in the season with no match and no time to make the games up, thus denying them the opportunity to get a bonus point.  However, Bozeman beat a tough Butte Crab side this past weekend 31-17 to earn points in the table and go 3-0.  Butte led the contest 10-5 at the break but could not hang on in the second half on the road.

Billings Bulls sit alone in second place in the table with a 2-1 record beating Butte, Helena (forfeit) and losing to Maggots.  However, they have their chance with a game at home this weekend vs. Division leader Bozeman.  Billings can make it interesting in the East with a win there and a bonus point.  That would give both teams 16 points in the table or a virtual tie.  A Bozeman win or any points bonus or otherwise gives them the Division.

Butte is going to finish third at 1-3 but has made all their commitments this season and continues to improve under coaches Scot Franklin and Joe Prete.  The Crabs gave Bozeman a scare this past weekend and played the Jesters very tight in the fall losing that one narrowly.  Their other loss was in a snowy, wet affair with a 12-0 loss against Billings Bulls.  The upshot was denying Billings the bonus point and sending the table into a tail-spin and making the Billings/Bozeman clash for essentially “all the marbles”.  Butte can also play dark-horse hosting the MRU championships for the first time in nearly 15 years on home soil and have all their players there.  They may sneak up on someone in two weeks time.

And Helena All-Blues are the bottom at 0-4 forfeiting all matches now as they basically dropped from the league trying to support a new high school team they started this year.  One thinks they’ll be back in the mix by next fall and better for supporting the youth program there.  Cheers to them as the men’s players there are coaching 25 new kids in the sport.

In the Western Division, it’s a very familiar story with the Maggots at the top of the table at 2-0 having two bonus points in-hand.  Missoula has had another solid season with an overall 10-1 record, posting some quality wins on the road vs. DII powerhouse ORSU in Portland (32-12), Central Washington University in Ellensburg (69-19), and Billings Bulls 27-3 at home earlier in the year in a cross-division tilt.  Missoula’s other league win was against Spokane 29-12 in a fall match for standings.  They again control their own destiny (and that of the league seedings) with two league matches this week.

Sadly, the real measuring stick for Maggots this spring was missed this past weekend.  A scheduled match in Idaho with DI and play-off bound Park City Haggis was cancelled by Haggis due to league commitments that would impact the playoff seeding.  Coachand Eagle 7’s Player - Jason Pye apologized profusely but was in a tough spot needing to make up a game against SLC Spartans that they did win 38-27. The disappointed Maggots took the high road and instead played a breezer downing 43rd State Crimson Lions by a score of 65-5.  Missoula’s coach, Kiwi born Scot Brown (Christchurch, NZ) has the Maggots poised to win their 5th crown in a row in the MRU.  Missoula has had a complete strangle-hold on the league since 2005 and again has the tools to take all comers in two weeks time.

The big one for the Maggots is this Thursday, as they entertain the University Of Montana Jesters, who sport an identical record at 2-0 with bonus points in both of their wins as well.  The winner of that fray will undoubtedly be the division winner.  Jesters have beaten Butte and Kalispell thus far.  Spokane Razorbacks can make it interesting with a 2-1 record of their own.  If Razorbacks can knock of the Jesters on Saturday they’d slide into the 2nd hole at 3-1 in the West.  At that point Jesters could fall from being a possible Division winner to the 3rd slot if they lose to both Missoula and Spokane this week.

Kalispell Moose are bringing up the rear with and 0-3 record, losing to Spokane and Jesters and forfeiting to Bozeman.  They can gain some satisfaction with an upset win at home Saturday vs. the Maggots, but highly unlikely.  The Moose are rebuilding and focusing on the brand new high-school Rugby program as well.  Youth Rugby in the valley playing is in its inaugural season.  But unlike Helena, Kalispell has still been able to put together a few matches here and there.

The MRU Cup will be contested in Butte, MT this year on April 25 and 26th.  There can still be some movement in seeds, but it looks to be a 3 or 4 horse race depending on who else comes out of the West.

Games this week:

Jesters @ Maggots
Thurs. 4/16 -  6:00 pm
Fort Missoula Rugby Park

Saturday

Bozeman @ Billings
South Park - 1 p.m.

Spokane @ Jesters
1 p.m. - Dornblazer Field

Maggots @ Kalispell
1 p.m. Saturday - TBD

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