May 16, 2005 — When the USA Super League realigned before the 2005 season talk moved naturally to which conference was the better, East or West.

Most observers didn't even hesitate. West was better. As we pointed out on GoffonRugby.com, seven of the eight Super League champions, and six of the eight losing finalists, were from the Western Conference. How could you not expect the West to dominate in the playoffs?

Several coaches and players from the West even voiced that very opinion. Would even one Eastern team win a playoff game?

Well, you all know, or should know, the ending to this story. In this past weekend's quarterfinal games the scoreline read East 3 West 1. An Eastern team is guaranteed a place in the final.

How did this happen? We asked a bunch of people, and searched our own thoughts for some answers:

1. Toughness of schedule. The Western teams said they had the tougher schedule, but that isn't really the case. While it was clear early on who were the top four teams in the East, their games against the bottom four were physically challenging even when they weren't necessarily close.

2. The purpose of the change. As we wrote before the season started, one of the legitimate reasons that teams from the East have not been as successful as teams from the West when the leagues were mixed is that clubs from different areas of the country get started at different times. While Aspen and Denver might scoff at this – they train in the snow early on – almost all the Eastern teams get started late.

"There's something to be said for that," said Belmont Shore prop Chris Osentowski. "If they all get started at about the same time, then if they play each other rather than a team like ours which has been playing since January, they peak around the same time. It just seems more even that way."

So it seems. It's also worth pointing out that all four Eastern playoffs teams sought out preseason games in Fort Lauderdale, Georgia, or California.

3. Tougher games. "I'm not saying the West games aren't tough, but the games in the East are very physical," said Chicago Lions captain Duncan Blowers. "And the way they are played is difficult. A lot of teams in the East like to bang it straight ahead. You better make your first-up tackles or they're through, and I think that can be great training for rugby in the playoffs."

NYAC coach Mike Tolkin agreed. "It's a very physical conference and the teams were prepared to play a very physical style of play."

It's true that in playoff rugby games, things can get pretty tight, pretty hard, and pretty ugly. Teams more used to that can be more successful.

4. Absences. The Eastern teams were, for the most part, a little more fortunate with injuries than teams in the West. In addition, there was the question of who had players standing down for the USA assembly. For the most part, teams were able to fill those holes well. San Francisco Golden Gate had a USA squadmember, Pat Guire in for Mike MacDonald, and while the two play very different styles at prop, Guire certainly knows what he's doing. Denver might have been without injured Link Wilfley, but Jason Kelly was very accurate with his goalkicking and Jone Naqica stepped in just fine at flyhalf. So that, it seems, wasn't a factor.

5. The prepared excuse. This one was brought up a few times ... the West is so tough that Western teams would be beat up and tired by playoff time. Not an issue, especially since Aspen's retreat from league play meant only of the playoff teams OMBAC ever played Aspen. The rest got the week off.

6. Prejudice. "I think there's some residual bias based on past results," said Denver head coach Robbie Lumkong. "I definitely think the East Coast teams were underrated and I know I didn't think they were as good as they are. NYAC came here and played a good pattern, were exceptionally fit, and I was personally out-coached by Mike Tolkin."

You go into any playoff game expecting to win easily, you can be shocked easily too. Denver scored within minutes of the kickoff and thought the game was in the bag. NYAC kept plugging away, started to dominate the set piece, and won the day.

So in the end, it seems fair to say the East is better than anyone thought. And they came into four playoff games not rated as highly as they should have been. Everyone loves to be in that position, and NYAC, Old Blue, and Chicago took full advantage. But note, it wasn't a blowout. NYAC won by seven and Chicago by five. We won't start talking Eastern dynasty just yet. But celebrate a three-way upset? Everyone in sports loves upsets, no matter what the reason.