(Denver, Colorado, February 21, 2009).  Denver Barbarians, Rugby Super League semi-finalists in 2008, will kick-off their preseason with two matches against the Gentlemen of Aspen Rugby Club at Highlands Ranch’s Shea Stadium on February 21, 2009.  The Barbarians’ Division II side and Aspen’s second side are scheduled for a 1 pm kickoff.  The Barbarian Rugby Super League side kicks off at 2:30 pm against Aspen’s Division 1 team.  Tickets will be available at the gate for $5.  The Barbarians and Aspen, long-time traditional rivals, met in a very physical encounter last September in the finals of the Aspen Ruggerfest.  Aspen prevailed in that match 18-9.

The opener match will feature Mountain Vista/Thunder Ridge High School and the Aurora Saracens, 3rd in last year’s Colorado State Championships.  Gareth Jones coaches Mountain Vista, while the David White and Dave Farmer coach the Saracens.

Remainder of the Barbarians’ preseason schedule remains challenging.  On February 28, 2009, the Barbarians and BYU renew their annual fixture by meeting halfway between Denver and Provo in Grand Junction, Colorado.  The Grand Junction Rugby Club will again host the event at expansive Canyon View Park, where last year’s match was attended by an excellent crowd on Colorado’s western slope.  The Barbarians D2 side will clash with BYU’s reserves at 1:00 pm and Denver’s Super League side will kick off at 2:30 pm against BYU’s top squad.  The Barbarians defeated a mixed BYU side in last season’s match 68 - 12, but BYU will be coming in loaded for this year’s encounter.

The Barbarians’ preseason will conclude by hosting Charlotte Rugby Club at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park at 3 pm on March 7.  The Barbarians sacked Charlotte in the 2008 Quarterfinals 39 – 24 in North Carolina after taking a 32-0 halftime lead.  Denver then advanced to the RSL Semi-finals where New York Athletic finished the Barbarians’ season on the way to the 2008 Rugby Super League title.

The Denver-Charlotte match will be the last test before the teams open the 2008 RSL season.

The Barbarians travel to San Francisco for a battle with always-tough San Francisco Golden Gate Rugby Club on March 14.  Denver has won the last two season-opening encounters with SFGG.

Charlotte opens their season in the USA’s elite club rugby championship at home against the Potomac Athletic Club.  Charlotte, entering their 3rd year in the RSL, hopes to build on last season’s playoff run, which included a 15-8 win in Washington, DC against Potomac Athletic Club.

The Barbarians will be trying to improve on their 2009 RSL semi-final appearance and will be aided by USA National players eightman Pat Quinn, lock John Vander Giessen, and wing Mark Bokhoven.  Other select-side players aiding the Barbarians’ 2009 campaign are North American 4 selections Travis Meidinger (lock/back row) and flanker Nic Johnson.  The Barbarians will be bolstered by new recruits wing Dan Murphy (All-American at University of Colorado) and flanker Justin Stencil, who played for Charlotte in 2008.

Reflecting on the upcoming season Barbarians’ Head Coach David Hodges stated, “Our build up to the 2008 RSL season was limited to one preseason game against BYU.  We believed a more challenging preseason would significantly improve our preparation in 2009.  We have met this goal and greatly appreciate the efforts being made by Aspen, BYU, and Charlotte to insure quality competition for us this preseason.

The Barbarians are excited for our upcoming games and look forward to these three difficult opponents.”

Denver’s Division II side is the three-time defending Eastern Rockies Football Union Division II Champion and headed to the Western Rugby Football Union Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on May 2 and 3.  After dominating the local Division II competition since the Barbarians entry into that competition 3 years ago, the Barbarians are moving to the Western Rugby Football Union Championships in Fall, 2009, and intend to leave Division II with some hardware in 2009.

The highlight of the Barbarian season will be the Rugby christening of Dick’s Sporting Goods Park Stadium on April 4, 2009.

Dick’s Sporting Goods Park and the Denver Barbarians announced on February 6, 2009 that the stadium would host its first-ever rugby event on Saturday, April 4, 2009, with a full day of matches set to take place.  The tripleheader event will culminate with the Barbarians taking on the Chicago Lions in a Rugby Super League match, with kickoff scheduled for 4 p.m.  The Barbarians-Lions game at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park will mark the largest venue any RSL match has ever been played in.

The other two matches on the day feature different levels of the sport as well, with two of the top high school programs in Colorado, Denver East and Chaparral High Schools, starting the action at 12:30 p.m.

The next game will have the University of Colorado Rugby Club facing the Denver Barbarians Division II side at 2 p.m.

General admission tickets (good for all three matches) go on sale Saturday, February 7 at 10 a.m. and are priced at $10.  Tickets are available at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Park Box Office from Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., via phone by calling 1-866-461-6556, at the kiosks inside all Colorado Dick’s Sporting Goods locations, or online at TicketHorse.com.

The Barbarians and the Lions, both charter members of the Rugby Super League founded in 1996, were semi-finalists in the 2008 RSL championships.  The Barbarians have been U.S. National Club Champions on two occasions and were established in 1967.  The Lions, founded in 1964, won the last outing between the clubs in overtime in the 2006 RSL Quarter-finals in Chicago.

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