Those among us who were eagerly anticipating a showdown between Life University, winners of the Atlantic Rugby Premiership, and Glendale Raptors, recently crowned Champions of the Pacific Rugby Premiership, will be disappointed to hear the game will not take place.

Life University cruised through the ARP undefeated, posting an 8-0 record, and was undoubtedly the cream of the crop in the competition. The Glendale Raptors captured the PRP crown by defeating perennial contenders San Francisco Golden Gate in the Grand Final, after posting a 9-3 record in the tough competition.

Other than Seattle, playing in the British Columbia League, and the remaining teams in the USA Rugby Division 1 Championship, Life and Glendale would be widely considered the top teams in the country, and to not have the two match up against each other is a loss for the rugby enthusiast.

There is some lack of agreement as to how the current situation developed. The PRP representative Geno Mazza explained that discussions about the proposed game began after the start of the PRP season, and since the PRP plays a final and the ARP does not, yet “another travel trip for the winner was not in the cards”.

The ARP’s apparently felt the discussions were more advanced, as representative Tony Nash commented “it was unfortunate the match between the APR and PRP champions was called off”, while referencing a perceived verbal agreement with the PRP management last Fall.

Since the ARP made an agreement with USA Rugby to have the second placed ARP team enter the Division playoffs in the Round of 8, it seems the two Premier leagues were not on the same page. However given the costs of travel and the high quality of competition already enjoyed by the two leagues, there seems to be a sense that yet another travel game would be a lot to ask.

The situation for 2016 is also not set in stone. The PRP’s Mazza says the proposed game is “one of the topics” to be discussed as the teams prepare and budget for the next season. Likewise, Tony Nash says the APR will continue to “grow the domestic game by providing the best competition for our aspiring club athletes” while working with USA Rugby and other regional competitions.