Eyes should turn intently on the Atlantic Coast Rugby League (ACRL) this year as several teams are working hard to raise their fortunes.

 

Clemson, the defending champions, are probably as good as they were last year, or possibly better. Always a team with a lot of energy and support behind it, Clemson has struggled with consistency. But with Justin Hickey now at the helm for some years, the Tigers should be strong every year.

 

With the addition of some high-profile payers, Maryland, which finished 2nd in the league last season, are poised to be stronger. And Virginia, which finished 4-2 last season, were competitive in their losses to Clemson and Maryland.

(See our preview of Maryland here.)

 

It all seems poised to be a blanket finish.

 

“There is no complacency,” said Clemson Coach Hickey. “We know it’s going to be a tough schedule. We know we’ll have a bullseye on our backs for sure, and we respect every opponent.”

 

There’s no room for error, added Hickey, and this week Clemson opens up against Virginia, a team that could well upend them before the season is truly underway.

 

“Virginia always seems to play well against us, and they are very well coached,” warned Hickey. “We’ve had one game, against Georgia, but we’d hardly started training. We know we need to be more prepared than that for Virginia.”

 

Also in action are Wake Forest at NC State. Both teams were 1-5 last season.

 

Maryland, Virginia Tech, and North Carolina all are in action later - UNC will visit Va Tech September 19, while Maryland hosts NC State a day later.