The PRP brings together the six best men’s clubs in California for perhaps the most challenging amateur club competition in the country, with five clubs that have a long history and one still relative newcomer.

That newcomer is Life West, which has embraced rugby for both men and women in recent years to become a major player in developing top-flight talent. 

Working as a club, Life West fields a team made up of students at Life Chiropractic College West in Hayward, CA, as well as local athletes who are not attending the school. The plan was always to give the superb talent pool coming out of the Bay Area a chance to play, even if the younger athletes weren’t going to attend college.

The club has produced national team players such as David Tameilau, who is now playing professionally at Narbonne in the French Pro D2; Naima Fuala’au, who is getting a look with the USA sevens team; and Devereaux Ferris, who will be joining the USA national team in a few weeks.

Now the Gladiators, who open their 2018 PRP season against Santa Monica this Saturday, are ready to be saluted.

“We’re really excited to play in the new PRP,” Ferris said. “We did pretty well in the California Cup last year, and with the team we have I think we can do well here. Players are starting to see that rugby can open up a lot of opportunities.”

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Ferris, a scrumhalf, is one of the more prominent names on the Life West team but not the only one. Junior Helu and Suliasi Holani are very talented, and Ferris said to watch out for Jacob Finau.

“He is one of the most skillful hookers I’ve seen,” Ferris said. “He could surprise some people. He won’t surprise me, because I’ve seen him play.”

There are some other strong front-rowers coming up the ranks, too, but it all comes down to making the parts into a whole.

“We have a lot of talent,” Ferris said. “We just need to put that talent into a team perspective.”

PRP Round 1 Schedule

Saturday, Feb. 10 (all times Pacific)

11 AM: Life West vs. Santa Monica

1 PM: SFGG vs. Belmont Shore

3 PM: Olympic Club vs. OMBAC

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