(HALIFAX, N.S.) - Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce the schedule and new format for the upcoming 2012 women's rugby season.

The St. Thomas Tommies will rejoin the league in 2012 as the fifth team in the Atlantic conference, making way for an eight-game regular season where each team plays a home and away contest versus the other four AUS teams. The post-season format has also been adjusted and will see the top four teams advance to a single weekend, two-day championship, consisting of two semifinals on day one and a championship game on day two.

"We are extremely pleased to welcome St. Thomas back into AUS women's rugby," says Phil Currie, executive director of Atlantic University Sport. "We believe expansion in any of our sports in a positive move that provides additional competition and strengthens our conference. We are also excited to have StFX host the 2012 Subway AUS women's rugby championship under this new format, which will allow us to improve the student-athlete experience as well as give our teams additional time on the competition field in advance of the CIS championship."

The 2012 Subway AUS women's rugby championship and the 2012 CIS women's rugby championship events will both be hosted at Oland Stadium by StFX University. The Atlantic conference championship will take place on October 27th and 28th in Antigonish, N.S., with the national championship scheduled for the following weekend, November 1-4, 2012.

The X-Women, the reigning CIS silver-medallists and winners of every AUS women's rugby title since the sport was sanctioned by Atlantic University Sport, will look to capture both championships on their home field.

"The opportunity to host the Subway AUS women's rugby championship here at StFX will not only allow our Atlantic conference teams to gain valuable experience on the field, but will also serve as a perfect dry run for our staff and volunteers in preparation for the CIS national championship the following week," says Krista McKenna, chair of the AUS and CIS women's rugby championship organizing committees. "We look forward to two great weekends of rugby and providing a premier experience for all the participants."

The AUS champion advances to the CIS championship as the Atlantic conference representative. The X-Women have already secured a berth in the national event as the host team and should they also capture the AUS banner, the runner-up at the conference championship will also qualify.

"The Subway AUS championship will bring some very competitive games as teams fight for that additional berth in the national championship, so we are really looking forward to showcasing the sport of women's rugby to our region and hosting two high-quality, entertaining sporting events," comments McKenna.

The addition of women's rugby at St. Thomas brings the school's complement of AUS registered teams to five. In addition to men's and women's hockey, the Tommies participated in cross country and track and field this past season. St. Thomas, ACAA women’s rugby champions in each of the past two years, last participated in AUS women's rugby in 2002.

“Our coaches and student-athletes are already looking forward to once again competing at the AUS level,” says Mike Eagles, director of athletics at St. Thomas University. “Our women’s team has been very successful in the ACAA, so moving our team into AUS and CIS competition is a natural progression that provides us with the opportunity to play against Canada’s top university teams and compete for a national championship.”

The seven-week AUS women’s rugby regular season opens on Friday, September 7th and concludes on Sunday, October 21st.

All of the 2012 fall Atlantic University Sport schedules are now available at www.atlanticuniversitysport.com. The full AUS women’s rugby schedule is listed below:

Week 1:
Fri. September 7 - Acadia at Saint Mary's, 7:00pm
Sat. September 8 - St. Thomas at UPEI, 3:00pm
Sun. September 9 - StFX at Saint Mary's, 2:00pm

Week 2:
Fri. September 14 - Saint Mary's at St. Thomas, 7:00pm
Sat. September 15 - UPEI at Acadia, 2:00pm
Wed. September 19 - St. Thomas at StFX, 5:00pm

Week 3:
Fri. September 21 - UPEI at StFX, 7:00pm
Sun. September 23 - Acadia at St. Thomas, 3:00pm
Sun. September 23 - Saint Mary's at UPEI, 2:00pm

Week 4:
Sat. September 29 - Saint Mary's at StFX, 6:00pm
Sun. September 30 - St. Thomas at Acadia, 2:00pm
Sun. September 30 - StFX at UPEI, 2:00pm

Week 5:
Thu. October 4 - Acadia at StFX, 5:00pm
Sat. October 6 - UPEI at Saint Mary's, 2:00pm

Week 6:
Fri. October 12 - Saint Mary's at Acadia, 7:00pm
Fri. October 12 - StFX at St. Thomas, 7:00pm
Sun. October 14 - UPEI at St. Thomas, 2:00pm

Week 7:
Fri. October 19 - StFX at Acadia, 7:00pm
Fri. October 19 - St. Thomas at Saint Mary's, 7:00pm
Sun. October 21 - Acadia at UPEI, 2:00pm

Week 8: Subway AUS Championship at StFX
Sat. October 27 - Semifinal 1: 4th place vs. 1st place, 12:00pm
Sat. October 27 - Semifinal 2: 3rd place vs. 2nd place, 2:00pm
Sun. October 28 - Championship Game: SF1 Winner vs. SF2 Winner, 2:00pm

Week 9: CIS Championship at StFX
November 1-4, 2012

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For further information, visit www.atlanticuniversitysport.com