The weather is rainy and the fields are sodden so that can only mean one thing: it's rugby season again!

The B.C. Rugby Union kicks off the spring schedule next weekend (Jan. 29) with a new format for both the first division and the elite Canadian Direct Insurance premier league.

South Surrey's Bayside Sharks begin the campaign as Surrey's only premier entry but both the Surrey Beavers and Delta's Brit Lions on the first division will have a shot at joining the premier ranks.

Under the new format, the CDI premier league will start the season with two six-team pools playing a round-robin schedule. The top four teams advance to next round of premier play with four more games against qualifiers from the other pool. They will be joined by four teams promoted from the first division based on their records in the first five weeks of play.

The Sharks kick off play this weekend in the premier league and coach David Benoit admits he's cautiously optimistic, despite not being able to play any preseason games due to closed fields in Surrey.

Most of the veteran Sharks will be seeing action for the first time since last spring, owing to the club's fall schedule being contested by a team of younger players.

"We use the fall season as a developmental tool," Benoit said. "We treat it as an under-24 team so those guys can get a chance to play against good competition. That's also the age bracket -- from 20 to 24 -- that we tend to lose as a club.

"We want to create a place where these guys make some friends, work hard together and hopefully stick around to keep playing down the road."

Bayside opens the schedule on the road against Cowichan on Vancouver Island. Benoit admits it will be a stiff test given Cowichan's reputation for gritty resistance on their home turf.

"Cowichan is a good, hard-working team that plays old-fashioned hard-knocks rugby," Benoit said. "I did some checking and when they play at home, the average game is decided by five to seven points but they don't do as well on the road because they don't seem to travel well.

"They're going to come out hard and I'm sure they've targeted this game thinking a win will help them reach the second round of the premier league."

Closer to home, the Beavers and the Brit Lions will kick off first division play against each other at Sullivan Heights field Saturday.