ceilidh.erickson wrote:Yes, a pronoun can certainly be placed before the antecedent. (although I guess it's not an "ante"cedent in this case. Should we call it a post-cedent? Kidding!)

If the pronoun is in a modifying phrase at the beginning of a sentence (such as beaten by its arch rival...), and the antecedent is the subject of the sentence that comes directly after (the city rugby team), that modifying phrase (and thus the pronoun) can come before or after the subject. In your two example sentences, either modifier placement would be correct. The only real difference is in verb tense: "promised" v. "has promised."

If the sentence is composed of a subordinate and an independent clause with the same subject, the pronoun and antecedent are interchangeable. Both of the following are correct:

Although it is difficult, the GMAT can be rewarding.

v.

Although the GMAT is difficult, it can be rewarding.