San Diego Legion signed Canadian age-grade back-row Michael Smith for the 2021 Major League Rugby season. The 22-year-old open side flanker (23 in March) is 6’3” and 215 lbs.
Michael is from Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. He attended Earl Marriott Secondary before enrolling at the University of British Columbia where he graduated in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacology.
Michael played age-grade rugby for British Columbia, as well as for Rugby Canada. In 2018 he was the vice-captain for the U20s at the World Rugby U20s Trophy competition in Romania.
Michael is an athlete-scholar, who plans to attend medical school. At UBC he was an Academic All-Canadian from 2017-2020, as well as on the Dean’s Honour List. He was the 2018-19 Wesbrook Scholar and Sherwood Lett Memorial Scholarship recipient.
In rugby he was the Thunderbirds team captain for 2019-2020, a first team University All-Star in 2018, and won the Bobby Gail Memorial Trophy given to the Outstanding Graduating Male Athlete of the Year in 2020. He also helped the rugby team win back to back Canadian University Championships in 2017 and 2018, with a finals appearance in 2019.
