Browsing: Major League Rugby

Major League Rugby is a professional USA league that began in 2018 and has teams in the U.S. and in Canada. Current MLR teams include Austin Elite Rugby, Glendale Raptors, Houston SaberCats, New Orleans Gold, Rugby United New York, San Diego Legion, Seattle Seawolves, Toronto Arrows, and the Utah Warriors. In 2020, teams in Atlanta, New England, and Washington, D.C. will join the league and have exhibition matches in 2019.

Rugby ATL hosts Rugby New York on Saturday, June 10 at 8 pm at Silverbacks Park in Atlanta, Georgia with playoff implications on the line. The match will be broadcast on Fox Sports 2, as well as streamed on The Rugby Network internationally with a replay available 24 hours later. MLR Eastern Conference Playoff Race The 12-2 New England Free Jacks (58 points) have clinched first place and will host the winner of Old Glory DC vs Rugby New York in the Eastern Conference Final. They close out the regular season on the road against the Seattle Seawolves before their…

The Seattle Seawolves re-signed the former University of Washington and NFL defensive tackle, Taniela Tupou, for the remainder of the 2023 MLR season. The 30-year-old prop is 6’2, and 284 lbs. The crossover athlete joined the Seawolves in 2022 played in 12 matches and then played football in the XFL for the St. Lewis Battlehawks in 2023. He played rugby with the American Raptors prior to joining the Seawolves. Taniela is from Marysville, Washington, and played football for Archbishop Murphy before committing to the University of Washington. The defensive lineman played 33 games for the Huskies, made 59 tackles, and…

Toronto Arrows added Matt Fish for the remainder of the 2023 Major League Rugby season. The 25-year-old No.8 is 6’3″ and 255 lbs. Matt is from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, and attended Waterloo Collegiate Institute from 2012 through his graduation in 2015. In high school, he was a member of the varsity rugby, football, and Nordic ski teams. In 2015 he played rugby on the Ontario Junior Blue Under-18s Sevens team which won the New York 7s and finished in the top 4 at the Las Vegas Invitational 7s. He also played 15s for the Rugby Ontario Junior Provincial West 15s.…

Rugby New York defeated the Dallas  Jackals 43-14 on Sunday, June 4 at Memorial Stadium in Mt. Vernon, New York. The match was broadcast on MSG Networks, as well as streamed on The Rugby Network domestically and internationally. With the win, the Ironworkers are within a point of clinching an MLR Eastern Conference playoff spot. They will travel to Rugby ATL next Saturday to attempt to clinch that spot and eliminate Rugby ATL in the process. New York will finish their final regular season match at home on June 18 against the Utah Warriors, who are contesting for third place…

Rugby New York hosts the Dallas  Jackals on Sunday, June 4 at Memorial Stadium in Mt. Vernon, New York. Kickoff is at 3 pm ET and tickets are still available, but the team’s largest crowd is expected. The match will be broadcast on MSG Networks, as well as streamed on The Rugby Network domestically and internationally. The Ironworkers will travel to Rugby ATL next Saturday and their final regular season home match will be on June 18 against the Utah Warriors. The Jackals finish their regular season at home the next two Saturdays against NOLA Gold and the Chicago Hounds.…

The Dallas Jackals re-signed Lui Sitama for the 2023 Major League Rugby season. The 26-year-old center/wing (27 in June) is 5’9″ and 210 lbs. Lui played 236 minutes in 3 starts and scored one try for the Dallas Jackals in 2022 after obtaining him in a trade with Rugby ATL. He played 318 minutes for the Ratlers in 6 matches, starting 3 and scoring 2 tries. Lui played 22 minutes in one match for the Austin Gilgronis in 2021 and was the 4th player selected in the 2020 Major League Rugby Collegiate Draft. During the 2021 season, he was traded…

San Diego Legion hosts the Rugby New York Ironworkers on Sunday, May 28 at 1 pm local (4 pm ET) at Snapdragon Stadium with both teams coming off bye weeks. The match will be broadcast on Channel 6 on Spectrum Cable and Channel 9 on DirecTV in the San Diego area, the Madison Square Garden Network in New York, and being steamed domestically and internationally on The Rugby Network.  San Diego Legion enters the match with an opportunity to tie the Major League Rugby record should they gain their tenth win in a row against Rugby New York. After last…

The Houston SaberCats re-signed Valdemar Lee-Lo for the remainder of the 2023 Major League Rugby season. The 28/year-old loosehead prop is 6’1″ and 250 lbs. Val didn’t play for the SaberCats during the 2022 due to injury. He returned to play for Rugby HTX and has been included in the 2023 match day squad against Chicago Hounds. Val played 123 minutes in 3 matches, starting 2, during an injury-plagued 2021 season. He played 232 minutes in all 5 matches, starting 4 times during the truncated MLR season. Valdemar is from Dixon, California, and attended Dixon High School, graduating in 2013.…

The Chicago Hounds signed Nick Taylor for the 2023 Major League Rugby season. The 25-year-old fullback/center is 6’0″ and 200 lbs. Nick played 4 minutes in one match with the Seattle Seawolves in 2021. He then played with the Austin Outlaws and Austin Huns in 2022. Nick was born in Houston, Texas, but grew up in Calgary, Canada. In addition to dual citizenship in the U.S. and Canada, he also can claim citizenship in the United Kingdom through his mother and as a result of having lived in England long enough to obtain a passport. His nickname is “Steelhead”, which…

The Toronto Arrows drew 29-29 with Old Glory at York Lions Stadium on Thursday, May 18. It was the second consecutive draw for the Arrows, and DC gained three points in the standings to move into second place in the MLR Eastern Conference. Match Recap Old Glory DC kicked to begin the match and a quick knock-on turnover gave DC an attacking opportunity just outside the Toronto 22 meters, and after over ten phases, Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz barrelled over for a try with Gradyn Bowd slotting the extras, 0-7. A Shane O’Leary chip and chase had Old Glory under pressure deep…

The New England Free Jacks signed James Hilterbrand for the remainder of the 2023 Major League Rugby season. The soon-to-be 34-year-old hooker/prop is 6’0″ and 245 lbs. James started 193 minutes in 3 starts for San Diego Legion in 2022. James was born and raised in Adelaide, South Australia, and attended Brighton High School. He played age-grade rugby for South Australia Under-16s in 2004 and 2005, for the under-18s in the Australia Schools Championship Division II in 2005 and 2006, and the Under-21s, and also represented the Australia Under-18s in 2007. He moved to Sydney and began playing rugby with…

Rugby ATL added Chris Hilsenbeck for the remainder of the 2023 Major League Rugby season. The 31-year-old flyhalf, who has also played inside center and fullback, is 6’1” and 185 lbs. Chris was born in Northridge, California and grew up in Heidelberg, Germany. He played 23 times for the German National Team, including in the 2019 Rugby World Cup Repechage. He is eligible to play for the USA National Team through birth and through rugby union transfer after World Rugby’s change in eligibility. Chris earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and Administration and a Master’s Degree in Business Management…

The Dallas Jackals signed their number 1 overall pick in the 2022 MLR Collegiate Draft, Sam Golla, to a contract extension through the 2026 Major League Rugby season. The 24-year-old lock/flanker is 6’4″ and 245 lbs. The Dallas Jackals indicated that “Golla is drawing praise across Major League Rugby. The league named Golla to the Starting XV on March 21 and March 28 on Left Lock. Golla is a defensive monster, ranking second in the league for tackles at 160 behind teammate Adriaan Booysen (197).” “Golla’s stat line is impressive. The former University of Cal Golden Bear has started in…

The Utah Warriors signed Stephan Bernal-Wendt for the remainder of the 2023 Major League Rugby season. The 24-year-old prop is 6’1″ and 325 lbs. Stephan joins the team after playing for the USA Hawks. He is from Honolulu, O’ahu, Hawaii. He played football at Kalani High School his freshman year, before transferring and playing his sophomore and junior years at Henry J Kaiser High School. He then played at Salesian High School in Los Angeles in Fall 2016. In addition, he played four years of rugby in high school and was on the St. Francis team which finished in third…

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