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 New York won the 2022 Major League Rugby Shield Championship 30-15 over the Seattle Seawolves on June 25 at Red Bull Arena. The match was broadcast on Fox, and internationally on The Rugby Network with a 24-hour delay in the U.S. Both teams entered the match with four-game winning streaks, after winning their respective Conference Finals. Rugby New York defeated the New England Free Jacks 24-16, while the Seattle Seawolves defeated the Houston SaberCats 46-27. Rugby New York also defeated the Seattle Seawolves 30-22 on May 15, the team’s last loss. Rugby New York had the best road record…