Major League Rugby

I've decided to move the community to !usmlr@lemmy.world, for several reasons:

• The stated focus of lemmy.ml is "A community of privacy and FOSS enthusiasts," and this community doesn't fit that description
• There is uncertainty around the .ml domain, with the government of Mali taking control of the domain away from the Freenom registrar, and the fmhy.ml lemmy instance losing their domain
• I originally created the community on lemmy.ml because beehaw.org was deferating from popular servers, but the majority of active users in this community so far are on either lemmy.world or sh.itjust.works (both deferedated by beehaw) and even making posts here with a lemmy.ml account beehaw is just not getting new content, and appears to only have one subscriber (which I believe is probably just my own beehaw account).

I have set this community to only allow moderators to post, so please sub over on lemmy.world and I'll see you there!

McCarthy and crew give their final wrap up for 2023 with some behind the scenes coverage.

I'll be linking to team-specific communities as I find them, so please reply in this post if you have one and I will link to it in the side bar.

Your 2023 Champions:

Congratulations to the New England Free Jacks

(CHICAGO) July 8, 2023 – Major League Rugby (MLR) today announced Daniel Kriel of the Seattle Seawolves as the recipient of the S. Marcus Calloway Community Impact Award presented by Fastenal. At halftime of the MLR Championship Final today in Chicago, Kriel was presented with a commemorative trophy and a $10,000 donation to “Happy Bundles,” a nonprofit originally founded in South Africa and brought to the U.S. by Kriel and his wife Candice,with the mission of bringing a smile to children battling cancer.

Really positive interview with MLR CEO Nic Benson

Benson said that MLR saw an 18% increase in fan attendance across the board for teams at an average of 2,600 more fans in stadiums and a 70% increase in subscribers for their digital media platform Rugby Network with more than 170,000 new subscribers.

He also talks about continued expansion

Benson said the league is currently in active discussions with potential markets including Nashville, Orlando, L.A., Raleigh and "somewhere overseas."

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 7, 2023) – Old Glory DC is proud to announce that Simon Cross has been named its new Head Coach. Cross will lead Old Glory’s coaching staff from the 2024 through the 2026 Major League Rugby seasons. Cross will succeed former Head Coach Josh Syms, who led Old Glory to its first MLR playoff appearance and playoff win in 2023.

No real surprises other than Beaudein Waaka not making the lineup. However it's not too big a surprise given his early exit due to injury in round 18 against Houston.

CHICAGO, IL – With the Major League Rugby Championship battle between the star-studded San Diego Legion and no-name New England Free Jacks just hours away, MLR Weekly has you covered. New England hooker Andrew Quattrin discusses his questionable NHL affiliations, being a Tier 2 golfer and facing the vaunted Legion in The Windy City.

ALSO INCLUDED:
-MLR headlines from Rugby Morning’s John Fitzpatrick
-Predictions from Bryan Ray of Americas Rugby News
-Rugby’s Best Recap

With the federation lags we've been seeing, I'm posting this early and will fill in details as game day approaches.

Standings: San Diego 1st in West (15-1-0, 74 pts), New England 1st in East (14-2-0, 68 pts)
Kickoff: 3:00 PM Eastern, 12:00 PM Pacific
Location: Seat Geek Stadium, Bridgeview, Il
Where to watch: Fox TV, The Rugby Network
Referee: Joe James
Assistant Refs: Cam Stone, Lex Weiner
TMO: Nick Hannon

Lineup

Legion	Pos	Free Jacks
Pifeleti	1	Kianu Kereru-Symes
Malolo	2	Andrew Quattrin
Green	3	Joel Hintz
Grant	4	Semisi Paea
Franklin	5	Conor Keys
Poidevin	6	Mitch Jacobson (C)
Ma'afu Afungia	7	Joe Johnston
Tameilau	8	Wian Conradie
Judd	9	John Poland
Hooley	10	Jayson Potroz
Augspurger (VC)	11	Paula Balekana
Nonu	12	Le Roux Malan
Brache (C)	13	Ben LeSage
Aoake	14	Mitch Wilson
Te'o	15	Reece MacDonald
Klein	16	Mills Sanerivi
Sylvia	17	Kyle Ciquera
Barumann	18	Cole Keith
Turori	19	Sam Fischli
Ross	20	Cam Davidowicz
Smith	21	Holden Yungert
Henderson	22	Spencer Jones
Matyas	23	Zach Bastres

#USMLR #rugby

The champions are...

Read more in the MLR's match writeup.

NEW YORK, NY - What a postseason it's been so far! Both Major League Rugby Eliminator Round matches were thrillers, soaked in subplots. Indeed, our exclusives with D.C. Owner Chris Dunlavey, New York's star #7 Brendon O'Connor and Washington's Kurt Baker (former All Blacks 7s star) will leave some eyebrows raised!

ALSO INCLUDED:
-MLR headlines from Rugby Morning’s John Fitzpatrick
-Predictions from Bryan Ray of Americas Rugby News
-Rugby’s Best Recap

Eastern Conference Champions are ...

Read more in the MLR's match writeup.

Congratulations for well played season and a franchise first conference title!

Standings: San Diego 1st in West (15-1-0, 74 pts), Seattle 2nd in West (12-4-0, 59 pts)
Kickoff: 6:00 PM Eastern, 3:00 PM Pacific
Location: Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego
Where to watch: FS2, The Rugby Network (live international, 24 hr delay domestic)
Referee: Cam Stone
Assistant Refs: Luke Rogan, Kahlil Harrison
TMO: Chris Assmus

Lineup

Legion	Pos	Seawolves
Pifelti	1	Majola
Malolo	2	Malcolm
Green	3	Matenga
Grant	4	Manoa
Franklin	5	Herbst
Poidevin	6	Landry
Ma'afu Afungia	7	Elton
Tameilau	8	Hattingh (C)
Judd	9	Smith
Hooley	10	Chat
Augspurger (VC)	11	Iosefo
Nonu	12	Alatimu
Brache (C)	13	Kriel
Aoake	14	Futi
Te'o	15	Carelse
Klein	16	J. Malcolm
Sylvia	17	Turnbull
Baumann	18	Pedersen
Turori	19	Foley
Ross	20	Penny
Smith	21	Ferris
Henderson	22	Lopeti
Morani	23	Sio

#USMLR #rugby

Standings: New England 1st in East (14-2-0, 68 pts), DC 3rd in East (7-8-1, 43 pts)
Kickoff: 5:30 PM Eastern, 2:30 PM Pacific
Location: Veterans Memorial Stadium, Quincy
Where to watch: FS1, The Rugby Network (live international, 24 hr delay domestic)
Referee: Joe James
Assistant Refs: Peter Pender, Federico Anselmi
TMO: Chris Assmus

Lineup

Free Jacks	Pos	Old Glory
Kianu Kereru-Symes	1	Jack Iscaro
Andrew Quattrin	2	Nic Souchon
Joel Hintz	3	Kyle Stewart
Conor Keys	4	Tevita Naqali
Reegan O'Gorman	5	Kyle Vaillie (CC)
Mitch Jacobson (C)	6	Jamason Fa'anana-Schultz (CC)
Joe Johnston	7	Lautaro Bavaro
Wian Conradie	8	Niko Jones
John Ploand	9	Danny Tusitala
Jayson Potroz	10	Gradyn Tusitala
Paula Balekana	11	Junior Sa'u
Le Roux Malan	12	Doug Fraser
Ben Lesage	13	William Talataina
Taniela Filmone	14	Marcos Young
Reece MacDonald	15	Kurt Baker
Mills Sanerivi	16	Facundo Gattas
Kyle Ciquera	17	Calixto Martinez
Cole Keith	18	Quentin Newcomer
Semisi Paea	19	Collin Grosse
Cam Davidowicz	20	Langilangi Haupeakui
Holden Yungert	21	John Rizzo
Spencer Jones	22	Thretton Palamo
Zach Bastres	23	Alejo Daireaux

#USMLR #rugby

Standings: New England 1st in East (14-2-0, 68 pts), DC 3rd in East (7-8-1, 43 pts)
Kickoff: 5:30 PM Eastern, 2:30 PM Pacific
Location: Veterans Memorial Stadium, Quincy
Where to watch: FS1, The Rugby Network (live international, 24 hr delay domestic)
Referee: Joe James
Assistant Refs: Peter Pender, Federico Anselmi
TMO: Chris Assmus

Lineup

Free Jacks	Pos	Old Glory
Kianu Kereru-Symes	1	Jack Iscaro
Andrew Quattrin	2	Nic Souchon
Joel Hintz	3	Kyle Stewart
Conor Keys	4	Tevita Naqali
Reegan O'Gorman	5	Kyle Vaillie (CC)
Mitch Jacobson (C)	6	Jamason Fa'anana-Schultz (CC)
Joe Johnston	7	Lautaro Bavaro
Wian Conradie	8	Niko Jones
John Ploand	9	Danny Tusitala
Jayson Potroz	10	Gradyn Tusitala
Paula Balekana	11	Junior Sa'u
Le Roux Malan	12	Doug Fraser
Ben Lesage	13	William Talataina
Taniela Filmone	14	Marcos Young
Reece MacDonald	15	Kurt Baker
Mills Sanerivi	16	Facundo Gattas
Kyle Ciquera	17	Calixto Martinez
Cole Keith	18	Quentin Newcomer
Semisi Paea	19	Collin Grosse
Cam Davidowicz	20	Langilangi Haupeakui
Holden Yungert	21	John Rizzo
Spencer Jones	22	Thretton Palamo
Zach Bastres	23	Alejo Daireaux

#USMLR #rugby

Eastern Conference Final
Teams: New England Free Jacks V. Old Glory DC
Venue: Veterans Memorial Stadium, Quincy
Kickoff: 5:30 PM Eastern, Saturday, July 1, 2023
Referee: Joe James
Assistant Referee 1: Federico Anselmi
Assistant Referee 2: Pete Pender
TMO: Chris Assmus

Western Conference Final
Teams: San Diego Legion V. Seattle Seawolves
Venue: Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego
Kickoff: 6:00 PM Eastern, Sunday, July 2, 2023
Referee: Cam Stone
Assistant Referee 1: Luke Rogan
Assistant Referee 2: Kahlil Harrison
TMO: Chris Assmus

I believe these are for the regular season, should have collected them before yesterday's match. MLRStats on Instagram, run by JamDelay, posts their own unofficial stats from match reports and the league's analytics, so I may make another post highlighting those stats.

Points Scored:

Rank	Team	Player	Points
1.	New England Free Jacks	Jayson Potroz	133
2.	Houston SaberCats	Davy Coetzer	124
3.	Utah Warriors	Joel Hodgson	124
4.	Seattle Seawolves	AJ Alatimu	85
5.	Old Glory DC	Tito Bonilla	79
6.	NOLA Gold	Rodney Iona	77
7.	New York Ironworkers	Jason Emery	75
8.	San Diego Legion	Will Hooley	73
9.	Seattle Seawolves	Jordan Chait	72
10.	Utah Warriors	Joe Mano	70

Tries Scored:

Rank	Team	Player	Tries
1.	Utah Warriors	Joe Mano	14
2.	New England Free Jacks	Paula Balekana	13
3.	Seattle Seawolves	Ricky Hattingh	11
4.	Houston SaberCats	Gideon van Wyk	10
5.	Seattle Seawolves	Ina Futi	9

Successful Goal Kicking:

Rank	Team	Player	Points
1.	New England Free Jacks	Jayson Potroz	55
2.	Houston SaberCats	Davy Coetzer	40
3.	Utah Warriors	Joel Hodgson	40
4.	Seattle Seawolves	AJ Alatimu	38
5.	San Diego Legion	Will Hooley	30

Carries:

Rank	Team	Player	Carries
1.	New England Free Jacks	Wian Conradie	192
2.	Chicago Hounds	Billy Meakes	170
3.	NOLA Gold	JP du Plessis	153
4.	Old Glory DC	Jamason Faanana-Schultz	148
5.	NOLA Gold	Tesimoni Tonga’uiha	143

Ball Carry Meters:

Rank	Team	Player	Meters
1.	Utah Warriors	Caleb Makene	1619
2.	Utah Warriors	Joe Mano	1602
3.	San Diego Legion	Nate Augspurger	1580
4.	New York Ironworkers	Andrew Coe	1429
5.	Seattle Seawolves	Ina Futi	1404

Kicking Meters:

Rank	Team	Player	Meters
1.	Utah Warriors	Joel Hodgson	6198
2.	Old Glory DC	Tito Bonilla	5229
3.	Chicago Hounds	Luke Carty	4555
4.	Seattle Seawolves	JP Smith	3618
5.	New England Free Jacks	Jayson Potroz	3555

Made Tackles:

Rank	Team	Player	Tackles
1.	Dallas Jackals	Jan Adriaan Booysen	257
2.	Seattle Seawolves	Charles Elton	244
3.	Rugby ATL	Matt Heaton	215
4.	Dallas Jackals	Sam Golla	213
5.	New England Free Jacks	Wian Conradie	206

Standings: Seattle 2nd in West (12-4-0, 74 pts), Houston 3rd in West (10-6-0, 53 pts)
Kickoff: 6:00 PM Eastern, 3:00 PM Pacific
Location: Starfire Sports Complex, Tukwila
Where to watch: FS2, The Rugby Network (live international, 24 hr delay domestic)
Referee: Joe James
Assistant Refs: Luke Rogan, Austin Reed
TMO: Nick Hannon

Lineup

Seawolves	Pos	SaberCats
Majola	1	Rob Cobb
Malcolm	2	Dean Muir (C)
Matenga	3	Morgan Mitchell
Landry	4	Marno Redelinghuys
Herbst	5	Nathan Den Hoedt
Elton	6	Malon Al-Jiboori
Foley	7	Keni Nasoqeqe
Hattingh (C)	8	Gideon Van Wyk
Smith	9	Dillon Smit
Alatimu	10	Davy Coetzer (VC)
Futi	11	Vereniki Tikoisolomone
Kriel	12	Louritz Van Der Schyff
Lopeti	13	Dominic Akina
Matthews	14	Line Latu
Carelse	15	Gerrie Labuschagne
J. Malcolm	16	Joe Taufete'e
Turnbull	17	Alex McDonnell
Pedersen	18	Val Lee-lo
Mitchell	19	Emmanuel Albert
Penny	20	Danny Barrett
Ferris	21	Hanco Germishuys
Aisea	22	Carlo De Nysschen
Sio	23	Jax Hidalgo

#USMLR #rugby

Standings: New York 2nd in East (8-8-0, 43 pts), DC 3rd in East (7-8-1, 43 pts)
Kickoff: 6:00 PM Eastern, 3:00 PM Pacific
Location: Memorial Field, Mt. Vernon, New York
Where to watch: FS2, The Rugby Network (live international, 24 hr delay domestic)
Referee: Federico Anselmi
Assistant Refs: Chris Assmus, Cisco Lopez
TMO: Derek Summers

Lineup

Ironworkers	Pos	Old Glory
Chance Wenglewski	1	Jack Iscaro
Dylan Fawsitt (C)	2	Nic Souchon
Kaleb Geiger	3	Kyle Stewart
Charlie Hewitt	4	Tevita Naqali
Hamish Dalzell	5	Kyle Baillie (CC)
Brad Tucker	6	Jamason Fa'anana-Schultz (CC)
Brendon O'Connor	7	Lautaro Bavaro
Pago Haini	8	Niko Jones
Connor Buckley	9	Danny Tusitala
Jason Emery	10	Gradyn Bowd
Ed Fidow	11	Junior Sa'u
Tei Walden	12	Doug Fraser
Faasiu Fuatai	13	William Talataina
Brooklyn Hardaker	14	Marcos Young
Sam Windsor	15	Kurt Baker
Daquan Perry	16	Facundo Gattas
Tevita LAngi	17	Calixto Martinez
Sam Davies	18	Quentin Newcomer
Monate Akuei	19	Collin Grosse
Kara Pryor	20	Langilangi Haupeakui
Conor McManus	21	John Rizzo
Quinn Ngawati	22	Thretton Palamo
Nick Feakes	23	Alejo Daireaux

#USMLR #rugby

He's been called "the Mark Cuban of rugby," has Chicago Hounds Owner Phil Groves. Why? Because he ain't afraid to whoop it up with the fans -even going shirtless in the process! With that, this episode of MLR Weekly features Mr. Groves in an all-encompassing interview with Matt McCarthy, from the lessons learned from a tumultuous first year, to the players publicly lobbying for unionization.

Seattle Seawolves V. Houston SaberCats
Starfire Stadium, Tukwila
Saturday, June 24, 2023
Referee: Joe James
Assistant Referee 1: Luke Rogan
Assistant Referee 2: Austin Reed
TMO: Nick Hannon

Rugby New York V. Old Glory DC
Memorial Field, Mt Vernon
Saturday, June 24, 2023
Referee: Federico Anselmi
Assistant Referee 1: Chris Assmus
Assistant Referee 2: Cisco Lopez
TMO: Luke Rogan

Standings: San Diego (1st in West, 14-1-0, 69 pts), Seattle (2nd in West, 12-3-0, 59 pts)
Kickoff: 7:00 PM Eastern, 4:00 PM Pacific
Location: Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego
Where to watch: FS1, The Rugby Network
Referee: Mike Lash (New Zealand)
Assistant Refs: Marquise Goodwin (USA), Jack Gohl (USA)
TMO: Nick Hannon (USA)

Lineup

Legion	Pos	Seawolves
Sylvia	1	Donald
Malolo	2	Malcolm
Baumann	3	Pedersen
Franklin	4	Lotawa
Ross	5	Mitchell
Smith	6	Page
Cowan (C)	7	Penny
Kearns	8	Foley (C)
Higgins	9	Watkins
Henderson	10	Ferris
Te'o	11	Sio
Nonu	12	Aisea
Waqainabete	13	Busby
Matyas	14	Zarcone
Horan	15	Barry
Klein	16	Glover
Pifeleti	17	Turnbull
Kane	18	Tupou
Turori	19	Tupufia
Grant	20	Demers
Poidevin	21	Keane
Augspurger (VC)	22	Carelse
Hooley	23	Lopeti

#USMLR #rugby

Standings: New York (3rd in East, 8-7-0, 42 pts), Utah Warriors(4th in West, 9-6-0, 45 pts)
Kickoff: 3:00 PM Eastern, 12:00 PM Pacific
Location: Memorial Field, Mt. Vernon, New York
Where to watch: MSG, The Rugby Network (en Español)
Referee: Joe James(UK)
Assistant Refs: Marty Steffens (USA), Miles McIvor (USA)
TMO: Greg Gilliam (USA)

Lineup

Ironworkers	Pos	Warriors
Chance Wenglewski	1	Kilifi
Dylan Fawsitt (C)	2	Bell
Kaleb Geiger	3	Mullen
Charlie Hewitt	4	'Uhila
Brad Tucker	5	Lane
Kara Pryor	6	Wilson (C)
Brendon O'Connor	7	Williams
Pago Haini	8	Havili
Conor McManus	9	Going
Jason Emery	10	Hodgson
Ishmail Shabazz	11	Hamilton
Tei Walden	12	Whiting
Faasiu Fuatai	13	Fisher
Brooklyn Hardaker	14	Makene
Sam Windsor	15	Loubser
Daquan Perry	16	J. Backe
Tevita Langi	17	E. Prior
Nic Mayhew	18	A. MacLellan
Hamish Dalzell	19	J. Van Vuuren
Joe Basser	20	T. Tu'avao
Connor Buckley	21	J. Noaese
Quinn Ngawati	22	C. McLeod
Nick Feakes	23	L. Tago

#USMLR #rugby