Confirmed: Ex-England skipper Robshaw is moving to MLR on two-year deal
Former England captain Chris Robshaw will extend his career with a move to San Diego Legion, the 2019 Major League Rugby runners-up, once he sees out the currently suspended Gallagher Premiership campaign with Harlequins.
The English skipper for the infamous 2015 World Cup was quickly linked with a switch to America once it became known in February that he would be calling time on his distinguished Premiership career at the end of this season.
That contract was set to expire on June 30 but Robshaw has agreed to an extension through to the conclusion of the suspended 2019/20 season and he will then head to California – and the MLR – where he has secured a two-year deal through to 2022.
“Signing a player with Chris’ profile, talent and experience is another major step for us, both on and off the field,” said Legion chairman Darren Gardner.
“Not only will Chris add a new and very significant dimension to our team, Ryan (Patterson, CEO/president) and I believe Chris has the skill set and capability to transform how rugby is played across Major League Rugby as a whole.”
? Player signing: International superstar and former England national rugby team captain, Chris Robshaw, will join us for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Welcome Chris to the San Diego Legion!
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More details: https://t.co/4WtaehyKhX pic.twitter.com/z8hvYYryme— San Diego Legion Rugby (@SDLegion) June 17, 2020
Robshaw added: “Each season the MLR has grown and advanced its reputation in professional rugby circles. I have been looking at my options to play in the MLR over the last twelve months and there have been plenty of rumours about where I might play.
“In the end, it really was an obvious and easy choice for me. In a short period of time, SD Legion has built a reputation as being a world-class organisation. I’m very excited about being part of that organisation and helping continue to advance its reputation both on and off the field.”
Patterson said: “Bringing Chris to San Diego further demonstrates Legion’s commitment to elevating the profile of the sport of rugby in San Diego and across the US.”
It was June 9 when Robshaw revealed he would be available for Quins through to the end of the current campaign. “It’s great news to know I will have the chance to play my final game for my boyhood club,” he said at the time.
His last game for the club was the March 8 defeat at Bristol, the last match played in the Premiership before its coronavirus-enforced stoppage.
Make sure to read a fascinating insight into @ChrisRobshaw's childhood by @RugbyPass. Robshaw was visiting his old club @MightyWarl, at one of Gallagher’s grassroots #TrainWithYourHeroes sessions last week: https://t.co/IwCYBD3z3r
— Gallagher UK (@GallagherUK) March 18, 2019
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
27 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
27 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
27 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
27 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
27 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments