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Everything you need to know about Major League Rugby season two
America’s flagship professional rugby league is just about to get underway for its second season, with plenty of mouthwatering action in store once again.
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After a successful inaugural season in 2018 that saw seven teams battling for North American supremacy, the league has expanded for 2019 and has plans to expand further in 2020.
Here’s a quick guide to this year’s competition.
The Teams
Last year’s seven sides – the Austin Elite, Glendale Raptors, Houston SaberCats, New Orleans Gold, San Diego Legion, Seattle Seawolves and Utah Warriors – reprise their roles and will be joined by a pair of expansion teams; Rugby United New York and the Toronto Arrows, the league’s first Canadian team.
Next season three more sides are set to join the competition – a team based in Atlanta, a team based in DC and the New England Free Jacks.
The Seattle Seawolves and Glendale Raptors will be hot favourites in 2019 after meeting up in last season’s final, a match that proved to be an instant classic and wasn’t decided until the dying minutes. Seattle took home the Shield for the first time after an inspired comeback effort, while Glendale finished with the best record after the regular season and will look to repeat that same form in 2019.
Led by the likes of winger Harley Davidson (seven tries and possibly the best name in sport) and the all-Eagle halves pairing of Shaun Davies and Will Magie, Glendale topped the competition with a +90 points differential, a +14 try differential and finished second in the competition in scoring with 30.2 points per game. Adding young flanker Hanco Germishuys and USA Sevens flyer Malon Al-Jiboori to the roster will give the side even more attacking power.
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As for Seattle, the roster hasn’t seen much turnover and the side will be hoping that consistency on that front coupled with a handful of smart signings including USA Eagles Ben Cima and Roland Suniula – who joins brother Shalom in the backline – will lead to back-to-back titles sure to please a raucous fan base that sold out every home game in 2018.
Who To Watch
Last season our eyes were opened to some of North America’s premier rugby talent.
Midfield missile Paul Lasike was a headline grabber for the Utah Warriors, and his performances subsequently earned him a deal with Premiership club Harlequins in England.
One of 2018’s best performers and one of the United States’ most promising prospects will be hoping that a change of scenery leads to some silverware with the Glendale Raptors. 22-year-old Hanco Germishuys was an absolute terror for the Austin Elite in 2018, and strengthens one of the competition’s best sides.
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The South African-born loose forward has been an Eagle since 2016 and will continue to make his mark as one of the competition’s elite in 2019.
Elsewhere, the most recognisable name in the competition may be former England fullback Ben Foden. The big name acquisition has a massive task ahead as he tries to lead expansion team Rugby United New York in their first campaign.
33-year-old Foden represented England 34 times and appeared for Premiership club Northampton Saints 250 times.
When And How To Watch
The 2019 season gets underway this week. The first match takes place on the 26th of January with the Houston Sabercats and Austin Elite taking the honors.
The season opener kicks off at 8pm ET and just like last year, all matches will be available on ESPN+ and streamed live on Facebook for international fans.
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days until our journey to #DefendTheShield begins! Our 2019 @USMLR campaign opens up with a match up against the @glendaleraptors in the first @CBSSports Game of the Week!
Less than 100 tickets remain for #SEAvsGRR. ? #TogetherWeHunt
?: https://t.co/hWmyuVW4MA pic.twitter.com/pEFCkWeVe9
— Seattle Seawolves Rugby (@SeawolvesRugby) January 19, 2019
Fans are treated to a tantalising finals rematch in week one, with Seattle and Glendale set to play on the 27th, kicking off at 10.30pm ET where no love will be lost in a match that could set the tone for the rest of the year.
Be sure to catch all the action streaming live on the Major League Rugby Facebook page.
Rugby World Cup City Guides – Oita:
Comments on RugbyPass
Absolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
97 Go to commentsHo hum.
97 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
97 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to commentsLet’s be honest. The draw and scheduling in the World Cup was a joke but South Africa found a way after having to go the hard (nearly impossible) way to the Cup Final via France and England. NZ had a hard game against France (lost) and had 5 weeks to prepare for the Quarter, 3 weeks knowing it was Ireland. NZ theerfore had to win one big game against an Irish team who played SA and then Scotland 7 days before. They won and it was de facto a semi final because they were playing a relatively weak Argentina team and it was a walk over. In the final a very rested NZ team was playing a very tired SA team and still lost. They couldn’t score more than 11 points. Put another way SA had to find a way to win while tired and they achieved that. NZ should thank their lucky stars that they fixed the scheduling in 2015 otherwise they would be dealing with a Bok treble.
97 Go to commentsPerhaps if Bongi wasn’t targeted and removed from the game in the first 3 minutes it would have been quite a different game. Maybe if NZ also faced the same competition the Boks faced to their win NZ would have looked quite different. The final score shows who outplayed who.
97 Go to commentsRubbish article! Abuladze played most of Exeters matches when fit. He got injured against Glasgow a while ago and is out for the rest of the season, thats why he hasnt played for Exeter and Georgia recently. Do some proper research next time!
1 Go to commentsGotta love it when kids throw their toys out the pram and can’t hack it with the grown ups debate. Here’s looking at you turlough! 😉🤣
148 Go to commentsThey lost the game period move on
97 Go to commentsSpringboks won! Stop winging. You can change the game however much you and your rugby colonizing IRB want to and the Springboks will win you at that too. Your mind is colonized my friend get a life
97 Go to commentsBen, nobody gets fooled anymore by selective and biased data to support an hypothesis. Games are decided on such small margins these days that you win some and lose some, and dominance is a thing of the rugby past. Look at the RWC circle of fortune…. Ireland beats SA who beat France who beat NZ who beat Ireland. And so it goes on. Match officials help to eliminate real indiscretions. If they had been with us years before, no doubt results would have been different. Remember Andy Haden’s dive from a lineout in 1978 for which a match-wining penalty was awarded? Wales should have beaten the ABs that day. They took the loss like the gentlemen they were.
97 Go to commentsWith all the analysis and how good the all blacks were.The fundamental mistake with the ABs is that this is a test match and not an exhibition.There is no better team(country) in world rugby than the Boks that knows how to win a test match(we are post masters at this).We know our rules, we have the discipline, we tackle like beasts, we take our points and we never give up.I now have educated the ABs supporters(at least say thank you).Please stop “bitching” , accept what the outcome is and move along swiftly.
97 Go to commentsAnd they came from behind to win two big games before the final. No one can say what would have happened. Had the boks gone behind the game plan changes and the result may changes. Ifs and ands are irrelevant. The boks won. Neutral critics enjoyed the games they played. Its not a popularity contest. Get over it and move on.
97 Go to commentsI'm happy for the people of SA to get a second WC. And I mean that. I was very disappointed with this man's “stand on the hand” incident with Josh Van Der Flyer (Ireland). Ireland's downfall in the last WC was they did not rotate their first 15 as the head coach probably should have. That said, I'm happy for SA and genuinely hope it lifts the mood in their country. Ireland did beat them in the first match of the tournament. And before the trolls start trolling ….. please don't bother. Etzbeth said recently that the Irish players said after the match “see you in the final”…..this was actually wishing the SA team the best of luck in the rest, the Irish team were not dismissing the AB’s. This is what Etzbeth was implying. But he was wrong. I no longer live in Ireland. But I hope to see them lift that cup before I pass. Anyway, congratulations SA. 👍
12 Go to commentsMore bloody click bait. Dan Carter has said absolutely nothing. As he should do. Poor journalism again from a site that should know better
9 Go to commentsOh god please help these loosers get over it!!!! You lost. Doesn't matter how many times you dummies are gonna analyse the game, you still lost and we are still Rygby World Champions….get over it, you lost.
97 Go to commentsThe next Willie le Roux. SA are made not to use him.
3 Go to commentsDan has always been as controversial as tea with milk so we were never going to get any definitive answer. So DMac for the win.
9 Go to commentsGoodness. When are the All Blacks and New Zealand commentators going to stop complaining about how they could have won and just try to win next time 😂. In South Africa if you lose you get up and try again. Get over it.
97 Go to commentsHonestly, it doesn’t matter a whole lot. RSA has a ton of experienced talent in its leadership group. I am more interested in who is the new 8 man/8 men and the younger props. The captain may change but the system does not
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