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MLR to stage NFL style draft, as Raptors walk out on the league

By Adam McQueen
The Seattle Seawolves won the inaugural MLR title. Photo / Darren Zemanek/Seattle Seawolves

The MLR is preparing for major changes as they look ahead to their fourth professional season – the fledgling competition recently announced the creation of their inaugural collegiate draft set to take place in June.

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The draft will commence over a two day period, on June 13 and 14. It will only be open to collegiate players based out of the United States and the players must have played three years of college rugby or be at least 21 years-old.

The draft will be at least four rounds and the selection process will be determined by the standings at the end of the 2020 season. The MLR halted play in early March, before canceling the entire season after five games. New franchises Dallas and Los Angeles, who are slated to join the league in 2021, will get the first and second selections.

Establishing a draft system to bolster the league with more young, domestic players is essential as the MLR expands.

“Collegiate rugby has a rich history in the United States with over 900 active teams across the country. The immense talent in our Colleges and Universities has shown itself over the past three seasons and is only poised to grow. We are truly excited about creating this pathway for the next generation of MLR players,” said MLR Commissioner, George Killebrew on the league’s announcement.

However, the Colorado Raptors will not take part in the event as one of the founding franchises announced their withdrawal from the league. Finalists in the inaugural campaign, the Raptors sputtered last season and had middling results in 2020 as other franchises injected more talent into their squads. Colorado brought in Rene Ranger and Digby Ioane this year, however, Ioane never ended up suiting up for the team.

The Raptors withdrawal means that there are now currently 13 teams competing in the fourth season of MLR.

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Despite the adverse impact COVID-19 had on pushing USA Rugby towards bankruptcy, the cancellation of the 2020 season will allow the MLR to roll over those production costs slated for this year into 2021. The inclusion of two new expansion franchises, plus the new vacancy that Colorado’s departure offers, should also help provide more immediate financial stability moving forward.

Potential 2020 MLR Draft order

  1. Dallas/LA
  2. Dallas/LA
  3. Houston
  4. Austin
  5. New England
  6. Seattle
  7. Atlanta
  8. Utah
  9. New York
  10. NOLA
  11. Old Glory
  12. Toronto
  13. San Diego
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Trevor 56 minutes ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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B
Bull Shark 4 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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