North American Rugby Database

Report

The 2026 Major League Rugby Season kicks off with the California Legion hosting Anthem RC at the Championship Soccer Stadium in Great Park, Orange County.

As well as marking the first game of a critical season for Major League Rugby, this also marks the first game for the California Legion under their new, merged identity. This is the only game of the opening weekend with the remaining 4 teams receiving byes. Anthem RC were the first to reveal their lineup, with 11 players earning their Anthem debuts in the starting 15, including MLR debuts for 2025 draftees Will Sherman (1st Overall) and Campbell Robb (2nd Overall). The Legion revealed their starting 15 shortly after, with kiwi fly-half Coby Miln earning his MLR debut in the 10 shirt.

Luke Carty recorded the first points of the 2026 MLR season off the boot to give Anthem RC an early lead before Cole Semu crossed for the California Legion soon afterwards, recording the first try of the 2026 season and the first in franchise history for the California Legion. Coby Miln pushed the conversion wide giving the Legion a narrow 5-3 lead, which would be the last time that the hosts where ahead. Conner Mooneyham scored the first Anthem try of the season by collecting his own kick for a lovely try, and he would pick up a second before the end of the first half, sandwiching a Campbell Robb effort from close range, the 2025 2nd Overall pick scoring a first pro try on his MLR debut.

Discipline fell apart and things got tense towards the end of the half, with repeat infringements and a scrap putting both sides down players. Gonzalo Bertranou fed Ryan James on the outside to cut the gap to 12-20 to Anthem at the half, but the hosts wouldn’t get any closer than this. The 2nd half saw the scrappiness continue as the game tended to open up. Erich Storti secured the bonus point for the guests in the 56th minute, and Baden Godfrey added another on his MLR debut to balloon the score to 12-34, before the Legion managed to hit back. The Legion had looked very off the mark for the entire game, trying to force the extra pass or offload, often resulting in them coughing up possession. They coughed up 22 turnovers in this game compared to Anthem’s 10, but did manage to claw back a few tries to secure a try BP through Ben Sugars and Ben Houston, but this was Anthem’s day.

With a 26-39 victory, Anthem RC record the first victory in franchise history on their 33rd attempt, snapping the longest losing streak in Major League Rugby history! With a bonus point victory, Anthem have already equalled their points total from last season with 5, and currently lead the entire league! They will enjoy their Home Opener against the Chicago Hounds next weekend, while the California Legion will try to regroup before taking on the defending champion New England Free Jacks next week.