League: Major League Rugby

Founded in 2017 with it’s inaugural season played in 2018, Major League Rugby (MLR) is the highest level of professional rugby in North America.

2026 Championship Final: Chicago Hounds v California Legion

SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, IL plays host to the 2026 Major League Rugby Championship Game between the hometown Chicago Hounds and the California Legion. This is the 2nd MLR Championship Game to take place in Chicago, following the 2023 Final between the New England Free Jacks and San Diego Legion.

The Chicago Hounds come into this game as heavy favourites in front of a home crowd. They dominated the regular season with a 10-0 record and the maximum possible points total of 50, before demolishing Old Glory DC in the semifinals, 59-22 to earn their spot in their first ever Championship Game. The California Legion are also in their first Final in their current iteration, although their namesake the San Diego Legion featured in two finals, losing the 2019 Shield to the Seattle Seawolves, and the 2023 Final to the Free Jacks as mentioned above. The Legion had a trickier time getting to this final. They finished the regular season with an even 5-5 record that included a pretty comprehensive loss to the Seawolves in the final week in the regular season, before avenging this loss with a strong victory over Seattle the following week in the Semifinals at the formidable Starfire Stadium. Unsurprisingly, the undefeated Chicago Hounds swept the regular season series between these two teams, defeating the Legion 48-24 in this very stadium back in Round 3, before taking a closer, 26-36 victory on the road at Saint Mary’s Stadium in the Bay Area in Round 8.

A weekend of fan events culminated with the MLR Championship game at SeatGeek Stadium just outside of Chicago, in a torrential downpour. The rain started on the Sunday morning and didn’t stop until early Monday, soaking the Fan Tailgate but not dampening the spirits of anyone, and the heavy Hounds contingent was rewarded with a great performance from the league leaders, who adapted better to the miserable conditions than their opponents from the California Legion. Although rare in the regular season, penalty kicks at goal have been common in the postseason, with teams aware that they need to get points where they can in knockout rugby. It was a penalty that opened the scoring of the 2026 Final after only 4 minutes from the boot of Chris Hilsenbeck, whose kicking seemed largely unaffected by the conditions. Almost immediately afterwards, the Hounds took advantage of their superior set piece, and set up a maul from a lineout with Theo Fourie crossing for the first try of the game, and his 11th try in Chicago’s 12-game season. Hilsenbeck added the conversion to give the Hounds a 10-0 lead, a perfect start for the hosts.

Rattled early, the California Legion fought their way back into the game, and opened their own account around 16 minutes from the boot of MLR top scorer Coby Miln, cutting the lead to 10-3 and making it a 1 score game but unfortunately for the visitors, ill-discipline began to rear it’s ugly head and Legion prop and USA Eagle Tonga Kofe was handed a yellow card in the 25th minute which the Hounds took advantage of almost immediately as Canadian international Mason Flesch barged over from close range for his 10th of the season, and Hilsenbeck was on target again to increase the lead to 17-3. Things would only get worse for California as they were handed another yellow card just a few minutes later, this time to Justus Tavai who had actually replaced Kofe after his yellow. With the penalty that led to the yellow card however, Hilsenbeck made a rare error and send the ball out of the back of the try zone to give the Legion a scrum, and they were able to clear the pressure and a few minutes later right before the half, they had possibly their best scoring opportunity of the game. A Hounds lineout was overthrown into the hands of the Legion, who ran from deep and made a break out wide, but a few fly hacks at the ball saw it dribble into touch, and the following Chicago lineout went according to plan, and the hosts took a 17-3 halftime lead into the break. A dominant first half from the undefeated Hounds, but the scoreline could’ve been much more lopsided with a few close range opportunities going begging.

The second half opened similarly to the first. Another penalty from Hilsenbeck 3 minutes in nudged the lead to 20-3, and a handful of minutes later, Chicago added their 3rd try of the game through 2025 MLR Rookie of the Year Peyton Wall. Hilsenbeck’s conversion attempt fell short but the Hounds now held a healthy 25-3, scoring 8pts early in the half and showing that they weren’t going to sit back and defend. To really hammer this point home, the Chicago added their 4th try of the evening just 6 minutes later through Nathan den Hoedt’s 3rd score of the 2026 season, and Hilsenbeck made no mistakes this time to take the score to 32-3 to the hosts, and they were cruising to the Shield. To their credit the California Legion, on the back foot for most of the game, did respond. The visitors added a try on each side of the 2nd half hydration break through Coby Miln and Ed Timpson, and Miln was able to add the extras on both scores. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, the Hounds’ advantage had been cut to 32-17 with 15 minutes to play. Chicago were still 3 scores in front, but the momentum was very clearly now in favour of the Legion, making for a nervy final 14 minutes for the Chicago faithful. Fighting their way back into the game with some staunch defence, the Hounds had a chance to put the game to bed with an attacking lineout with just under 5 to go, but this was held up and the Legion relieved the pressure. Very late, the Hounds won a penalty in the Legion zone, and they used this opportunity to burn what was left of the clock. Hilsenbeck made no mistakes to add a final 3 to take his personal tally to 15, and the Hounds claim the 2026 MLR Shield by a score of 35-17 over the California Legion in front of a home crowd.

Despite the miserable weather, the Chicago Hounds fans and team then took to the field for post-game celebrations, capping off the first perfect season in MLR history and becoming the first regular-season leader to claim the Shield since the 2021 LA Giltinis. Probably the most dominant team that MLR has ever seen, the Chicago Hounds claim their first championship, wrapping up an excellent weekend of events across the city of Chicago.

It was always going to be tough for the California Legion who end their first season in their new iteration as Runners-Up, but fall to 0-3 in the rain. They can hold their heads high about making it to the Championship, defeating the Seattle Seawolves at Starfire last week and playing a thoroughly entertaining brand of rugby all season long. It’s a brand of rugby that struggles when the weather is poor however, and defeating the 2026 Chicago Hounds would need the perfect game, which just didn’t happen for the Legion. They will start to look towards 2027, and hopefully a more permanent home in California.

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2026 – SF 2: Chicago Hounds v Old Glory DC

The undefeated Chicago Hounds host Old Glory DC at SeatGeek Stadium for the first Monday night game of the 2026 Major League Rugby season in the second semifinal, with a spot in the 2026 Championship Game up for grabs, also in this stadium in a week’s time!

The Chicago Hounds wrapped up their 2026 regular season with a big win over the Free Jacks in Quincy, both ending the reigning champs’ season, and securing the first perfect season in MLR history, with a 10-0 record and the maximum of 50pts in the standings. Old Glory DC meanwhile, squeaked into their 4th successive postseason with yet another sub-500 record, finishing in 4th with a 4-6 record. However, the Flags came closest to handing a defeat to the Hounds in their 32-33 clash back in Round 10, and have proven difficult for the Hounds to deal with in both of their matchups in 2026. The Hounds have a home final waiting for them with a victory, but can the Flags shock the league and qualify for their first final?

Similar to yesterday’s first Semifinal, the scoring was opened by a penalty kick. Jason Emery (in for Jason Robertson who returned to New Zealand for the birth of his first child) slotted a penalty in the 3rd minute to give the visiting Old Glory DC an early lead. The Hounds approached the game differently, winning a penalty roughly a minute later and opting for the kick to the corner. However, they couldn’t bag a try to opted for points with a second penalty from the subsequent lineout and Chris Hilsenbeck made no mistake to tie things up at 3. early game possession was almost all green, but the DC defence did a good job absorbing it for 10 minutes or so until the Hounds were awarded a scrum penalty on a DC put-in, in their own half. Hilsenbeck went for the corner and the Houdns set up their lethal maul, which eventually rumbled over and Theo Fourie bagged the first try of the game, and his tenth of the season. This seemed to get the Hounds’ tails up. Off the restart, they were awarded a couple more penalties and used them to march back into the Old Glory end. The Flags ended up giving away another penalty which Ruben de Haas took quickly and launched a crossfield kick out wide to Noah Brown, who finished with a sneaky step to extend Chicago’s lead to 17-3 at the 20 minute mark. Following the hydration break, DC won a penalty and went for the corner, but Chicago were able to win a penalty on their own goalline which served as another blow to DC confidence. A few more penalties later, and Chicago found themselves back in the DC danger zone once again and Lucas Rumball jumped on a loose Chicago ball, lobbing it to his teammates and Jake Kinneeveauk picked it up with open field in front of him, crossing for the Hounds 3rd of the game at the half hour mark and extending their lead to 24-3. Things got even worse for DC as a superb take from Brock Webster fed the ball to Peyton Wall who ran 50m odd on his own to add a 4th of the half for the Hounds. 31-3 at the 33 minute mark, and both DC players and staff looked absolutely shellshocked. Luckily for them, there was no more score changes, and the teams headed to the sheds with the Chicago Hounds up 31-3.

Old Glory DC seemed to have recovered some of their composure in the half-time break, and came out with the bulk of possession to start the second half. A series of penalties against the Hounds saw the Flags begin to crawl their way back into the game, if not on the scoreboard. While the Hounds attack was showcased in the first half, the first 10 minutes of the second half showed off their defensive capabilities. Old Glory DC were camped in the Chicago half but were unable to cut the lead and in the 52nd minute on the Hounds’ first possession of the half, Tavite Lopeti chipped a kick through and any one of three Chicago players could’ve finished it, but a fortuitous bounce lands the ball in the hands of Mason Flesch to finish his 9th try of the season to extend the lead to 38-3 after Hilsenbeck added the extras, and this lead was beginning to look insurmountable for the Flags. They got a break however, as Peyton Wall was handed a yellow card for taking a man out in the air, and would be a man up for 10 minutes. They capitalised almost immediately as Kirby Myhill crossed after a few phases at close range. The hounds would quickly snuff out the comeback attempt however, as Chicago Captaion Lucas Rumball would cross for a short range try of his own about 7 minutes later, and the hosts pass 40, now leading 45-10 with under 20 to go. Almost immediately afterwards the Hounds would pass 50 as Brock Webster broke the DC line and fed it to Noah Brown for his 2nd of the game. It seemed as though the Hounds began to back off now that they were past the 50 mark, but on the 70 minute mark, a DC play was read perfectly by Michael Baska for a clean interception for Chicago’s 8th of the game, now ahead 59-10. The Flags would grab a pair of late consolation scores through Perry Humphreys and Connor Robinson, but this game had been over for a while.

The Chicago Hounds take a huge 59-22 victory, and earn the right to fight for the Shield in front of a home crowd next weekend, where they will face the California Legion. Old Glory DC’s season comes to an end in dramatic fashion, and they head to the offseason.

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2026 – SF 1: Seattle Seawolves v California Legion

In a repeat of their clash in the final week of the regular season, the Seattle Seawolves host the California Legion at Starfire Stadium in the first semifinal of the 2026 Major League Rugby season, with a ticket to Chicago on the line to compete for the Shield next weekend!

The Seattle Seawolves comfirmed home advantage in the final week of the regular season thanks to a surprisingly comfortable 33-19 victory over the Legion, and enter this game with a 6-4 record and 31pts. The Legion, having dropping their final game last week, finished their first regular season in their new iteration in 3rd with a 5-5 record and 29pts. They defeated the Seawolves 38-31 in their first regular season matchup back in Round 4, but that wasn’t at Starfire, which holds a fortress-like reputation. The Seattle Seawolves have won 21 of their last 24 games there. Will they make it 22 from 25 and book a post in what would be their MLR-leading FIFTH Championship Game, or will the Legion avenge their loss last week?

Somewhat unusually for games this season, the scoring was opened by a penalty kick. The California Legion stole a Seawolves lineout on their own 22m line, and the Legion earned a penalty a few phases later with Miln making no mistake from the tee for a 0-3 lead. The visitors would hem the Seawolves in their own end for the next few minutes, and would build on this lead about 6 minutes later when USA Eagle Joey Mano broke free and just about found paydirt for his 45th career try, his 6th of the season. The Seattle Seawolves would respond quickly with 3pts of their own after winning a penalty soon after the restart, but the Legion would keep up the pressure and earn another penalty a few minutes later to restore their 10pt lead, up 3-13. That brought Coby Miln’s points total to 8 in this game, pushing his season total over the 100pt mark and becoming the first player in the league to pass 100 this season. However, once again the Seawolves responded immediately in much the same manner as their first penalty, and Davy Coetzer made no mistake. Yet again, the Legion kept up the pressure and tried to pin the Seawolves in their end. They were within a metre or two of the Seawolves line but knocked it forward. Playing advantage, the Seawolves ran from their own line to around their 22m line, before Andre Warner broke the Legion line and teared over the half-way line, fly hacking it through where it was retrieved by Rufus McLean for his first try of the season. Coetzer added the extras to tie things up, before the Legion challenged the play to no avail. Following this, the game returned to business as usual. Another penalty kick for the Legion gave them back a narrow 13-16 lead a minute later. A huge call came soon afterwards, when a referee initiated review determined that Seawolves player Rhyno Herbst attacked a ruck at speed from distance with a tucked arm, and was shown a 20 minute red card. Despite this, the Seawolves headed to the sheds tied with the Legion at 16-16 after Davy Coetzer sunk another penalty on the stroke of half time.

The California Legion came out for the second half on fire. Coby Miln recorded a wonderful 50:22 really early in the half to give California a great attacking platform, and a few phases later Legion and USA Captain Jason Damm fell over the try line for his 2nd of season and Legion’s second of the game. Miln added the extras to give the visitors a 16-23 lead. The same story carried over from the first half however, with the Seawolves responding quickly with another 3pts from Davy Coetzer, his 4th of the game so far. A break from prop Declan Leaney saw the Legion go over again, but Billy Meakes was held up and the Seawolves won a penalty from the subsequent goal line return. From this, Seattle produced their first real sustained attack of the game. After a handful of phases in the Legion 22, a half break from Davy Coetzer was supported by Divan Rossouw for his 4th of the season to give the hosts their first lead of the season, 26-23. With the momentum shifting, the Seawolves extended their lead shortly afterwards with yet another Coetzer penalty, but as was the story of the game, Coby Miln cancelled this out with 3pts of his own for the Legion shortly after. The visitors would make up for letting the lead slip. With a cheeky short kick off, the Legion retained posession from their own kick off and Ronan Murphy ran a great line after California marched into the 22, and scored his first of the season at a critical time, to give the guests back a 29-33 lead with under 20 to play. This put the momentum squarely back in the hands of the California Legion. After repelling a Seawolves attack off the restart, Coby Miln sinks his second 50:22 of the game to pin the Seawolves right back in their own end, and Alex Lopeti scores off the back of the mall from the subsequent lineout. The Legion lead was now 29-40 with 12 to play, but the Seawolves were given a break. Despite knocking the ball on and the Legion gaining possession, they fluffed the clearance kick and Seawolves got the ball back. Eventually, a crossfield kick from Coetzer saw Rufus McLean bag his 2nd of the game, but Coetzer was unable to add the extras so the score stood at 34-40 with 8 minutes to play. A minute or so later, a break from Ale Lopeti resulted in another penalty opportunity for the Legion, and as usual, Miln made no mistake with a tricky kick to make it a 2-score game with under 5 to play. Despite a number of possessions, the Seawolves were unable to adjust the score and the California Legion defeat the experienced Seawolves in their own back yard.

With a combined 77pts, this game marked the highest scoring playoff game in MLR history to this point, surpassing the 73pts scored in the 2022 Western Conference Final, a 27-46 Seattle Seawolves victory. Unfortunately it was not a Seattle victory today, and the 2x Champs do not make their 5th Championship game. They head to the offseason. Instead, the California Legion are heading to Chicago for the first time in their current iteration to play for the Shield against the winner of the Hounds v Old Glory DC game tomorrow night.

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2026 – RD 11: Seattle Seawolves v California Legion

The Seattle Seawolves host the California Legion at Starfire Stadium for a Sunday Night Rugby marquee matchup to mark the final game of the 2026 MLR regular season, as well as the 2nd leg of the Pacific Coast Clash.

The 2nd placed California Legion enter this game 3 table points ahead of the 3rd placed Seattle Seawolves, with the winner of this game deciding who will host their semifinal match up next week. In an unusual twist, these team will face each other two weeks in a row as they have been locked in to facing each other in the playoffs for a while.

The visiting Legion were quicker off the mark, opening the scoring after only 5 minutes through Gonzalo Bertranou, after the Seattle Seawolves went down a man through an early yellow card to Ezekiel Lindenmuth. Despite being a man down however, the Seawolves stayed close with the Legion, and opened their own account right at the end of the Legion’s man advantage with Paddy Ryan crossing for his 7th of the season, with Davy Coetzer adding the extras to give the Seawolves a narrow 7-5 lead. Somewhat unfairly, the Legion were handed a yellow card of their own just after the first hydration break, with Ed Timpson having played it on the floor per referee Luke Rogan. After holding off the Legion with a man down, the Seawolves really took advantage of their numerical superiority, with both Duncan Matthews and Dan Kriel crossing with Timpson in the bin to give the hosts a strong 21-5 lead, before Timpson himself was able to hit a huge gap and score himself to pull the score back to 21-12 at the half-time break. As things stood at HT, these two teams would be back here at Starfire for the semifinals next week.

While the Legion got the best of the start of the first half, the Seawolves started the second half far better. A close quarters passage of play on the Legion line saw Mason Pedersen find the try line to extend the Seawolves lead to 28-12 in the 43rd minute, and with the try BP locked up, they seemed in complete control with forward momentum. After a period of stop & start play littered with reviews, the Seawolves were faster off the mark once the game got going again. A perfect floated pass from Davy Coetzer finds Dan Kriel on the edge who finishes for his second of the game, and Seattle lead 33-12 with 20 minutes remaining. From here, the Legion really starting to struggle after having very little possession and less than 10% of the territory in the second half. It was really only after the 75th minute when the Legion were able to string any sort or phases together. They would claim a consolation try off a line break from Cassh Maluia, finished a few phases and penalties later by Legion prop Justus Tavai. In this quick passage of play, the Seawolves were handed two yellow cards to go down to 13 men. The Legion were unable to shift the scoreboard any further however, and fall 33-19 in Seattle.

With this well earned victory, the Seattle Seawolves finish 2nd in the standings and earn a home semifinal next week in an exact repeat of this fixture against the Legion once again, next Sunday night.

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2026 – RD 11: New England Free Jacks v Chicago Hounds

The New England Free Jacks host the Chicago Hounds at Veteran’s Memorial Stadium in the 2nd leg of the Eastern Conference Final rematch to kick off MLR’s ‘Decision Day’, the final day of the 2026 Regular Season.

The Hounds enter this game as the only team in MLR with their place secured, and remain unbeaten with a 9-0 record. Although a win is not needed, Chicago will want that flawless 10-0 regular season and will also want to get revenge on the New England Free Jacks for their defeat in last year’s Eastern Conference Final. The Free Jacks currently sit in a playoff spot, but will want a bonus point win to give them the best possible chance of qualifying for the postseason. It’s possible that they can still make it with a loss, but they will need Anthem RC to do them a favour against Old Glory DC for that to work.

Both sides seemed to understand the gravity of this game, and it remained scoreless through the first 20 minutes as both teams jockeyed for field position. Lots of penalties for each side but the Hounds enjoyed the bulk of the territory and possession, but were unable to break that Free Jacks defence. After camping in the Free Jacks end following the first hydration break, the Hounds won a penalty and put it into the corner as they had already done multiple times through the first 25 minutes. Bekerman’s throw was faultless and the Hounds set up the maul and on this occasion the Free Jacks collapsed the maul illegally and referee Derek Summers had no choice but to award the Hounds a Penalty Try, and show a yellow card to Free Jacks forward Jama Fa’anana-Schultz just to rub salt in the wound. This yellow card seems to have spurred the Free Jacks on however. Now down 7 and down a man, New England began stringing together phases and marching up field. A penalty in the Hounds half gave them a golden opportunity from a lineout in the corner, and on the second attempt, Sione Topou breaks off the maul and straight through the Hounds line. Joel Hodgson can’t add the extras however so still trail 5-7 in the 32nd minute, but had their tails up now. Just a few minutes later after fighting their way back downfield but giving away possession, Kienan Higgins jumps on a spilled ball and runs it in under the posts to give the hosts their first lead of the game, 12-7 once Hodgson added the conversion. The Hounds would rally well however, and hit back soon after the Higgins score to get the last laugh of the first half. A defensive stand on their own line was eventually breached by Tiaan Loots, with the Chicago centre able to stretch out for the grounding, and Santiago Videla makes no mistakes from the tee to give the visitors back the lead, 12-14 at the half.

The second half started with heavy pressure from the Chicago Hounds, but a miscue was fly-hacked by a defender to clear their lines after nearly 10 minutes of being hemmed in. Free Jacks defenders manage to hold up the Hounds in a maul in midfield to regain possession, and out of seemingly nowhere, a strong fend from Kienan Higgins allows him to offload to Oscar Lennon on a great support line, who runs it in to give the Free Jacks back the lead once again, 19-14 just shy of the 50 minute mark. For possibly the first time this season, it looked as if the Hounds were human after all. The Free Jacks had fought their way back into the lead, and were shifting the momentum and benefitting from Chicago mistakes. There was roughly 20 minutes of vying for field position in the middle of the second half either side of the hydration break where both teams took turns in marching upfield before an error or clutch turnover switched possession and the other team would then do the same. Finally, with the Free Jacks still needing a 4th try for their bonus point, A smart play from Tiaan Loots saw him tackled, but he released the ball and picked it up again, getting over the try line for his second of the game to tie things up for Chicago. The lead flips back once again after Videla adds the extras, 19-21 up with about 13 minutes to play. This really seemed to both feed the Hounds, and deflate the Free Jacks. Just a few minutes later, 2025 Championship MVP Brock Webster flies through a gap from close range to extend the visitors’ lead, and claim their try bonus point. The Free Jacks, needing to win by at least two, trailed 19-28 with under 7 minutes to play but things would only get worse for the threepeat Champions. To cap off a hard earned road victory, Tiaan Loots got on the shoulder of Luke White after a half break for his third of the game, completing his hat trick for the Chicago Hounds, who take a 19-35 victory on the road but not before Ben LeSage is shown a straight red card (his second of the season) just to really twist the knife for the Free Jacks.

With a bonus point victory, the Chicago Hounds complete the first perfect season in MLR history, going a flawless 10-0 and picking up the maximum 50pts in the standings and get revenge on the New England Free Jacks for last year’s Eastern Conference Final and dumping the 3x defending champions out of the postseason. With this defeat, the Free Jacks finish a forgettable 2026 season with a 3-7 record, losing out on a playoff spot for the first time since 2021 and join Anthem RC as the two teams to miss out. This ensures that their rivals Old Glory DC finish 4th and make the playoffs.

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2026 – RD 11: Old Glory DC v Anthem RC

Old Glory DC host Anthem RC at George Mason University in the opening game of Round 11 of the 2026 MLR season.

Both teams enter this game on the outside of the top 4, but it’s not impossible for either side to move up to 4th to secure a playoff spot. Old Glory sit even with the 4th placed New England Free Jacks on 17 pts, but trail on points difference. They will want a bonus point win to give them the best possible chance at a postseason berth, but only need a point or two if the Chicago Hounds do them a favour and defeat the Free Jacks on Sunday. Anthem RC are sat in 6th with 13pts, and need a bonus point victory to give them any chance of qualifying for the postseason, no matter how slim.

It was a perfect start for the flags, with USA Eagle Ben Bonasso rumbling over to open the scoring after only two minutes, while Anthem RC really struggled to get anything going, constantly hindered by a combination of errors and staunch DC defence. 15 minutes later things got worse for the Rising Stars as Jason Robertson found a gap in the to squeeze through shortly after DC had a try called back, and now up 12-0 after 20, it seemed that they would coast to the win. If only it was that easy. Anthem enjoyed the bulk of possession in the first half, and began to hem DC in their own end and jack up the pressure. After a strong defensive stand from the hosts, Dom Akina managed to find a way through and Anthem were on the board, trailing 12-7 in the 31st minute. it looked as though that would be the halftime score, however on the stroke of halftime, Old Glory scrum-half John LeFevre picked up the ball from the back of a scrum in his own half, and went for it. LeFevre recorded one of the best individual tries of the 2026 season out of absolutely nothing, to extend that DC lead to 19-7 at the break with a real dagger to Anthem.

Rather than deflating Anthem for the second half, this LeFevre score seemed to do the opposite. The Rising Stars came out with a new level of instensity that it seems DC weren’t ready for. Tevita Naqali was shown a yellow for repeat infringements to give the guests a man advantage, and they took it. The Anthem pack set up a maul and trundled over with Seth Smith the beneficiary, clawing back to within 5 early in the second half. The Rising Stars kept up the pressure and despite seeming to work so much harder to score than their opponents this season, but the momentum was definitely with them. The guests would double up about 12 minutes later through a superb finish in the corner from Erich Storti, and the boot of Luke Carty was flawless from a tough angle to actually give Anthem RC a narrow 19-21 lead at the 60 minute mark. With Old Glory DC needing a bonus point win to give them the best chance at the postseason, alarm bells may have started to ring as the time ticked away, into the final 10 minutes. After being on the back foot for most of the last 30 minutes, DC were finally able to put some phases together and a few penalties had them camped in the Anthem 22 before Jason Robertson dinked the ball through for Perry Humphreys, who just about got on the end of it to secure the try BP for DC and give them back the lead. Robertson added the 2pts and DC were leading 26-21 with just over 5 minutes to play. DC kept up the pressure and forced a penalty in the 78th minute well withing Robertson’s range, and he made no mistakes to add the 3pts to make it a 2 score game with seconds remaining, and Anthem RC were unable to change anything with the time remaining, falling 29-21.

With questions around Anthem’s future lingering, they finish their best ever season with a 2-8 record. Two wins early in the season was a promising start for the Rising Stars, but a 7-game losing streak to end the season is tough. World Rugby and MLR funding for the franchise expires at the end of the 2026 campaign after what was always billed as a 3yr investment, so new buyers will need to be found. For DC, there are happier questions to consider. They have done their job and must wait to see if they are in the playoffs, with the Chicago Hounds (probably DC’s semi-finals opponent) needing to defeat the New England Free Jacks in order for DC to make it.

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2026 – RD 10: Seattle Seawolves v New England Free Jacks

The defending champion New England Free Jacks travel to Washington State to face the Seattle Seawolves for a Sunday Night Rugby marquee matchup at Starfire Stadium during Round 10 of the 2026 MLR season. This match marks the 2nd leg of the 2026 ‘Multi-Shield Melee and ‘Coffee Cup’.

The New England Free Jacks are coming off a tight, rainy victory away to Anthem RC to put them back in a playoff spot by a single point, while the Seawolves return home after a catastrophic defeat to the Chicago Hounds, 57-17. Despite this heavy loss, the Seawolves fielded an unchanged starting XV against the defending champions as they fight with the California Legion for home field advantage in the postseason.

This one took a while to get started, but it was worth the wait. The entire first half was defined by errors. It seemed like any time that either side threatened to break the deadlock, they would spill the ball or get pinged for another unforced error. The Seawolves managed to open the scoring through a close range dart from standout Paddy Ryan, and it took 12 minutes for the Free Jacks to respond through Tayne Hemopo’s first MLR try to even things up. Both sides scored while the other had a man in the sin bin, but this was the only scoring through the first 40. The errors were common and the chances were few and far between, with both sides struggling to convert on their zone entries including about 4 entries for Seattle through the first 10 minutes. With the Seawolves fighting for a home semifinal and the Free Jacks fighting for survival, this one looked like it might go down to the wire.

Thankfully for fans, The second half saw a bit more scoring. The Seawolves would inch in front thanks to a rare penalty try off a scrum, and Paddy Ryan would add his 2nd of the game about 5 minutes later to give the hosts some breathing room, now ahead 21-7. The Free Jacks showed flashes of brilliance that fans have come to expect after the last 3 seasons, such as a superb Ben LeSage score in the 54th minute to show that they still had some fight. This was cancelled out just after the hydration break however, with Dewald Kotze trundling over at the back of a powerful Seawolves maul, and just 2 minutes later Divan Rossouw crossed to extend the lead with a 5th score of the afternoon for the hosts. Trailing 33-14, the Free Jacks put up a great fight in the final 10 minutes, scoring through Sione Tupou and Alex Mackenzie to secure a try BP of their own and pull back to 33-28 thanks to the extras from Joel Hodgson. This put the visitors into a much needed losing BP range as well, but the Seawolves had other plans. A penalty in the final minute was nailed by Dorian Jones to take Seattle just out of reach and limit the Free Jacks to just the 1 bonus point, falling 36-28 to the Seawolves in Seattle.

This final kick shows that the Seawolves really do not want to give the Free Jacks the opportunity to qualify for the postseason. They secure their semifinals spot and give Old Glory DC the best possible chance to beat New England to the postseason. It’s still to be decided if Seattle will host or travel for the semifinal, and the result of their game next week against the California Legion will decide that. Winner gets to host. For the Free Jacks, their 1 bonus point ties them on 17pts with Old Glory DC, but New England hold on to 4th place by virtue of their slightly better points difference. They need to have the game of their lives against the incredible Chicago Hounds next week, who will be eager to keep the defending champions out of the playoffs after the Eastern Conference Final last year.

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2026 – RD 10: Anthem RC v California Legion

The California Legion travel to Charlotte to face Anthem RC at the American Legion Memorial Stadium during Round 10 of the 2026 MLR season.

The Legion are sat relatively comfortably in 2nd place with an even 4-4 record, with a bonus point win able to clinch home field advantage for the 2026 Semifinals. At the other end of the table, Anthem RC enter this game sat last in the standings on a 5 game skid, and are desperate for a win after a disappointing defeat at home to New England last week.

The last time these two teams met was the 2026 Season Opener in which Anthem RC claimed their first ever victory in their 33rd game. The Legion seemed aware of the opportunity in front of them, both to lock up 2nd and a home semifinal, and for revenge. They came out firing and opened the scoring after just two minutes through Nick Chan. Anthem would raly and apply heavy pressure with the majority of both the territory and possession in the first quarter. Despite all that pressure however, a Lance Williams try just before the hydration break put them down 0-14. The Rising Stars would cancel this try out shortly afterwards with a great bruising run from Baden Godfrey to lumber over, but the Legion would bag another two scores within 5 minutes of Godfrey’s try to lock up the try BP, and would add a 5th first half try from Gonzalo Bertranou 10 minutes later. The visitors led 7-33 at half time with Anthem showing few signs that they were capable of coming back from this heavy deficit.

To Anthem’s credit, they opened the second half scoring through Campbell Robb to cut the Legion’s lead to 19pts, but weren’t able to pull any closer before California’s Coby Miln slotted a penalty in the 51st minute, and Steff Crimp scored twice in 6 minutes either side of the second hydration break, adding this brace to his first half score to claim the second hat trick of the 2026 MLR season and the first in California Legion history! Despite there being just under 20 minutes to go, the Legion seemed to think the job was done with the score at 14-50, and allowed Anthem back into the game. Zion Going, who injected some pace and intent into the Anthem attack, also scored a brace withing 6 minutes of each other about 7 minutes after Crimp completed his hat trick, securing a Try BP for Anthem and taking them up to 26pts and put California’s Gonzalo Bertranou in the bin. The Rising Stars’ comeback attempt was stunted soon after however, with a scrap resulting in a second yellow for Makeen Alikhan, resulting in a red, and a yellow for the Legion’s Keni Nasoqeqe on his 100th MLR appearance. The game would end with 13v14 but the visitors didn’t show any mercy, capping off a dominant performance with an 82nd minute try from Ben Houston to make the final score 26-55.

This locks up a playoff spot for the Legion with a 5-4 record heading into the final week of the regular season, and will secure home field advantage should the Seattle Seawolves fall to the New England Free Jacks later today. If the Seawolves win, then it will be a fight for a home Semifinal as they face the Legion next week. Anthem RC will be hoping that Seattle can overcome the defending champs to keep their slim playoff chances alive. The rising stars must defeat Old Glory DC (who are also fighting for a playoff spot) next week, and win by a lot if they want any chance.

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2026 – RD 10: Old Glory DC v Chicago Hounds

Old Glory DC host the Chicago Hounds at George Mason University to mark the opening game of Round 10 of the 2026 MLR season.

The Chicago Hounds remain undefeated through their 8 games of the 2026 season so far, and have already locked up a playoff spot, home field advantage, AND the number 1 seeding, so are just playing for that 10-0 record now. Last week, they demolished the 2nd placed (at the time) Seattle Seawolves by a score of 57-17, recording the largest margin of victory in team history. On the other hand, the hosting Old Glory DC are fighting for survival, currently sat in 5th just a point outside of the playoff places, but suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of the California Legion in Sacramento last week which really highlighted the struggles that the Flags have in offence. It will be a huge ask against arguably the most dominant team that MLR has ever seen, but can they shock everyone?

It was the visitors that opened the scoring, as Nathan den Hoedt crossed for his second on the year after 6 minutes. The Hounds were on top in the early game with the lion’s share of both territory and possession but uncharacteristically for them this season, they struggled to convert their red-zone entries. Ironically, this was something that Old Glory DC have suffered from this year, but had no issues with today. John Rizzo hit back for the Flags for his 5th of the season to get DC on the board, and doubled up for the brace just after the first hydration break and following a yellow card to Nathan den Hoedt for repeat infringements. The hosts kept up the pressure, camping in the Hounds half until Jason Robertson found a bit of space out wide before feeding Cory Daniel for an easy finish to extend DC’s lead, now up 19-7 after Robertson added the extras. The Chicago Hounds would get the last laugh of the half however, after DC received a yellow card of their own for a dangerous tackle within their own 22. The Hounds kicked for touch and set up a rolling maul on the ensuing lineout from which Theo Fourie was able to just about ground his 8th try of the season. The teams headed to the break with Old Glory DC leading 19-14 at home.

Old Glory DC started the second half exactly how they played much of the first half. Finding themselves in the Hounds 22 with a lineout, DC set up a rolling maul and Kirby Myhill was able to break free to secure the try BP for the hosts. Although Theo Fourie would bag his 9th of the season for the Hounds in much the same manner, everything was going DC’s way. Kickoff mistakes from Chicago and handling errors put DC in good field position and Jason Robertson was able to add a pair of penalties to extend the DC lead to 32-19 around the second hydration break. Following the hydration break the visiting Hounds started to get things together and as they did, the DC players started looking more and more exhausted. Mason Flesch would run a superb line from short range to get the scoreboard moving in the right direction, and would repeat it about 7 minutes later right under the posts to grab his brace, and Hilsenbeck added the conversion for both to give the Hounds a narrow 32-33 lead with 8 minutes to play. The final 8 minutes was littered with team challenges as teams tried everything they could to maintain or regain possession. Old Glory won a penalty to establish a good attacking platform, but Jason Robertson failed to find touch which allowed the Hounds to clear their lines but on the subsequent possession, a knock on from Cory Daniel gave the ball back to Chicago. The possession changed again twice the final two minutes but DC found themselves with a lineout just inside the Hounds half, and an incredible passage of play followed. Phase after phase of clean play saw DC gain slow progress until Semi Kunatani barrelled through half a dozen defenders, but a knock on about 10m out sealed the game. A nailbiting 32-33 victory for the Chicago Hounds that could well be the game of the 2026 season.

Although Old Glory DC will be disappointed not to grab the win and hand the Hounds their first loss, but they do pick up a pair of bonus points to jump into the playoff spots ahead of their rivals the New England Free Jacks. The Hounds just about escape with their undefeated record intact, and look towards their final game of the regular season against the New England Free Jacks.

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2026 – RD 9: California Legion v Old Glory DC

The California Legion host Old Glory DC at Heart Health Park in Sacramento, CA during Round 9 of the 2026 MLR season. This game marks both the first Major League Rugby game played in Sacramento, and the second leg of the 2026 ‘Shield Showdown’ for a Sunday Night Rugby marquee matchup.

The Legion enter this game having given the undefeated Chicago Hounds their biggest test of the season in Round 7, but still fell to 3rd in the standings behind the Seattle Seawolves. A win here would even up their record at 4-4, and would almost guarantee them a spot in the postseason. Their rivals, Old Glory DC, currently occupy the final playoff spot only 3pts above the Free Jacks and Anthem. A win on the road in California would be enormous for their playoff push and put them into 3rd.

Although the Legion opened the scoring early through Corbin Smith, the first quarter of this game was a role reversal from what we’ve seen from these teams so far this season. The California Legion, usually dominant in possession, had to put in some long, strong defensive efforts to keep Old Glory DC (usually happy to defend) at bay. The Flags got on the board through John Rizzo about 10 minutes after Smith opened the scoring, but the momentum began to shift after the first hydration break. Legion captain Jason Damm crossed to restore the host’s 7pt lead, and a dagger on the stroke of half time from Tonga Kofe took the Legion’s lead to 21-5 at the break.

The Flags managed a second try from Bart Vermeulen in the 53rd minute, but not before Corbin Smith doubled up a few minutes earlier, and that would be the final score for Old Glory DC. Despite numerous entries into the Legion 22, the Flags could not execute in the red zone, with mistakes creeping in at critical times, giving the Legion easy outs. The Legion meanwhile, grew more clinical on attack as the game went, and scored another two tries within 2 minutes not long after the 2nd hydration break to blow the visitors away. This one finishes 42-10 to the California Legion, who jump back into 2nd place over the Seattle Seawolves. Old Glory DC fail to pick up any points, and drop to 5th after the Free Jacks’ victory over Anthem RC. DC are down but not out, and need to finish strong if they want to play rugby in mid-june.

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