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.

2025 – RD 8: New England Free Jacks v Miami Sharks

The New England Free Jacks host the Miami Sharks in an Eastern Conference clash at Veteran’s Memorial Stadium in Quincy, MA! The Free Jacks are coming off of a remarkable comeback victory on the road against the Utah Warriors in which they scored 28 unanswered points in the second half. The Sharks head into this game on a 3-game losing streak, but have had a bye week to rest and refocus. These teams have met twice in the past and split the series 1-1, with the Sharks taking the most recent meeting, a hard fought 15-13 victory in Florida.

With a spectacular comeback victory last week and a dominant victory here, are the reigning champs back? The Free Jacks secure a runaway 43-6 home victory thanks in part to Faletoi Peni’s excellent performance at fly-half, and a hat trick for Paula Balekana. This was Balekana’s first creer MLR hat trick, and the 50th hatty in league history! The Miami Sharks are yet to score a try in Quincy, after 2 games there.

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2025 – RD 8: San Diego Legion v Chicago Hounds

The top of the Western Conference faces the Top of the East as the San Diego Legion host the Chicago Hounds at Torero Stadium during Round 8 of the 2025 season!

The Legion are coming off their first loss of the season, a comprehensive defeat on the road to the Houston SaberCats, who are now right on their tail in the standings. The Hounds are coming off a gutsy 18-20 road victory over a struggling NOLA Gold side, and will be wanting to cement their place at the top of the East. Both teams have a 5-1 record heading into this game, and have met 3 times in the past. The Legion hold a 2-1 series lead over the Hounds, but fell 22-16 in their last meeting in Round 16 of the 2024 season, when Luke Carty kicked 4 penalties for 12pts to secure the victory for Chicago at Seatgeek Stadium.

The Hounds even the series at 2-2 following an impressive 20-27 road victory to hand the Legion their first home defeat in 361 days! The Legion remain atop of the Western Conference due to Houston also losing, but the Chicago Hounds now boast the best record in the league so far, at 6-1!

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2025 – RD 8: Houston SaberCats v Rugby FC LA

Rugby FC LA travel to Texas to face the Houston SaberCats in a Western Conference Clash during Round 8 of the 2025 Major League Rugby season!

Rugby FC LA are coming off of a chaotic 54-44 victory over Old Glory DC to improve to a 3-3 record with 3 wins in a row. The SaberCats are flying high after a convincing 34-14 victory over the league-leading San Diego Legion, and have now won 5 in a row with a 5-1 record. These teams have met 3 times in the past, with the Houston SaberCats currently undefeated in this matchup. They took a 28-45 victory in the last meeting between these teams in Round 2 onf the 2025 season in Los Angeles, scoring 7 tries to RFCLA’s 4.

With both teams on win streaks, it was almost guaranteed that one team’s streak was going to come to an end in this game, but it was tight! RFCLA held a 17-24 lead, until the Houston SaberCats scored with the clock in the red to bring the score to 22-24 with the conversion to come. AJ Alatimu stepped up with the opportunity to end the game in a tie, but his attempt sailed just to the right of the posts, sealing the victory for LA! Houston’s 5-game win streak comes to an end but they pick up both bonus points for their efforts. LA on the other hand, pick up their first ever victory over the Houston SaberCats to improve to a 4-3 record with 4 wins on the trot, and take the full 5 points.

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2025 – RD 8: Anthem RC v NOLA Gold

The NOLA Gold travel to the Queen City to face Anthem RC in an Eastern Conference clash, with both teams desperate for a win!

The Gold come into this following a tight 18-20 defeat to the Chicago Hounds in their 100th MLR game and find themselves with a 1-5 record, while Anthem RC are still after their first franchise win dating back to 2024.. These teams have met 3 times prior to this game, with the Gold holding a 3-0 series lead. The most recent meeting between Anthem RC and the NOLA Gold was in Round 9 of the 2024 season, when the Gold took a convincing 6 try, 5-40 road victory.

Despite improved performances from Anthem so far this season, as well as the majority of both territory and possession, the NOLA Gold defence stood firm. The Gold made just under 200 tackles to stifle Anthem RC, who fell 19-33. NOLA pick up their 2nd win of the 2025 season, both of which have come against Anthem RC. Speaking of the hosts, they fall to 0-7 in 2025 and set a new record for the longest losing streak in MLR history, now at 23 games.

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2025 – RD 8: Old Glory DC v Seattle Seawolves

The Seattle Seawolves travel to the nation’s capital to face Old Glory DC in a cross-conference clash during Round 8 of the 2025 Major league Rugby season!

Old Glory DC are coming off a trip to Los Angeles where they scored 5 tries and 44pts but still came up short in MLR’s 3rd highest scoring game ever, and will look to stabilize their place as 2nd in the East. The Seawolves are confident after a hard fought 25-17 victory over Anthem RC, and are looking to build momentum and climb from 5th in the Western Conference. These teams have met 4 times previously, splitting the series 2-2 coming into this match. The most recent meeting saw the Seattle Seawolves edge a 26-24 victory despite 14pts from Old Glory DC’s Jason Robertson in Round 13 of the 2024 season.

With a convincing 29-12 victory, Old Glory DC take the full 5pts at home, and take a 3-2 lead in the all-time series!

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2025 – RD 7: Rugby FC LA v Old Glory DC

Old Glory DC travel from the nation’s capital to the west coast to face Rugby FC LA in a cross-conference clash at Wallis Annenberg Stadium within UCLA.

The hosts are flying high after back-to-back victories, but Old Glory DC are coming into this game just as confident after a convincing 28-14 victory over Eastern Conference rivals, the New England Free Jacks. These teams have only met once in the past, with neither team able to land a decisive blow. That game ended 22-22 in 2024, but this one ended very differently!

A back-and-forth game with almost a whole deck of cards handed out saw 98pts scored in total, making this match the highest scoring game of the 2025 season so far, and 3rd highest scoring ever. Eight cards were shown in total, with Rugby FC LA being shown 4 yellows and a red to Gonzalo Bertranou for two yellows. while DC were shown 3 yellows of their own that saw a significant portion of the match played 14 v 13.

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2025 – RD 7: Seattle Seawolves v Anthem RC

Anthem RC travel to the Pacific Northwest to face the Seattle Seawolves in a cross-conference clash during Round 7 of the 2025 season!

The Seattle Seawolves are coming off a close 27-30 defeat to Western Conference rivals the Utah Warriors, looking to kick start their season as they currently sit with a 1-4 record. Anthem RC meanwhile, come into this game after a heartbreaking last minute defeat in a chaotic 45-46 game against the Houston SaberCats, and are still looking for their first win as a franchise. These teams have only met once in the past, when the Seawolves took a 29-13 victory, again at Starfire.

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2025 – RD 7: Utah Warriors v New England Free Jacks

The Utah Warriors host the reigning champion New England Free Jacks in a cross conference clash during Round 7 of the 2025 MLR season!

The Warriors are flying high after improving to 4-1 thanks to a 27-30 road victory to celebrate their 100th MLR game, and face a Free Jacks team that is still struggling to find their feet under Head Coach Ryan Martin. New England are coming off of a 28-14 defeat at the hands of their rivals, Old Glory DC. These teams have met 5 times in the past with the Free Jacks holding a 3-2 series lead, which includes the last meeting between these teams, a 37-27 New England victory at home in Round 16 of the 2024 season. The roles are almost completed reversed this time around, will the scoreline do the same?

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2025 – RD 7: Houston SaberCats v San Diego Legion

The San Diego Legion travel to Houston to face the SaberCats, looking to become the first team in MLR history to begin a season with 6 wins in a row!

BY a twist of fate, the only other team to start the season with 5 wins, the Houston SaberCats, stand in the way of the Legion. San Diego came into this Western Conference clash fresh off of a bye week, while the SaberCats are coming off a frenetic game against Anthem RC from which they were lucky to escape with a victory. These teams have met 11 times in the past, with the Legion holding a 7-4 series lead. The most recent meeting between these teams came in Round 17 of the 2024 season, when the Legion won a comfortable 37-24 game at Snapdragon Stadium on the back of 14pts from Harris Rutherford.

The San Diego Legion would have to settle for equalling the Houston SaberCats’ record of 5 wins to start a season, as the hosts recorded a dominant bonus point victory over their Western Conference rivals.

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2025 – RD 7: NOLA Gold v Chicago Hounds

The NOLA Gold host Eastern Conference rivals the Chicago Hounds in a repeat of the 2024 Eastern Conference Semifinal!

Both sides are coming off of bye weeks in Round 6, with the Gold still trying to kick into gear. The Hounds lead the Eastern Conference, and will be looking to extend the gap to their Eastern Conference rivals here. These teams have met 4 times in the past, including 3 times in the regular season where the NOLA Gold hold a 2-1 series lead. The last meeting between these sides, however, was in the 2024 Eastern Conference Semifinal, when the Hounds got the better of the Gold with a 27-42 victory on the road to end NOLA’s season.

While the end result was the same as the previous meeting between these two sides, the scoreline was very different. The Chicago Hounds squeaked past the NOLA Gold with a 18-20 victory on the road to continue their stellar start to the 2025 season.

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