Canadian flanker Michael Smith played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2023. He represented the San Diego Legion for his entire MLR career.

Smith, a British Columbia native, attended the University of British Columbia, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacology in 2020. He played age-grade rugby for both British Columbia and Canada, Vice-Captaining the Canada U20s World Rugby U20s Trophy competition in Romania in 2018. He captained the UBC Thunderbirds between 2019-2020, and won the Bobby Gail Memorial Trophy in 2020, recognising the most Outstanding Graduating Male Athlete of the Year. Throughout his 3 seasons in MLR, Smith attended medical school and was training to become a doctor while playing professional rugby. In 2021, he earned his full international debut for Canada, earning 5 caps in their Summer and Fall tests.

Smith joined the San Diego Legion ahead of their 2021 season, where he earned 8 appearances (4 starts) and was named as Legion Rookie of the year. He returned for a stand-out 2022 season, scoring 2 tries in 16 games (13 starts) and completing a whopping 240 tackles, finishing 2nd in MLR behind only Old Glory DC’s Cory Daniel. Smith returned for a 3rd season with San Diego in 2023, earning 9 further appearances as the Legion recorded an MLR-record 15-1 regular season record, and advanced to the Championship Final where they fell to a late score, 24-25 to the New England Free Jacks. In total, Smith scored 4 tries in 24 games for San Diego, starting 17 and completing nearly 400 tackles across 3 seasons.

achievements

• 2023 MLR Runner-Up: San Diego Legion
• 2nd in MLR Tackling: 2022 (240)
• San Diego Legion Rookie of the Year: 2021