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.

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.

Old Glory DC host rivals the New England Free Jacks at George Mason University during Round 8 of the 2026 MLR season. This match marks the 2nd leg of the 2026 Red, White, & Blue Bowl as a Sunday Night Rugby marquee matchup.

Both sides come into this game with 2-4 records through their first 6 games, with Old Glory DC in 5th place only ahead of the 6th placed New England Free Jacks by virtue of their better points difference. The Flags are looking to snap a 3 game skid, while the Free Jacks are still scrambling to get going. The defending champs are coming off a big win over the California Legion last week, but the Flags have had their number in the last 3 meetings.

Red, White & Blue bowl matches have a tendancy to produce nailbiters, and this one was no different! These teams were the lowest scoring clubs entering this game, but they both opened their accounts early in this one. The hosts got on the board first through a break out wide, finished by Ross Depperschmidt running a great support line. This was almost immediately cancelled out by an Oscar Lennon score from a slick set play off an attacking lineout. There wouldn’t be another score for roughly 20 minutes despite significant pressure from the Free Jacks, but the Old Glory DC defence held firm with some huge stands on their own line. Eventually however, the Free Jacks found a gap from well within their own end and some kicking over the top from the New England backs and Ben LeSage gathered it after a couple of fly-hack past defenders, and trundled over the line. Despite an initial call of held up, referee Robbie Jenkinson reviewed the play and found sufficient evidence to award the try, giving the defending champions a 7-14 lead after Hodgson added the extras. A penalty try for Old Glory DC roughly 10 minutes later evened things up at 14-14 however with Reuben Palmer shown a yellow card, but a last minute penalty kick by Joel Hodgson gave the visitors a 14-17 lead at the break.

Hodgson would also bank the first points of the 2nd half, slotting another penalty in the 49th minute to extend the Free Jacks lead to 6, before the Flags struck back with a beautiful crossfield kick from Jason Robertson right into the hands of Perry Humphreys, who fed it inside to Damien Hoyland for an easy, but very pretty, score. Robertson then added the extras to give DC a narrow 21-20 lead with about 23 minutes to play. The Free Jacks were clearly trying to take points whenever they could, as Hodgson added a 3rd penlaty kick just after the second hydration break to give the visitors back the lead, now up 21-23 with just under 20 to play. Advantage, New England. A few minutes later, DC were given a penalty of their own but Jason Robertson’s attempt at points rang off the upright. Thankfully for the hosts, he was given another chance a few minutes later, and made no mistakes. Old Glory DC take a 24-23 lead with 10 to play, and the Free Jacks were unable to shift the scoreboard any further.

Old Glory DC record their 4th straight victory over the New England Free Jacks, sweeping the regular season series for the second year in a row and jumping into a playoff spot, now sat 4th with 15pts and a 3-4 record. The Free Jacks’ playoff hopes take a knock, but a losing BP puts them ahead of Anthem RC on points difference, and their game next week against the Rising Stars is critical.

Old Glory DC host the Seattle Seawolves at George Mason University during Round 7 of the 2026 MLR season.

Old Glory DC enter the second half of the 2026 season with 4 home games in their remaining 5 fixtures. They sit 5th in the standings but right in the mix with a 2-3 record. The Flags are looking to bounce back after giving the Chicago Hounds their biggest test of the season last week. The Seattle Seawolves sit 1pt ahead of DC in the standings, also with a 2-3 record. The injury-striken Seawolves managed a convincing road win over the reeling Free Jacks last week to jump from 6th to 3rd.

Two of the more defence-minded teams in Major League Rugby spend the majority of the first have trying to figure each other out. The Seawolves, again without their regular kicker Davy Coetzer, relied on Divan Rossouw from the tee which worked well, and held a narrow 3-6 lead until just half time. It was very much ‘one for the purists’ through the first 35 minutes until John Rizzo struck twice in quick succession including a spectacular solo effort to deal a huge blow to the Seawolves morale just before the break, going from leading 3-6 to trailing 15-6 in the space of 3 minutes!

Whatever coach Allen Clarke said to the visitors at half time worked. In his first game of the season after picking up an injury in pre-season, Ina Futi got things rolling for Seattle early in the second half, and Andre Warner added a second a few minutes later to re-take the lead, and the guests would strike twice over the next 12 minutes to extend this lead to 15-30 and now it was Old Glory DC that were reeling. They would add a Damien Hoyland score and both a conversion and penalty from the boot of Jason Robertson to pull within 5, but couldn’t get that final try thanks in part to a red for Captain Rob Harley, and a yellow for Cali Martinez to put Old Glory at a disadvantage for the past quarter of the game. The Flags pick up a losing bonus point, but fall 25-30 to Seattle and sit with a 2-4 record in 5th place.

Old Glory DC will rally to face their rivals the New England Free Jacks next week, with the defending champions having closed the gap in the standings following their victory over the California Legion yesterday. The Seattle Seawolves improve to a 3-3 record through 6 games, and sit all the way up in 3rd on 16pts, strengthening their playoff push.

Old Glory DC finally celebrate their home opener at George Mason University, playing host to the California Legion during Round 5 of the 2026 MLR season. This match marks the first ‘Shield Showdown’ of the year as a Sunday Night Rugby marquee matchup.

The California Legion travel to DC off the back of a hard fought victory over the Seattle Seawolves in Los Angeles last week, and sit with a record of 2-2 through 4 games. DC share a 2-win record, but come in 2-1 having only played 3 games, all on the road. A very well executed victory over Anthem RC last week has them currently in 4th.

The visitors struck first through Ben Houston, and despite an early red card to Billy Meakes for a dangerous tackle, DC only managed 3pts during the 20min man advantage, with Ben Houston picking up his 2nd of the game with the clock in the red at the end of the first half to put a dagger into the hosts who trailed 6-17 at the break. The Flags would hit back early in the 2nd half with their first try of the game through Kirby Myhill to cut the score to 11-17, before Cassh Maluia went over about 7 minutes later to restore the Legion’s solid lead. DC pushed hard in the final quarter and added a second through Connor Robinson, his first try in an Old Glory jersey, which cut the deficit to 16-24, but a pair of interceptions from Joey Mano and Tas Smith in the final 10 minutes put the game to bed and secured the try BP for the visitors. Old Glory would get the last laugh with a try out wide from John Powers with the clock in the red, but it was nothing more than a consolation score.

The Legion now get a week off as one of just two teams that get a mid-season bye in 2026, while Old Glory DC look towards next week, where they face the unbeaten Chicago Hounds on the road.

Old Glory DC host the NOLA Gold on a Tuesday night at George Mason Stadium inside GMU for the first of two Eastern Conference games that the Flags play in Round 14.

They will travel to face Anthem RC in Charlotte at the weekend. These sides are separated by a single point in the Eastern Conference, and both will be looking to move closer to securing a playoff spot with a win in this one. Old Glory DC are coming off a great victory over the Utah Warriors at home, and are looking to build on that momentum. The NOLA Gold are on a short turnaround from a close defeat to the Miami Sharks just 4 days ago, and are desperate to get some points from ‘Storm Week’.

These Eastern Conference rivals have met 10 times in the past, with the Gold holding a dominant 8-1-2 lead in the head to head series. Old Glory DC clawed one back here, however, with a comfortable 27-14 victory in miserable conditions. The Flags jump closer to securing a playoff spot, while the NOLA Gold’s disappointing season continues. Having scored 0 table points in this game, the Gold can no longer finish 1st in the East and therefore the New England Free Jacks become the first team to clinch a playoff spot in 2025. The Gold are not out of the running, but they will need to string some solid results together in their remaining games.