Major League Rugby

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Major League Rugby
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2021 Major League Rugby season
Major League Rugby logo.svg
SportRugby union
Founded2017
Inaugural season2018
CommissionerGeorge Killebrew [1]
No. of teams12
CountriesUnited States (11 teams)
Canada (1 team)
HeadquartersDallas, Texas, United States
ConfederationRAN
Most recent
champion(s)		LA Giltinis
(1st title)
Most titlesSeattle Seawolves
(2 titles)
TV partner(s)
Official websitemajorleague.rugby

Major League Rugby (MLR or USMLR) is a professional rugby union competition and the top-level championship for clubs in North America. In the 2021 season it was contested by twelve teams: eleven from the United States and one from Canada.[2] Officially sanctioned by USA Rugby, which is a member union of Rugby Americas North (RAN), and consequently part of World Rugby, the league was founded in 2017, and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

With its initial beginnings as part of established amateur rugby clubs in major North American urban areas, MLR began its first season in 2018 as an initiative of the American rugby community in partnership with private investors.[3] Three further American clubs, in Atlanta, Boston, and Washington D.C., began play in 2020.[2]

Major League Rugby implemented its first collegiate MLR Draft in 2020.[4][5][6][7][8] In 2020, Major League Rugby teams started forming youth academies.[9][10][11][12]

The 2020 season was suspended on March 12, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 18, the league announced that they would resume play in 2021,[13] with two new teams in both Los Angeles in 2021 and Dallas joining in 2022 (delayed by one year).[14][15]

History[]

Founding[]

See also: History of rugby union in the United States

In September 2016, with at least five amateur rugby union clubs across the United States discussing a possible professional league, Dean Howes,[16] who had previously been an executive with Major League Soccer's Real Salt Lake and the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League, stepped in as senior strategic advisor for Rugby Utah in an attempt to provide a pathway for expanding professional rugby stateside.[17]

By February 2017, a total of nine amateur rugby union organizations including the Austin Huns, Dallas Griffins, Glendale Raptors, Houston Strikers, Kansas City Blues, Minneapolis, New Orleans RFC, Rugby Utah and the Seattle Saracens, announced their intentions to form a professional league to begin play the following year.[18][19]

On August 15, 2017, the Austin Huns announced that it would opt-out of MLR in favor of allowing a newly branded spinoff, the Austin Elite compete in the league.[20] The Houston Strikers rebranded themselves as the Houston SaberCats. Whereas the elite players of New Orleans, Utah, and Seattle became the New Orleans Gold, Utah Warriors, and Seattle Seawolves respectively, interests in Minneapolis were replaced by the San Diego Legion.[21] With Kansas City and Dallas still in planning stages, the league continued as seven members for its inaugural season.[22]

On November 6, 2017, Major League Rugby and CBS Sports Network announced a multi-year television partnership which marked MLR's first major television deal for broadcast rights.[23] It was the first time in American history that a new sporting league had a national television deal prior to launch.[24]

Early seasons and rapid expansion[]

The first regular-season game in Major League Rugby history was held on April 21, 2018, when the Houston SaberCats hosted the New Orleans Gold in Houston.

In addition to Rugby United New York, the Toronto Arrows joined the league ahead of 2019 season as the first Canadian team in MLR. Three further American clubs began play in 2020, with the New England Free Jacks, Old Glory DC, and Rugby ATL.[2]

In late April 2019, RUNY announced the signing of French international Mathieu Bastareaud on a loan deal from Toulon for the 2020 season.[25] In October 2019, another major signing was made when it was announced that All Blacks international and multiple World Cup winner Ma'a Nonu would join the San Diego Legion for the 2020 season.[26] The following December saw another World Cup winner sign with the league, namely South Africa prop Tendai Mtawarira with Old Glory DC.[27]

On March 12, 2020, MLR initially suspended its 2020 season for 30 days due to the coronavirus pandemic[28] but then cancelled the remainder of the entire season on March 18.[29] On April 9, the Colorado Raptors announced they were leaving the league.[30][31]

On May 28, 2020, the LA Giltinis were added as an expansion team based in Los Angeles to begin competition in the 2021 season. The name is a combination of the word "martini" and the last name of owner Adam Gilchrist. [14] This was followed on June 4, 2020, with the addition of Dallas Jackals based in Dallas, Texas for the 2021 season.[15] However, on January 19, 2021, Dallas announced that the team would postpone their inaugural season to 2022.[32]

Competition format[]

Major League Rugby spans five months from March through to August. The 2019 regular season was a double round-robin with all clubs playing each other home and away.[2] Each team played sixteen games, half of them at home. This was followed by a postseason for the top four teams consisting of two semi-final matches and the Championship Game to determine the season's MLR champion team.[33]

For the 2020 season, MLR changed to a conference format.[34] Both conferences, the and the , consisted of six teams: Seattle, San Diego, Utah, Colorado, Austin and Houston in the west and existing teams New Orleans, New York, and Toronto to be joined by 2020 newcomers Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and New England in the east. Each team played a double round-robin within their conference in addition to playing six games against teams from the other conference, for a total of 16 regular-season games.[35] The postseason would consist of the top three teams from each conference: a wildcard game between the second and third ranked teams, followed by a playoff game between the wildcard winner and the first ranked team in the conference. The resulting playoff winners from each conference would then face off in the league championship. The season started on February 8 and ended on March 8.

The league is structured as a closed system and, similar to other American sports leagues, does not have promotion and relegation.[36] It operates as a single entity similar to Major League Soccer and other major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada, with each team or "franchise" owned by the league and the franchise operators owning a share of the league.[37]

On September 22, 2020, the MLR announced the 2021 season (fourth season) would start with matches on March 20, 2021, and continue for 18 weeks. Twelve teams across North America competed to make the MLR playoffs. At the end of the regular season, the playoffs were played over two weeks of the Eastern Conference and Western Conference finals with the Championship Final be held on August 1, 2021.[38]

Training camps for all MLR teams began on February 15, 2021. There were a variety of pre-season activities in each market as well as national media day where each team provided national and international media access to standout players.

Teams[]

Map[]

Locations of teams for 2021 Major League Rugby season
         Red pog.svg Western Conference
         Blue pog.svg Eastern Conference
         Steel pog.svg Announced/confirmed future expansion teams

2021 teams[]

The twelve teams competing in the 2021 Major League Rugby season are divided into two conferences:[38]

Conference Club Location Stadium Capacity Joined Coach Broadcasters
Western Austin Gilgronis Austin, Texas Bold Stadium 5,036 2018; 3 years ago (2018) Sam Harris KBVO
Univision Austin
Houston SaberCats Houston, Texas Aveva Stadium 4,000 2018; 3 years ago (2018) Pote Human AT&T SportsNet Southwest
Univision Houston
LA Giltinis Los Angeles, California Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 77,500 2021; 0 years ago (2021) Darren Coleman Bally Sports West
Bally Sports SoCal
San Diego Legion San Diego, California Torero Stadium 6,000 2018; 3 years ago (2018) Rob Hoadley FOX 5 San Diego
Univision San Diego
Seattle Seawolves Tukwila, Washington Starfire Stadium [a] 4,500 2018; 3 years ago (2018) Kees Lensing Univision Seattle
Root Sports Northwest
Utah Warriors Herriman, Utah Zions Bank Stadium [b] 5,000 2018; 3 years ago (2018) Shawn Pittman Univision Utah
KSL-TV
Eastern New England Free Jacks Quincy, Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Stadium 2,000 2020; 1 year ago (2020)[41] Ryan Martin WBZ-TV
NESNplus
New Orleans Gold Metairie, Louisiana Gold Mine [c] 10,000 2018; 3 years ago (2018) Nate Osborne Cox Sports TV
Telemundo Nuevo Orleans
Old Glory DC Leesburg, Virginia Segra Field 5,000 2020; 1 year ago (2020)[43] Andrew Douglas Univision DC
NBC Sports Washington
Rugby United New York Brooklyn, New York MCU Park 7,000 2019; 2 years ago (2019) Greg McWilliams MSG Network
Univision Nueva York
Rugby ATL Marietta, Georgia Lupo Family Field 2,500 2020; 1 year ago (2020) Scott Lawerence WATL
Toronto Arrows Toronto, Ontario Alumni Field 2,500+ 2019; 2 years ago (2019) Chris Silverthorn TSN
  1. ^ Starfire Stadium is in the Seattle suburb of Tukwila, Washington.[39]
  2. ^ Zions Bank Stadium is in Herriman, Utah, located within the Salt Lake City metropolitan area.[40]
  3. ^ The Gold Mine is in Metairie, Louisiana, a census-designated place in the New Orleans metropolitan area.[42]

Timeline[]

Dallas JackalsLA GiltinisRugby ATLOld Glory DCNew England Free JacksToronto ArrowsRugby United NYNOLA GoldUtah WarriorsSeattle SeawolvesSan Diego LegionHouston SabercatsColorado RaptorsGlendale RaptorsAustin GilgronisAustin Elite

Expansion teams[]

The expansion franchise fee is US$4 million as of 2019.[44] The first 2021 expansion team mentioned by the league was based in Dallas,[45] which was later named the Dallas Jackals, but postponed their inaugural season to 2022.

Expansion candidates[]

In July 2018, an ownership group in Los Angeles announced its intentions to join in the 2019 season as LA Coast Rugby,[46] but the bid was ultimately rejected.[47] Instead, an Australian ownership group has been approved to field a team in Los Angeles with a 2021 start date called the Los Angeles Loyals.[47] An owner in Vancouver, British Columbia, announced intentions to add a team to MLR for the 2019 season, but also never went further.[48][49] Columbus, Ohio, which previously had a team in PRO Rugby, nearly became home to a relocated Austin Herd in the 2020 season.[47] The owner of the HFX Wanderers FC soccer team also stated he had been in talks with the league for an expansion team.[50] In December 2019, former RC Toulon majority owner Mourad Boudjellal apparently discussed making a bid for a team in Miami.[51] MLR had confirmed that a team from Hawaii was being considered for 2021,[52] but negotiations expired.[53]

In July 2020, Commissioner George Killebrew said it is possible a team in Chicago will enter the league in 2023.[54]

The Mexican Rugby Federation is exploring adding an MLR team.[55]

Former teams[]

Team Location Stadium Joined Left
Colorado Raptors Glendale, Colorado Infinity Park 2018 2020[56]

On April 9, 2020, the Colorado Raptors announced that they would withdraw from Major League Rugby after three seasons in the league, effective May 2, 2020,[57] the first team to do so. Their announcement explained their withdrawal by saying that "our greater responsibility lies in the development of American players who can win the World Cup for the United States."[57] Asked to explain how withdrawing from the league would help to develop American rugby players, the Raptors referred the question to Glendale City Manager Linda Cassaday, who said on April 10, 2020, that MLR had been founded with a core mission of developing American rugby players and originally had limited teams to three foreign players, although this expanded to five players before the first season began in 2018.[57] MLR had expanded from seven teams in 2018 to 12 in 2020 without having enough American players to fill out rosters and had raised the ceiling on foreign players to 10 per team.[57] The Raptors believed that both this overall number of foreign players and the higher proportion of foreign to American players no longer best served the goal of developing American players who could compete successfully in the Rugby World Cup, and therefore chose to withdraw from the league to better focus their efforts on the development of American players who could compete on an international stage.[57]

MLR rivalry cups[]

In Major League Rugby, several teams annually compete for secondary rivalry cups. Most cups are deliberately conceived as local derbies between teams in the same region.

Summary[]

Each win is counted as an official title. Only official MLR games are considered as official rivalry games unless an exhibition game is specifically marked as a Rivalry game. Several teams now participating in cups played matches before the creation of the cups.

Rivalry name Most wins Titles Other club Titles Recent winner
Austin Gilgronis 3 Houston SaberCats 0 Austin Gilgronis
Rugby United New York 2 New England Free Jacks 2 New England Free Jacks
Rugby ATL 1 Toronto Arrows 0 Rugby ATL
LA Giltinis 1 San Diego Legion 0 LA Giltinis
Rugby United New York 1 LA Giltinis 0 Rugby United New York
Old Glory DC 1 Austin Gilgronis 0 Old Glory DC

Champions[]

By year[]

Year Teams Champion Score Runner-up
2018 7 Seattle Seawolves 23–19 Glendale Raptors
2019 9 Seattle Seawolves 26–23 San Diego Legion
2020 12 Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 12 LA Giltinis 31–17 Rugby ATL

By team[]

Club MLR Shields Year(s) Won Conference championships Year(s) Won Playoff appearances Year(s) Total seasons
Seattle Seawolves 2 2018, 2019 0 - 2 2018, 2019 4
LA Giltinis 1 2021 1 2021 1 2021 1
Rugby ATL 0 - 1 2021 1 2021 2
San Diego Legion 0 - 0 - 2 2018, 2019 4
Rugby United New York 0 - 0 - 2 2019, 2021 3
Utah Warriors 0 - 0 - 2 2018, 2021 4
Toronto Arrows 0 - 0 - 1 2019 3
Colorado Raptors[A]dagger 0 - 0 - 1 2018 2
NOLA Gold 0 - 0 - 0 - 4
Austin Gilgronis[B] 0 - 0 - 0 - 4
Houston SaberCats 0 - 0 - 0 - 4
New England Free Jacks 0 - 0 - 0 - 2
Old Glory DC 0 - 0 - 0 - 2
dagger Franchise folded and no longer completes in MLR

Players[]

Major League Rugby players include those drawn from North American clubs, as well as foreign signings. Although the original concept was to limit club to three foreign players, the limit grew to five before the start of the first season, before then being increased to ten. This increased allotment of foreign players led to some criticism that MLR was not providing enough opportunities for American players to develop.[58]

Awards[]

MLR season
Player of the Year Forward of the Year Back of the Year Coach of the Year Rookie of the Year
2019
  • JP Du Plessis
  • San Diego Legion
  • No Award
2021
MLR championship
MVP of the Championship Match MVP of the Championship Series
2018
  • no award
2019
  • Apisai Naikatini
  • Seattle Seawolves
2021
  • Matt Giteau
  • LA Giltinis

Television coverage[]

Major League Rugby programming runs in prime weekend time slots on Saturday afternoons and Sunday evenings.[59]

The CBS Sports Network televises 13 matches nationally over the course of the season. This includes a Game of the Week during each of the 10 rounds of the MLR regular season along with all three post-season matches.[33] Live streaming is also available through the CBS Sports Network streaming platforms.[33] Dan Power (Play By Play), Brian Hightower (Color Analyst) and Stacy Paetz (Sideline) were the CBS Sports commentators for the 2019 season.[60] The remaining games are available on ESPN properties and regional sports networks.[61]

ESPN has the national and international rights to an 18-game package covering regular season matches to audiences across its various platforms.[61]

AT&T Sports Networks have a 17-game package covering six of the seven MLR teams for games not broadcast on the CBS Sports Network.[59] Home-and-away matches for Austin, Houston and New Orleans are carried on AT&T SportsNet Southwest. Seattle's matches are carried on Root Sports Northwest and all Colorado and Utah games are hosted on AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain.[59]

San Diego has a separate local rights agreement for their market with all the Legion's home-and-away MLR games that are not on the CBS Sports Network being televised locally on Channel 4 YurView California.[62]

Austin Elite Rugby partnered with Facebook Watch for their Texas-based viewers during the 2019 season.[citation needed]

Rugby United New York announced regional television partnership with SNY, which will televise nine games of RUNY's inaugural season (2019), with the premiere game airing LIVE Sunday, January 27 at 5:00 PM EST.[63] Also, NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Philadelphia+ will join SNY in televising match coverage of eight remaining games, beginning Saturday February 16 at 3 PM EST when RUNY travels to face the NOLA Gold. The partnership with the NBC Sports Regional Networks expands RUNY's TV market into two key East Coast markets.[64]

Toronto Arrows Rugby announced a television partnership with GameTV for the 2019 season.

The 2019 Championship game was broadcast on CBS, the first MLR game to be televised on free-to-air TV. It gained a 0.32 Sports TV rating which equated to 510,000 two-plus-person households.[65]

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MLR adjusted its 2020 season schedule and turned its attention to ensuring the league would rebound with a strong showing in 2021. League and team officials have been "diligently working to build strong rosters and enhance the fan experience" for the season. Matches were televised on CBS Sports Network and Fox Sports 2, among other national and local market platforms. The MLR Championship was broadcast on CBS on Sunday, August 1, 2021.[38]

Finals TV ratings[]

Year TV Viewership Ratings Channel Stadium Attendance
2018 CBS Sports Network[66] 2,901[67]
2019 510,000[68] 0.32[68] CBS[69] 6,000[70]
2020 Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021 478,000[71] CBS 7,389[72]

Streaming[]

On March 16, 2021, MLR launched /,[73] a free streaming platform in conjunction with RugbyPass which will stream all MLR content, including matches and highlights. This digital network is the first of its kind in North America, providing rugby fans with a single destination for all their rugby needs. It includes live streaming of select MLR matches, international rugby matches, game highlights, and exclusive behind-the-scenes content.[74]

MLR App[]

On March 17, 2021, MLR launched its official mobile app. This fan oriented app is where MLR fans come together for breaking MLR news, schedules, match scores, team profiles, statistics, and exclusive video content. The app is part of a multi-platform deal with digital sport innovators who transforms all MLR's digital media capabilities. The MLR app is available to download on iPhone App Store and Android Google Play.[75]

Attendance[]

Top attendances for Major League Rugby games (all time, from 2018 onward):[citation needed]

Rank Attendance Game Date Season Venue Metro area
1 9,186 Utah Warriors vs Glendale Raptors (Pre-season exhibition) March 30, 2018 1 Rio Tinto Stadium Sandy, UT[76][77]
2 7,389 Los Angeles Giltinis vs Rugby ATL (Final) August 1, 2021 4 Los Angeles Coliseum Los Angeles, CA[78]
3 6,000 San Diego Legion vs Seattle Seawolves (Final) June 16, 2019 2 Torero Stadium San Diego, CA
4 4,880 Los Angeles Giltinis vs Utah Warriors May 15, 2021 4 Sofi Stadium Los Angeles, CA[79]
5 4,500 San Diego Legion vs Rugby United New York (Semi-Final) June 9, 2019 2 Torero Stadium San Diego, CA
4,500 Utah Warriors vs Rugby Atlanta July 11, 2021 4 Zions Bank Stadium Herriman, UT[80]
7 4,175 San Diego Legion vs New Orleans Gold June 2, 2019 2 Torero Stadium San Diego, CA
8 4,000 Glendale Raptors vs Seattle Seawolves May 18, 2019 2 Infinity Park Glendale, CO

Attendance for the inaugural season was approximately 1833 per match. That average increased in 2019 with an average of 2133 per game and a total of 159,000 attendees.[81]

Executives[]

Commissioner

  • (2019–present)[1]
  • Dean Howes (2016–2019)[37]

Deputy Commissioner

  • Nic Benson (2016–present)[82]

Sponsorship[]

The league signed a multi-year partnership deal with XBlades in 2017 to supply all jersey/kit apparel for each MLR team and all match officials.[83] MLR also announced Ram Rugby as the official ball supplier.[84] In May 2018, via Instagram, MLR announced Impact Custom Mouth Guards as the official mouth guard of the league.[85] The Gem Garden in San Marcos, California, makes all MLR Championship rings.[86]

On October 28, 2019, Major League Rugby announced that, starting for the 2020 season, Paladin Sports will be the new supplier of all uniforms/kit for the league.[87]

On January 2, 2020, MLR partnered with for the 2020 season. Rhino Rugby is the official ball and technical training equipment supplier for the 2020 MLR season. The Rhino Rugby "Vortex Elite" ball is the official MLR match ball for all 12 teams. The Vortex Elite is currently the official ball of Rugby Europe, and Asia Rugby, and has been used in the Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship (CRC) the past several years[88]

In March 2021, American Airlines became MLR's official airline and travel partner.[89][90]

Also for 2021, became the official merchandising partner of the MLR. They developed an online MLR apparel shop for fans.[91]

Jersey sponsorships
Team Sponsor Annual value Manufacturer
Austin Gilgronis None
LA Giltinis None
New Orleans Gold None Undisclosed
Rugby United New York None
San Diego Legion Ballast Point Brewing Company
Seattle Seawolves Washington Federal Undisclosed
Toronto Arrows Honda[92] Undisclosed
Utah Warriors None Undisclosed
New England Free Jacks Alloy Therapeutics
Old Glory DC Cuisine Solutions
Rugby ATL Barbour Orthopedics and Spine

See also[]

  • United States Rugby Players Association
  • Women's Premier League Rugby — Women's top competition in the U.S.
  • PRO Rugby — a professional rugby competition in the U.S. that played only one season in 2016 before folding
  • Súper Liga Americana de Rugby — the premier professional rugby competition in South America featuring teams from Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Colombia beginning in 2020 to run in parallel with MLR with a planned play off match in Mexico to determine the champion of the Americas[93]
  • Rugby union in the United States
  • History of rugby union in the United States
  • College rugby
  • North American Rugby League

References[]

Explanatory notes[]

  1. ^ Competed as Glendale Raptors in 2018 and 2019.
  2. ^ Competed as Austin Elite in 2018 and 2019.

Citations[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Major League Rugby Welcomes New League Commissioner, George Killebrew". OurSports Central. December 9, 2019.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "MLR 2020: LEAGUE FORMAT". Major League Rugby. July 13, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  3. ^ "Glendale Raptors Announce Team, Coaches, & Ticket Sales". djcoilrugby. January 29, 2018. Archived from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  4. ^ "Questions And Concerns About MLR Draft". Goff Rugby Report. April 16, 2020.
  5. ^ "2020 MLR Collegiate Draft Summary". June 14, 2020.
  6. ^ "MLR Draft Picks 2020". Major League Rugby.
  7. ^ "MLR Draft 2020: What you need to know". Utah Warriors Rugby.
  8. ^ "2020 Major League Rugby Draft Application and Useful Athlete Info". USA Rugby. May 6, 2020.
  9. ^ "Glendale Announces 2021 Colorado XO Team".
  10. ^ "Utah Warriors Co-Founder to build Liberty Boys Academy - djcoilrugby".
  11. ^ "Toronto Arrows Announce 2020 Academy Athletes, Additional Program Details - Major League Rugby".
  12. ^ "MLR Academies Can Be Anything, Which Is OK | Goff Rugby Report".
  13. ^ "Major League Rugby Cancels 2020 Season & Returns in 2021". March 19, 2020.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b "MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY OFFICIALLY WELCOMES THE LA GILTINIS". Major League Rugby. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b "MLR Introduces the Dallas Jackals". Major League Rugby. June 5, 2020.
  16. ^ "'We learned a lot': Major League Rugby commissioner Dean Howes sees success where others failed". www.sportspromedia.com.
  17. ^ "Dean Howes, Former Real Salt Lake CEO, Joins Rugby Utah" (Press release). Utah Rugby. August 24, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  18. ^ "Major League Rugby Coming in 2018". Americas Rugby News. February 13, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  19. ^ "Nine Teams Confirmed for Major League Rugby". Americas Rugby News. May 5, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  20. ^ "Austin Huns Opt Out of Inaugural MLR Season" (Press release). Austin Huns. August 15, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  21. ^ "San Diego Join as Major League Rugby Eyes Rapid Expansion". Americas Rugby News. September 21, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  22. ^ "Major League Rugby: All you need to know about U.S. rugby's newest competition". ESPN. April 30, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  23. ^ Bristol, Jason (November 13, 2017). "Houston, rugby has landed; to be broadcast on CBS Sports Network". KHOU-TV. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  24. ^ Hamilton, Tom (April 20, 2018). "Major League Rugby: Inside rugby's latest attempt to crack America". ESPN. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  25. ^ "France international Mathieu Bastareaud signs for Rugby United New York on loan deal". ESPN. April 30, 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  26. ^ "Rugby star Ma'a Nonu of New Zealand joins San Diego team". KSWB-TV. October 9, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  27. ^ "Rugby World Cup winner Beast Mtawarira joins Major League Rugby club Old Glory DC". ESPN.com. Reuters. December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  28. ^ "MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY SUSPENDS 2020 SEASON FOR 30 DAYS". Major League Rugby. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  29. ^ "Major League Rugby cancels remainder of 2020 campaign". Yahoo! Sports. AFP. March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  30. ^ "Updated: Colorado Raptors withdraw from Major League Rugby". KUSA (TV). April 9, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  31. ^ "Major League Rugby welcomes Nonu and Ranger – but could say goodbye to Colorado". the Guardian. November 25, 2019.
  32. ^ "Dallas Jackals move inaugural season to 2022". Major League Rugby. January 19, 2021.
  33. ^ Jump up to: a b c "CBS Sports Network Partners with MLR". Major League Rugby (Press release). November 6, 2017. Archived from the original on November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  34. ^ "Major League Rugby to add three new teams in 2020". ESPN.com. April 12, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  35. ^ Rowe, James (April 11, 2019). "Major League Rugby Announces New League Format For 2020". The Runner Sports. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  36. ^ Parkes, Geoff (May 6, 2018). "Why Major League Rugby could finally be the USA's game changer". The Roar. Archived from the original on November 13, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  37. ^ Jump up to: a b "Major League Rugby nears kick-off as next attempt to make US a union power". The Guardian. UK. November 17, 2017. Archived from the original on November 19, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
  38. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Major League Rugby Releases 2021 Season Launch, Championship Date". Major League Rugby.
  39. ^ "Contact". Starfire Sports. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  40. ^ "Utah Warriors Announce Home Venue for the Major League Rugby Season". Utah Warriors. January 25, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  41. ^ "Major League Rugby confirms Boston and Atlanta for 2020". Americas Rugby News. September 21, 2018. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  42. ^ Mackel, Travers (August 30, 2019). "When Baby Cakes leave, what happens to "Shrine On Airline?'". WDSU. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  43. ^ "Washington DC team to enter Major League Rugby 'no later' than 2020". Major League Rugby. May 15, 2018. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  44. ^ "Major League Rugby expanding to 12 teams in 2020". www.americasrugbynews.com. April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  45. ^ "IN ITS SECOND YEAR, MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY FOCUSED ON THE LONG HAUL". MLR. April 12, 2019.
  46. ^ Carroll, Rory (July 11, 2018). "Los Angeles to get professional rugby team in 2019". Reuters. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  47. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Major League Rugby welcomes Nonu and Ranger – but could say goodbye to Colorado". The Guardian. November 25, 2019.
  48. ^ "This Vancouver rugby dream is major league". The Province. January 9, 2018.
  49. ^ "MLR reveals Finals Locations and Expansion Plans". March 7, 2018.
  50. ^ "Halifax Wanderers' success has owner considering a pro rugby team". Atlantic. May 8, 2019.
  51. ^ "Dallas and Los Angeles to join MLR in 2021". America's Rugby News. December 11, 2019.
  52. ^ Kinsella, Murray. "Hawaii-based team set to join Major League Rugby for 2021". The42.
  53. ^ "Major League Rugby Deadlines Have Passed for 2021 Hawai'i Bid". Major League Rugby. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  54. ^ Pengelly, Martin (July 30, 2021). "MLR survived Covid – now LA and Atlanta contest championship game". The Guardian. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  55. ^ "Mexico eyeing a Major League Rugby future". Americas Rugby News. December 18, 2020.
  56. ^ "Colorado Raptors Leave MLR Screen-capture".
  57. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Petersen, Will, "Updated: Colorado Raptors withdraw from Major League Rugby," 9news.com, April 10, 2020 Accessed March 27, 2021
  58. ^ "Updated: Colorado Raptors withdraw from Major League Rugby". KUSA.com.
  59. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Major League Rugby Announce Telecast Agreement with AT&T Sports Networks". MLR. February 5, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  60. ^ "Major league rugby". eyeonskyandairsports.blogspot.com.
  61. ^ Jump up to: a b "Major League Rugby and ESPN Announce Rights Agreement". MLR. March 20, 2018. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  62. ^ "Media partners". San Diego Legion. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  63. ^ "SNY and RUNY Announce Television Partnership". Rugby United New York. December 20, 2018.
  64. ^ "Rugby United New York Announces Expanded Television Coverage on NBC Sports Regional Networks". Rugby United NY.
  65. ^ "SKEDBALL: Weekly Sports TV Ratings 6.10-6.16.2019y". www.showbuzzdaily.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2019.
  66. ^ "Major League Rugby Championship: How to watch Seattle Seawolves vs. Glendale Raptors". cbs sports. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  67. ^ "'We learned a lot': Major League Rugby commissioner Dean Howes sees success where others failed". sport pro media. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  68. ^ Jump up to: a b "Skedball Weekly Sports TV Ratings". show buzz daily. Archived from the original on June 18, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  69. ^ Benjamin, Cody (June 11, 2019). "Major League Rugby championship: How to watch Seattle vs. San Diego on CBS". CBS Sports. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  70. ^ "SBJ: THE RAPID GROWTH OF MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY". Major League Rubgy. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  71. ^ Karp, Austin [@AustinKarp] (August 10, 2021). "478,000 viewers" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  72. ^ "LA claims MLR title with convincing win over ATL". americas rugby news. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  73. ^ "Major League Rugby seeks platform for US expansion – Covid allowing | Rugby union | The Guardian".
  74. ^ http://www.majorleaguerugby.com/news/the-rugby-network-launch/
  75. ^ http://www.majorleaguerugby.com/news/download-the-official-mlr-app/
  76. ^ "Utah Warriors March 31, 2018, Instagram post". Instagram. March 31, 2018.
  77. ^ "Warriors rugby is Utah's hottest new sport". KSL. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
  78. ^ "LA claims MLR title with convincing win over ATL". americas rugby news. Retrieved August 2, 2021.
  79. ^ "Warriors game but Giltinis too strong at SoFi Stadium". americas rugby news. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  80. ^ "ATL defeats Utah as both secure playoff spots". americas rugby news. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  81. ^ "Major League Rugby Expansion Teams Bolster Nascent League". Front Office Sports. February 21, 2020.
  82. ^ "Major League Rugby to launch with 9 teams". Rugby Today. May 8, 2017. Archived from the original on November 20, 2017.
  83. ^ "Major League Rugby announces XBlades as official apparel partner". Major League Rugby. December 20, 2017. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  84. ^ "Major League Rugby Announces Ram Rugby as Official Ball Sponsor". usmlr.com. February 7, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  85. ^ Major League Rugby Announces Impact Mouthguards as Sponsor "Major League Rugby Announces Impact Mouthguards as Sponsor". Major League Rugby. May 24, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  86. ^ "Seattle Seawolves receive championship rings ahead of MLR season 2 curtain-raiser". Major League Rugby. October 30, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  87. ^ "Major League Rugby Signs New On-Field Apparel Partnership with Paladin". Major League Rugby. October 28, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  88. ^ "Major League Rugby Partners with Rhino Rugby for 2020 Season". Major League Rugby.
  89. ^ "AMERICAN AIRLINES JOINS MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY AS OFFICIAL AIRLINE AND TRAVEL PARTNER".
  90. ^ "American Airlines joins Major League Rugby as Official Airline and Travel Partner - Major League Rugby".
  91. ^ http://www.majorleaguerugby.com/the-rugby-shop/
  92. ^ Arnold, Tyler. "Major League Rugby Season Two Kits Unveiled".
  93. ^ "Americas Champions to Compete in MLR vs SLAR Fixture" (Press release). Americas Rugby News. December 12, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2020.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""