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The San Diego Legion have announced the signing of former England flanker Steffon Armitage for the 2020 Major League Rugby season. He joins from Top 14 club Pau, where he has been a consistent presence for the past three seasons after spending five years with Toulon.
It’s with the latter that Armitage found his greatest European success. His dominant play at the breakdown contributed to three Heineken Cup titles and the Top 14 crown in 2014. That same year Armitage was named European Player of the Year, finishing as runner-up in 2015.
Despite his outstanding form Armitage was not selected for England’s RWC 2015 squad as the team policy was not to choose players outside of France. As such he would not add to his 5 test caps won between 2009 and 2010 while playing for London Irish in the Premiership.
More recently Armitage has been used as a ball carrier at the back of the scrum though at 5’9″ (1.75m) he is much shorter than a traditional No8. Now approaching his 34th birthday, Armitage is in the twilight of his career but remains an experienced and effective performer at the professional level.
The Legion finished the 2019 MLR regular season in 1st place but fell to the Seattle Seawolves in the Championship Final. Among their current back row resources are American flankers Psalm Wooching and Devin Short, with Fiji Sevens standout Jasa Veremalua moving to the back row after beginning the season on the wing.
Māori All Black forward Jordan Manihera was first choice at No8, though it remains to be seen if the 26-year-old will stay at the club or return to his native New Zealand. According to the official release, San Diego will confirm the rest of their roster for 2020 in the coming weeks.
