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What does it take to become a champion in Major League Rugby? In its short history there have been four clubs who have lifted the MLR Shield, but only one entered the post-season as odds-on favorite. We take a look at some raw numbers and then add context to how each team found their way to the title.
This year has seen two firsts for the league. A first-ever two-week break to accommodate the international test window, and a first-ever quarter final series. Three rounds of playoffs have been contested previously but this time the top seeds will all have to take part.
| YEAR | TEAMS | CHAMPION | RECORD | RANK | PF | PA | PD |
| 2018 | 7 | Seattle Seawolves | 6-2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 2019 | 9 | Seattle Seawolves | 11-4-1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| 2020 | 12 | n/a | |||||
| 2021 | 12 | LA Giltinis | 12-4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2022 | 13 | Rugby New York | 11-5 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 8 |
| 2023 | 12 | New England Free Jacks | 14-2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
2018
SEATTLE SEAWOLVES
MLR’s inaugural campaign was short but sweet. Seven teams started and by the end of the regular season there were two teams who stood out. Glendale were the top seeds and favorites heading into the Semi Finals, but Seattle weren’t far behind. The two teams collided in San Diego and put on an entertaining spectacle. In the end the vaunted Seawolves defense – the ‘Seawall’ – proved the difference to seal the historic 23-19 win.
2019
SEATTLE SEAWOLVES
As defending champions Seattle were expected to be in the playoff picture, but the addition of two new teams and significant improvements to San Diego’s roster clouded projections. The Legion were the top dawgs in the regular season, with both expansion sides Toronto and New York earning their spots in the Final Four. Seattle bested the Canadian side in the Semis while Joe Pietersen broke New York hearts. It set up what remains one of the great matches in MLR history, a thrilling contest at a sold-out Torero Stadium. San Diego nearly pulled off the win at home but a last-gasp try from the Seawolves secured their double.
2020
NO CHAMPION
The third year of MLR arrived with great expectation. Three new teams joined and the league established balanced East and West conferences. Matches were highly competitive and the standard of play had taken a big leap forward, with attendances similarly rising. San Diego were unbeaten through five weeks and looked on a collision course to meet an outstanding Toronto side in the final, but calamity struck and the world was brought to a standstill by the pandemic. MLR was forced to cancel the remainder of the season though the owners notably opted to pay players their full salaries, leading to optimism that the league would return in 2021.
2021
LA GILTINIS
Despite the specter of COVID looming large during the preseason, MLR was back in full force and to the league’s credit not a single regular season game was cancelled. Dallas and LA were announced as expansion sides, but the Jackals would defer their entry to the following year. The Giltinis were neophytes in name only – their roster contained a host of top-tier players, most notably Matt Giteau and Adam Ashley-Cooper. While they proved fallible at times during the regular season, the Giltinis were widely tipped to win the title and after surviving a stern challenge from Utah were convincing winners over Atlanta in the final played in LA’s cavernous Memorial Coliseum.
2022
RUGBY NEW YORK
A year that will live in infamy. New England emerged as the best team from the regular season, with the Western Conference dominated by two teams with the same owner – the vastly-improved Gilgronis and Giltinis. New York were only third-best in the East but the late-season arrivals of ex-All Blacks Nehe Milner-Skudder and Waisake Naholo gave them a boost heading towards the postseason. Drama hit during the week before the opening round of the knockouts, with both Austin and LA disqualified over alleged salary cap breaches. The Free Jacks faltered in the East Final and the unlikely title matchup saw New York squaring off against Seattle. Andy Ellis signed off his career in style but the Championship Final fell a bit flat with only middling attendance at New Jersey’s Red Bull Arena.
2023
NEW ENGLAND FREE JACKS
The year of the Free Jacks. In week 2 they would fall to the Legion in San Diego, but New England would have their revenge. Both teams were unbeaten from April onwards and had no trouble besting their conference rivals to set up the Grand Final in Chicago. San Diego had the better record heading into the game, and with Ma’a Nonu in their lineup were the betting favorites. More than 10,000 fans showed up at the neutral venue and were treated to an instant classic with a late try from Le Roux Malan propelling the Free Jacks to a stunning one-point win over the Legion.
2024
???
A tumultuous off-season saw the demise of New York and Toronto, and the relocation of Atlanta to LA. The World Rugby-funded Anthem joined the conversation along with a new team in Miami. It was MLR’s most competitive regular season to date with Houston emerging as the team with the best record. Seattle have the most potent offense, however, and the defending champion Free Jacks boast the best defense. NOLA have reached the postseason for the first time and could be seen as a dark horse. San Diego have an older roster with Giteau and Nonu on their books, can they conjure a storybook ending for their careers? All will be answered over the next three weeks, with San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium hosting MLR’s sixth Championship Final on Sunday, August 4th.
