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The inaugural Major League Rugby regular season has now come to a close and for the first time American rugby fans will be treated to knockout rugby at the professional level. Following Saturday’s results the Semi Final match-ups are now set – the Glendale Raptors will face off against the Utah Warriors, and the Seattle Seawolves go head-to-head with the San Diego Legion.
Both matches will be played as a double header at Glendale’s Infinity Park on Saturday, kickoff times at 7pm and 9:30pm Eastern. Regardless of outcome, the final is set for Saturday, July 7, at Torero Stadium in San Diego, kickoff at 6pm Pacific. The winner will be crowned 2018 MLR Champions and awarded a trophy with a name yet to be revealed.
Despite losing their invincible status on Saturday the Raptors enter as top seeds and favorites for the title. Their strong all-around play and squad depth has seen them win seven of eight matches this season, though they have tested by both San Diego and Seattle. Key to their chances is the return of Eagles halfbacks Shaun Davies and Will Magie, as well as hooker Dylan Fawsitt and second row Ben Landry. Flanker John Quill suffered a knee strain against Scotland but was spotted running freely ahead of the Canada game in Halifax and looks likely to be passed fit for duty in time to play.
Glendale’s opponents will be the Warriors, a team with a heavy Pacific Island influence and containing some of the most powerful ball carriers in the league. The scrum has proved their Achilles heal this season but if they can secure possession they have league-leading try scorer Tonata Lauti and Tongan star Fetu’u Vainikolo luring in the wide channels. Returning from international duty are flyhalf Kurt Morath and captain Paul Lasike, both integral to their hopes of an upset win.
Breaching the ‘Seawall’ has proved a difficult task for much of the MLR season, but Seattle’s vaunted defense did not look convincing against Glendale in their final regular season match. A week off will have given them time to rest up and fix their problems and they will need to be at their best against a red-hot opponent who will not be intimidated. The Seawolves welcome back Olive Kilifi, Ray Barkwill, Vili Toluta’u, Brock Staller, and player-coach Phil Mack. Others who should be in line to play after missing the Raptors match include Riekert Hattingh, Shalom Suniula, and Peter Tiberio.
The San Diego Legion have seen their wild card status take a quantum leap forward after dominating the Raptors on Saturday. Their set piece looked good and with several players set to return the selection meeting during the week will be interesting. Cam Dolan, Nate Augspurger, and Dylan Audsley are key returnees with several others possible such as Tony Purpura and Siaosi Mahoni. The arrival of Eagles flanker Tony Lamborn is timely and the team appears to be peaking at exactly the right time. Can they upset the odds once more and earn a home final?
All remaining matches will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network for those based in Canada and the USA. All other international viewers will have access to a live stream on the official MLR Facebook page.
