Major League Rugby MLR
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Interesting viewing this - a number of familiar faces are trying to convert American athletes from their traditional sports over to the great game we call rugby.
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The MLR starts this weekend (5-6 Feb 2022).
From the official website:
International fans can stream all matches live and for free on The Rugby Network. Fans are encouraged to visit https://www.majorleague.rugby/ for additional information and https://www.majorleague.rugby/schedules/ for the full season schedule and more information on how to tune in.
It looks like the schedule on that webpage shows the kick-off times in our own time:
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I've always struggled to settle on a team to support in this comp. I've been to a number of the cities represented, of which Austin was probably my favourite and they don't have any major league teams so I want a team to support from there but fucked if I can get behind a team named after a cocktail.
Texas is well represented in MLR and as such this leaves Houston - boring city and also a dumb team name and crap colours - and the new team from Dallas which I could add to the Rangers and Cowboys as teams I loosely follow.
New York? Nah, too obvious. New Orleans? Loved the food and the drinks and that's how I'd like to leave my association with NOLA.
So I come back to Dallas.
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Just looking at the full MLR site and getting reacquainted with the teams and something I quite like is how many of them have chosen colours which speak to those of prominent teams also from those cities. Austin for example includes orange ala Texas Longhorns, RNY is blue and orange like the Knicks and Mets, Washington red and blue like the Wizards, New England the blue and red of the Pats, Seattle has the same colours as the Seahawks and Toronto the Maple Leafs. I guess an argument could be made that Dallas' teal and black is somewhere in between the Stars' green, Mavs' blue and green and Cowboy's blue and silver. I haven't looked into it but maybe there is some ownership crossover, but either way I like that some of these teams are trying to strengthen regional identities through colours. It's something that's always niggled me about the major leagues in that it's rare for teams from the same city/state to wear the same colours. I think the only city/state to have multiple major league teams who all wear the same are those from Pittsburgh.
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Wonder how often this has happened for these 2
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@taniwharugby I could only find two other times.
2013 Auckland v Northland
https://www.espn.com/rugby/lineups?gameId=181120&league=2705632016 Blues v Highlanders
https://www.espn.com/rugby/lineups?gameId=276385&league=242041 -
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The MLR franchise hoovering up South African schoolboy talent
Major League Rugby's Houston SaberCats are increasingly turning to South African talent to fill their roster - and it's all thanks to...
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A few kiwis littered through this team:
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@Canes4life There are Kiwis everywhere in the MLR. It's full of old or 3rd string Kiwi, South African, Fijian etc players.
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Major League Rugby in crisis as LA and Austin disqualified from playoffs
Guardian understands disqualification from US league of teams with common owner stems from breaches of salary cap rules
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@mikedogz What a mess! I had already read about the disqualification of Austin Gilgronis, last week, but now also LA Giltinis! The owners do deserve disqualification for those stupid names alone, but I feel really sorry for the players and fans, who've done nothing wrong.
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Rugby in the USA seems destined to be an administrative basket case.
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MAJOR LEAGUE RUGBY FINAL (Sunday 26 June 2022, kick-off 4.00am NZT)
Rugby New York v Seattle Seawolves
Both teams finished 3rd in their pool after the regular season.Rugby New York beat 2nd placed Rugby ATL in the play-off for a spot in the Eastern Conference Final against table-toppers New England Free Jacks. Yesterday, Rugby New York won that Eastern Conference Final 24 - 16.
Seattle Seawolves beat 5th ranked San Diego Legion in the play-off for a spot in the Western Conference Final against 4th placed Houston SaberCats, who I think were the team to benefit from LA Giltinis late exclusion from the Finals and didn't have to play for a spot in the Final. A bit weird if you think of it; shouldn't that have been the 3rd ranked team behind both excluded teams, who were 1st and 2nd ranked? Anyway, Seattle Seawolves won the Western Conference by beating the SaberCats 46 - 27.
Finalist New York's squad includes Kalolo Tuiloma, Nic Mayhew, Will Tucker, Brendon O'Connor, Kara Pryor, Antonio Kiri Kiri, Andy Ellis, Jack Heighton, Faʻasui Fuatai, Jason Emery, Ed Fidow, Nehe Milner-Skudder and Waisake Naholo.
Seattle Seawolves have few Kiwis in their squad, but it will be brother against brother: Brad Tucker plays for Seattle. Also in the squad are Sam Matenga and Setefano Funaki (Northland?).
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Former All Black Greg Cooper is Utah’s new Head Coach - Americas Rugby News
Greg Cooper is the new Head Coach of the Utah Warriors. The 57-year-old New Zealander fills a role left vacant after the departure of Shawn Pittman halfway through the 2022 campaign. Assistant coach duo Shaun Davies and Robbie Abel saw out the rest of the season. As a player Cooper is best known as...
