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2018 Major League Rugby season

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2018 Major League Rugby
DateApril 21 – July 7
ChampionsSeattle Seawolves (1st title)
Runners-upGlendale Raptors
Matches played31
Top point scorerSam Windsor (103)
Top try scorerTonata Lauti (9)
Official website
www.usmlr.com
2019 →

The 2018 Major League Rugby season was the inaugural season of Major League Rugby, an annual rugby union competition sanctioned by USA Rugby.[1] The seven inaugural teams were based in the United States. The competition began the weekend of April 21–22 with three matches, with New Orleans defeating Houston 35–26 to open the season.

Glendale and Seattle were the best two teams at the end of the regular season and won their respective semi-final matches to advance to the championship game at Torero Stadium in San Diego.[2] Seattle became Major League Rugby's first champion team with a surprise come-from-behind 23–19 win in the final over Glendale, who had only lost once previously during the season.[2]

Teams

[edit]
Team Head coach Captain Stadium Capacity
Austin Elite France Alain Hyardet United States Andrew Suniula Multipurpose Complex 3,500
Glendale Raptors United States David Williams United States Shaun Davies Infinity Park 5,000
Houston SaberCats Ireland Justin Fitzpatrick United States Kyle Sumsion Dyer Stadium 6,000
New Orleans Gold Australia Nate Osborne New Zealand Taylor Howden Eagle Athletic Facility 3,000
San Diego Legion England Rob Hoadley United States Nate Augspurger Torero Stadium 6,000
Seattle Seawolves Canada Phil Mack United States Shalom Suniula Starfire Stadium 3,800
Utah Warriors New Zealand Alf Daniels United States Paul Lasike Zions Bank Stadium 5,000

Regular season

[edit]

All seven participating teams played eight matches and received two rounds of byes during the regular season held over ten weeks from April through to June.[3] The schedule was short of a full home and away draw by four match rounds, so each side played two of the other teams twice and four of them only once. The top four teams at the end of the regular season advanced to the MLR playoffs.[4][5]

Standings

[edit]

The final standings for the 2018 Major League Rugby regular season were:

Pos Team Pld W D L PF PA PD TB LB Pts Qualification
1 Glendale Raptors (P) 8 7 0 1 249 165 +84 6 0 34 Semifinals
2 Seattle Seawolves (C) 8 6 0 2 232 188 +44 4 1 29
3 San Diego Legion 8 5 0 3 214 201 +13 3 1 24
4 Utah Warriors 8 3 0 5 269 274 −5 7 3 22
5 Austin Elite 8 3 0 5 224 238 −14 5 1 18
6 New Orleans Gold 8 3 0 5 209 291 −82 4 1 17
7 Houston SaberCats 8 1 0 7 216 256 −40 3 4 11
Updated to match(es) played on June 23, 2018. Source: rugbyarchive.net Archived November 4, 2018, at the Wayback Machine
Rules for classification: Four points for a win, two for a draw, and no points for a bye. One bonus point for scoring four or more tries (TB). One bonus point for losing by seven or less (LB).

Matches

[edit]

The following matches were played for the 2018 Major League Rugby regular season:

Home \ Away AUS GLE HOU NOLA SAN SEA UTA
Austin Elite 30–17 31–5 19–20 41–33
Glendale Raptors 41–26 37–24 31–27 33–11
Houston SaberCats 50–38 26–35 7–20 30–36
New Orleans Gold 10–47 24–20 22–39 29–31
San Diego Legion 31–17 23–5 35–32 31–24
Seattle Seawolves 15–19 55–26 39–23 41–32
Utah Warriors 41–22 29–36 31–27 43–46
Updated to match(es) played on June 23, 2018. Source: [3]
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Week 1

[edit]
April 21 Houston SaberCats 26–35 New Orleans Gold Dyer Stadium, Houston, Texas  
3:00 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Osea Kolinisau 18' m
Josua Vici (2) 25' c, 78' c
Justin Allen 66' c
Con: Windsor (3/4) 26', 67', 79' 		Report Try: Sebastián Kalm 33' c
Nikola Bursic 44' m
Matt Hughston 58' c
JP Eloff 73' c
Con: JP Eloff (3/4) 34', 59', 74'
Pen: JP Eloff (3/5) 21', 47', 80' 		Referee: Paul-Henri Courbier (France)
April 21 Glendale Raptors 41–26 Austin Elite Infinity Park, Glendale, Colorado  
5:00 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Connor Cook 33' c
John Quill 37' c
Ben Landry 40' c
Maximo de Achaval 44' c
Harley Davidson 47' c
Con: Will Magie (5/5) 34', 38', 40', 45', 48'
Pen: Will Magie (2/3) 21', 80' 		Report Try: Reece Czarnecki (2) 14' c, 75' m
Hanco Germishuys 52' c
Ben Mitchell 59' c
Con: Timothée Guillimin (3/4) 15', 53', 60'
Pen: Timothée Guillimin (0/1) 		Referee: Chris Assmus (Canada)
April 22 Seattle Seawolves 39–23 San Diego Legion Starfire Sports Complex, Tukwila, Washington  
8:00 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Brock Staller 21' c
Penalty try (3) 36', 58', 68'
Cam Polson 75' m
Con: Brock Staller (1/2) 22'
Pen: Brock Staller (2/3) 10', 32' 		Report Try: Chris Turori 64' c
Drew Gaffney 72' c
Con: Ben Cima (2/2) 65', 73'
Pen: Ben Cima (3/4) 5', 27', 43' 		Attendance: 3,500[6]
Referee: Derek Summers (United States)
Bye/s: Utah Warriors

Week 2

[edit]
April 28 Houston SaberCats 50–38 Austin Elite Dyer Stadium, Houston, Texas  
3:30 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Connor Murphy 1' c
Osea Kolinisau 10' c
Lindsey Stevens 42' c
Josua Vici 45' c
Justin Allen 48' m
Sam Windsor 61' c
Joey Iosefa 67' c
Con: Sam Windsor (6/7) 2', 11', 43', 46', 62', 68'
Pen: Sam Windsor (1/1) 22' 		Report Try: Sione Fangaiuiha (2) 26' m, 55' c
Hanco Germishuys 38' m
Andrew Suniula 57' c
Alex Faison-Donahoe 71' c
Knute O'Donnell 80' c
Con: Timothée Guillimin (4/6) 56', 58', 72', 80'
Pen: Timothée Guillimin (0/1) 		Referee: Derek Summers (United States)
April 28 Seattle Seawolves 15–19 Glendale Raptors Starfire Sports Complex, Tukwila, Washington  
10:30 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Vili Tolutaʻu 58' c
George Barton 80' m
Con: Brock Staller (1/2) 59'
Pen: Brock Staller (1/1) 39' 		Report Try: Zach Fenoglio 36' m
Harley Davidson 48' m
Con: Will Magie (0/2)
Pen: Will Magie (3/4) 9', 24', 71' 		Referee: Scott Green (United States)
April 29 San Diego Legion 31–24 Utah Warriors Torero Stadium, San Diego, California  
7:00 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Sione Tuihalamaka 1' c
Anthony Purpura 10' m
Devin Short 40' m
Anthony Salaber 56' c
Ryan Matyas 69' c
Con: Tadhg Leader (2/4) 2', 57'
Dylan Audsley (1/1) 70'
Pen: Tadhg Leader (0/1) 		Report Try: Joseph Nicholls 28' c
Saia Uhila 38' c
Ben Nicholls 77' c
Con: Kurt Morath (3/3) 29', 39', 78'
Pen: Kurt Morath (1/2) 65' 		Attendance: 2,000[7]
Referee: Paul-Henri Courbier (France)
Bye/s: New Orleans Gold

Week 3

[edit]
May 3 Austin Elite 30–17 New Orleans Gold Multipurpose Complex, Round Rock, Texas  
9:00 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Ned Hodson (2) 16' m, 68' c
Hanco Germishuys (2) 43' m, 65' c
Con: Timothée Guillimin (2/4) 66', 69'
Pen: Timothée Guillimin (2/4) 2', 5' 		Report Try: John Sullivan (2) 29' c, 52' c
Con: JP Eloff (2/2) 40', 53'
Pen: JP Eloff (1/1) 28' 		Referee: Scott Green (United States)
May 4 San Diego Legion 35–32 Houston SaberCats Torero Stadium, San Diego, California  
8:30 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Anthony Salaber (3) 17' c, 22' c, 34' c
Pat Blair 51' c
Anthony Purpura 80' c
Con: Dylan Audsley (4/4) 18', 23', 35', 52'
Ben Cima (1/1) 80' 		Report Try: Osea Kolinisau 9' c
Sam Windsor 31' c
Con: Sam Windsor (2/2) 10', 32'
Pen: Sam Windsor (5/6) 11', 25', 44', 54', 67'
Drop: Osea Kolinisau 75' 		Referee: Chris Assmus (Canada)
May 5 Utah Warriors 29–36 Glendale Raptors Zions Bank Stadium, Herriman, Utah, Utah  
3:30 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Angus MacLellan 30' c
Fetuʻu Vainikolo 46' c
Tonata Lauti (2) 68' m, 70' c
Con: Kurt Morath (3/4) 31', 47', 71'
Pen: Kurt Morath (1/2) 27' 		Report Try: Sam Figg 23' c
Harley Davidson 52' c
Peter Dahl 65' c
Bryce Campbell 72' c
Mika Kruse 75' m
Con: Will Magie (4/5) 24', 53', 66', 73'
Pen: Will Magie (1/1) 19' 		Referee: Derek Summers (United States)
Bye/s: Seattle Seawolves

Week 4

[edit]
May 11 Utah Warriors 41–22 Austin Elite Zions Bank Stadium, Herriman, Utah  
9:00 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Jared Whippy 19' c
Paul Lasike 24' m
Josh Anderson 39' c
Fetuʻu Vainikolo 60' m
Maika Hafoka 74' c
Joseph Nicholls 77' c
Con: Kurt Morath (4/6) 20', 40', 75', 78'
Pen: Kurt Morath (1/1) 13' 		Report Try: Marcus Walsh (2) 30' c, 71' c
Hanco Germishuys 46' m
Con: Timothée Guillimin (2/3) 31', 72'
Pen: Timothée Guillimin (1/1) 64' 		Referee: Scott Green (United States)
May 12 New Orleans Gold 29–31 Seattle Seawolves Eagle Athletic Facility, Marrero, Louisiana  
1:00 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Peceli Rinakama 13' m
Joeli Tikoisuva 28' c
Hubert Buydens 30' m
Taylor Howden 63' c
Matt Hughston 74' c
Con: Taylor Howden (2/3) 29', 63'
Michael Baska (1/2) 74'
Pen: Taylor Howden (0/1) 		Report Try: Will Holder 31' c
William Rasileka 44' c
Peter Tiberio 57' c
Mathew Turner 68' c
Con: Peter Smith (4/4) 32', 45', 57', 69'
Pen: Peter Smith (1/1) 25' 		Referee: Paul-Henri Courbier (France)
May 13 Glendale Raptors 31–27 San Diego Legion Infinity Park, Glendale, Colorado  
8:00 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Maximo de Achaval 18' c
Kelepi Fifita 49' c
Seth Halliman 61' c
Zach Fenoglio 76' c
Con: Will Magie (4/4) 19', 50', 62', 77'
Pen: Will Magie (1/1) 11' 		Report Try: Sione Tuihalamaka 14' c
Pat Blair 39' c
Dolph Botha 46' c
Con: Dylan Audsley (3/3) 15', 40', 47'
Pen: Dylan Audsley (2/3) 66', 73' 		Referee: Adam Leal (England)
Bye/s: Houston SaberCats

Week 5

[edit]
May 19 New Orleans Gold 24–20 Houston SaberCats Eagle Athletic Facility, Marrero, Louisiana  
4:00 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Zack Stryffeler 27' c
Penalty try 34'
Peceli Rinakama 38' c
Con: Taylor Howden (3/3) 28', 35', 39'
Pen: Taylor Howden (1/2) 73' 		Report Try: Sam Windsor 4' c
Connor Murphy 40' c
Con: Sam Windsor (2/2) 5', 40'
Pen: Sam Windsor (2/2) 32', 76' 		Referee: Adam Leal (England)
May 20 Seattle Seawolves 41–32 Utah Warriors Starfire Sports Complex, Tukwila, Washington  
8:30 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: William Rasileka 11' c
Mathew Turner 13' c
Vili Tolutaʻu (2) 31' c, 62' c
Phil Mack 58' c
Con: Peter Smith (3/3) 12', 14', 32'
Brock Staller (2/2) 59', 63'
Pen: Peter Smith (1/1) 30'
Brock Staller (1/1) 39' 		Report Try: Lote Tuipulotu (2) 2' m, 18' m
Tonata Lauti 36' c
Ara Elkington 66' m
Paki Afu 78' c
Con: Kurt Morath (2/5) 37', 79'
Pen: Kurt Morath (1/1) 9' 		Referee: Luke Rogan (Australia)
Bye/s: Austin Elite, Glendale Raptors. San Diego Legion

Week 6

[edit]
May 25 Austin Elite 31–5 San Diego Legion Multipurpose Complex, Round Rock, Texas  
9:00 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Siaosi Finau 14' c
Hanco Germishuys 19' c
Zinzan Elan-Puttick 45' c
Marcus Walsh 70' c
Con: Timothée Guillimin (4/4) 15', 20', 46', 71'
Pen: Timothée Guillimin (1/2) 8' 		Report Try: Drew Gaffney 61' m
Con: Dylan Audsley (0/1) 		Referee: Josh Houston (United States)
May 26 Houston SaberCats 30–36 Utah Warriors Dyer Stadium, Houston, Texas  
6:00 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Osea Kolinisau 5' c
Josua Vici 18' c
Connor Murphy 62' c
Con: Sam Windsor (3/3) 6', 19', 63'
Pen: Sam Windsor (3/3) 2', 22', 46' 		Report Try: Matt Jensen 9' c
Lance Williams 13' c
Don Pati 43' c
Tonata Lauti 48' m
Lote Tuipulotu 69' c
Con: Kurt Morath (4/5) 10', 14', 44', 70'
Pen: Kurt Morath (1/1) 37' 		Referee: Scott Green (United States)
May 27 Seattle Seawolves 55–26 New Orleans Gold Starfire Sports Complex, Tukwila, Washington  
8:00 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Brock Staller (2) 5' c, 21' c
Eric Duechle 10' c
Mathew Turner (2) 21' c, 78' c
Aladdin Schirmer 54' c
Dan Trierweiler 68' c
Con: Brock Staller (6/6) 6', 11', 22', 69', 79'
Will Holder (1/1) 55' 		Report Try: Ben Tarr 16' c
Penalty try 37'
Moni Tonga’uiha 39' c
Michael Baska 43' m
Con: Taylor Howden (2/3) 17', 40'
Pen: Taylor Howden (0/1) 		Referee: Chris Assmus (Canada)
Bye/s: Glendale Raptors

Week 7

[edit]
June 1 Austin Elite 41–33 Utah Warriors Multipurpose Complex, Round Rock, Texas  
9:00 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Alex Faison-Donahoe 5' m
Zinzan Elan-Puttick (2) 17' m, 41' c
Pedrie Wannenburg 34' c
Marcus Walsh 43' m
Con: Timothée Guillimin (2/5) 35', 42'
Pen: Timothée Guillimin (4/5) 11', 67', 70', 75' 		Report Try: Tonata Lauti 12' m
AJ Tu'ineau 29' c
David Tameilau 64' c
Ray Forrester 71' c
Iniki Fa'amausili 76' c
Con: Johnny Linehan (2/3) 30', 65'
Ben Nicholls (2/2) 72', 76'
Pen: Johnny Linehan (0/1) 		Referee: Adam Leal (England)
June 2 Houston SaberCats 7–20 Seattle Seawolves Dyer Stadium, Houston, Texas  
9:00 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Charlie Hewitt 62' c
Con: Sam Windsor (1/1) 63' 		Report Try: Peter Tiberio 44' c
Phil Mack 52' c
Con: Brock Staller (2/2) 45', 53'
Pen: Brock Staller (2/4) 26', 40' 		Referee: Derek Summers (United States)
June 3 New Orleans Gold 10–47 Glendale Raptors Eagle Athletic Facility, Marrero, Louisiana  
4:00 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Joey Sok 27' m
Cameron Troxler 67' m
Con: JP Eloff (0/1)
Taylor Howden (0/1) 		Report Try: Bryce Campbell (2) 4' c, 80' c
Mika Kruse 11' c
John Quill 19' m
Will Magie 47' c
Zach Fenoglio 61' c
Sam Figg 77' c
Con: Will Magie (6/7) 5', 12', 48', 62', 78', 80' 		Referee: Chris Assmus (Canada)
Bye/s: San Diego Legion

Week 8

[edit]
June 8 Austin Elite 19–20 Seattle Seawolves Multipurpose Complex, Round Rock, Texas  
9:00 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Ross Deacon 18' c
Con: Timothée Guillimin (1/1) 19'
Pen: Timothée Guillimin (4/4) 5', 11', 69' 		Report Try: William Rasileka 21' m
Sequoyah Burke-Combs 46' m
Taylor Krumrei 62' c
Con: Will Holder (1/3) 63'
Pen: Will Holder (1/2) 36' 		Referee: Scott Green (United States)
June 8 Glendale Raptors 37–24 Houston SaberCats Infinity Park, Glendale, Colorado  
9:00 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Harley Davidson (3) 6' c, 11' m, 46' c
Dylan Fawsitt 25' m
Maximo de Achaval 58' c
Con: Maximo de Achaval (3/5) 7', 47', 59'
Pen: Maximo de Achaval (1/2) 71' 		Report Try: Josua Vici 38' c
Matt Trouville 55' m
Alex Elkins 65' c, 73' m
Con: Sam Windsor (2/4) 39', 66'
Pen: Sam Windsor (0/1) 		Referee: Chris Assmus (Canada)
June 9 New Orleans Gold 22–39 San Diego Legion Eagle Athletic Facility, Marrero, Louisiana  
5:00 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Tim Maupin 5' c
Cameron Troxler 49' c
JP Eloff 61' m
Con: JP Eloff (2/3) 6', 50'
Pen: JP Eloff (1/1) 33' 		Report Try: Pat Blair 9' m
Ryan Matyas 23' c
Anthony Salaber 40' c
Nick Evans 42' m
Taku Ngwenya 54' c
Nathan Sylvia 67' m
Con: Tadhg Leader (3/6) 24', 40', 55'
Pen: Tadhg Leader (1/1) 21' 		Referee: Paul-Henri Courbier (United States)
Bye/s: Utah Warriors

Week 9

[edit]
June 16 Utah Warriors 43–46 New Orleans Gold Zions Bank Stadium, Herriman, Utah  
4:00 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Don Pati (2) 5' m, 8' c
Tonata Lauti 36' c
Jonny Linehan 40' c
Josh Anderson 57' m
Fetuʻu Vainikolo 65' c
Ray Forrester 78' m
Con: Jonny Linehan (4/7) 9', 37', 40', 66' 		Report Try: Matt Hughston 18' m
Tim Maupin 30' c
Jojo Tikoisuva 42' c
JP Eloff 44' c
Cameron Troxler 50' m
Con: JP Eloff (3/5) 31', 43', 45'
Pen: JP Eloff (4/4) 26', 39', 56', 62' 		Referee: Derek Summers (United States)
June 16 Glendale Raptors 33–11 Seattle Seawolves Infinity Park, Glendale, Colorado, Colorado  
9:00 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Chad London (2) 35' c, 49' c
Zach Fenoglio 39' c
Mika Kruse 44' m
Connor Cook 52' c
Con: Maximo de Achaval (4/5) 36', 40', 50', 53' 		Report Try: Mozac Samson 10' m
Con: Will Holder (0/1)
Pen: Will Holder (1/1) 16'
Drop: Will Holder (1/1) 30' 		Referee: Adam Leal (England)
June 17 San Diego Legion 31–17 Austin Elite Torero Stadium, San Diego, California  
8:00 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Nick Boyer 15' c
Nathan Sylvia 39' m
Ryan Matyas 77' m
Con: Tadhg Leader (2/3) 16', 78'
Pen: Tadhg Leader (4/4) 4', 24', 46', 55 		Report Try: Junior Naruma 48' c
Sani Taylor 71' c
Con: Timothée Guillimin (2/2) 49', 72'
Pen: Timothée Guillimin (1/1) 10' 		Attendance: 3,000 [8]
Referee: Paul-Henri Courbier (United States)
Bye/s: Houston SaberCats

Week 10

[edit]
June 23 Utah Warriors 31–27 Houston SaberCats Zions Bank Stadium, Herriman, Utah  
4:00 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Tonata Lauti (2) 10' c, 72' m
Saia Uhila 31' m
Ara Elkington 49' c
Alex Tucci 68' c
Con: Jonny Linehan (2/3) 11', 50'
Ben Nicholls (1/2) 69' 		Report Try: Cecil Garber 16' c
Sam Windsor 40' c
Osea Kolinisau 64' c
Con: Sam Windsor (3/3) 17', 40', 65'
Pen: Sam Windsor (2/4) 25', 60' 		Referee: Adam Leal (England)
June 23 San Diego Legion 23–5 Glendale Raptors Torero Stadium, San Diego, California  
10:30 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Ryan Matyas 48’ c
Tony Lamborn 58’ c
Con: Tadhg Leader (2/2) 49’, 59’
Pen: Tadhg Leader (3/4) 3’, 20’, 72’ 		Report Try: Grigor Kerdikoshvili 78’ m
Con: Maximo de Achaval (0/1) 		Referee: Scott Green (United States)
Bye/s: Austin Elite, New Orleans Gold, Seattle Seawolves

Playoffs

[edit]

The top four teams from the regular season qualified for the playoffs. The format was two semifinal matches – first versus fourth, and second versus third – followed by a Championship game between the semifinal winners to determine the MLR champion team.[4][5]

The semifinals were played as a double header at Infinity Park in Glendale on June 30, followed a week later by the final at Torero Stadium in San Diego on July 7.[9]

Bracket

[edit]
Semi-Finals Finals
      
1 Glendale Raptors 34
4 Utah Warriors 21
1 Glendale Raptors 19
2 Seattle Seawolves 23
2 Seattle Seawolves 38
3 San Diego Legion 24

Semifinals

[edit]
June 30 Seattle Seawolves 38–24 San Diego Legion Infinity Park, Glendale, Colorado  
7:00 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Shalom Suniula 33' c
William Rasileka 63' c, Peter Tiberio 65' c
Sequoyah Burke-Combs 73' c
John Hayden 78' c
Con: Peter Smith (5/5) 34', 63',
66', 74', 79'
Pen: Peter Smith (1/1) 6' 		Report Try: Joe Pietersen 9' c
Drew Gaffney 56' c
Nate Augspurger 80' c
Con: Joe Pietersen (3/3) 10', 57', 80'
Pen: Joe Pietersen (1/1) 3'
Cards: Alec Barton 61' YC
Siaosi Mahoni 67' YC 		Attendance: 3,287
Referee: Derek Summers (United States)


June 30 Glendale Raptors 34–21 Utah Warriors Infinity Park, Glendale, Colorado  
9:30 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Sam Figg 2' c
Harley Davidson 28' c, Shaun Davies 31' m
Zach Fenoglio 52' c, Luke White 64' m
Con: Will Magie (3/5) 3', 29', 53'
Pen: Will Magie (1/1) 13' 		Report Try: Tonata Lauti 35' c
David Tameilau 68' c
Don Pati 73' c
Con: Kurt Morath (1/1) 36'
Joseph Nicholls (2/2) 69', 73' 		Attendance: 3,407
Referee: Adam Leal (England)

Final

[edit]
Main article: 2018 Major League Rugby final
July 7 Glendale Raptors 19–23 Seattle Seawolves Torero Stadium, San Diego, California  
9:00 pm EDT (UTC−04) Try: Zach Fenoglio (2) 13' c, 50' m
Bryce Campbell 56' c
Con: Will Magie (2/3) 13', 57' 		Report Try: Ray Barkwill 23' m
William Rasileka 58' m, Riekert Hattingh 61' c
Con: Peter Smith (1/3) 62'
Pen: Peter Smith (2/3) 9', 67' 		Attendance: 2,901
Referee: Scott Green [10] (United States)

Team statistics

[edit]

Points by week

[edit]

Week
Team
 001.0 002.0 003.0 004.0 005.0 006.0 007.0 008.0 009.0 0010.0 00Total.0 00Average.0
Austin 26 41 38 50 30 17 22 41 – – 31 5 41 33 19 20 17 31 – – 224 238 28.0 29.8
Glendale 41 26 19 15 36 29 31 27 – – – – 47 10 37 24 33 11 5 23 249 165 31.1 20.6
Houston 26 35 50 38 32 35 – – 20 24 30 36 7 20 24 37 – – 27 31 216 256 27.0 32.0
New Orleans 35 26 – – 17 30 29 31 24 20 26 55 10 47 22 39 46 43 – – 209 291 26.1 36.4
San Diego 23 39 31 24 35 32 27 31 – – 5 31 – – 39 22 31 17 23 5 214 201 26.8 25.1
Seattle 39 23 15 19 – – 31 29 41 32 55 26 20 7 20 19 11 33 – – 232 188 29.0 23.5
Utah – – 24 31 29 36 41 22 32 41 36 30 33 41 – – 43 46 31 27 269 274 33.6 34.3

Tries by week

[edit]

Week
Team
 001.00 002.00 003.00 004.00 005.00 006.00 007.00 008.00 009.00 0010.0 00Total.0 00Average.0
Austin 4 5 6 7 4 2 3 6 – – 4 1 5 5 1 3 2 3 – – 29 32 3.6 4.0
Glendale 5 4 2 2 5 4 4 3 – – – – 7 2 5 4 5 1 1 2 34 22 4.3 2.8
Houston 4 4 7 6 2 5 – – 2 3 3 5 1 2 4 5 – – 3 5 26 35 3.3 4.4
New Orleans 4 4 – – 2 4 5 4 3 2 4 7 2 7 3 6 5 7 – – 28 41 3.5 5.1
San Diego 2 5 5 3 5 2 3 4 – – 1 4 – – 6 3 3 2 2 1 27 24 3.4 3.0
Seattle 5 2 2 2 – – 4 5 5 5 7 4 2 1 3 1 1 5 – – 29 25 3.6 3.1
Utah – – 3 5 4 5 6 3 5 5 5 3 5 5 – – 7 5 5 3 40 34 5.0 4.3
Attack Defense

Player statistics

[edit]

The leading scorers in 2018 over the regular season and playoffs combined were:

Leading try scorers

[edit]
No. Player Team Tries
excl.
playoffs 		Total
tries
   
1 Tonata Lauti Utah Warriors 8 9
2 Harley Davidson Glendale Raptors 6 7
Zach Fenoglio Glendale Raptors 4  7 [a]
4 Hanco Germishuys Austin Elite 6 6
5 Osea Kolinisau Houston SaberCats 5 5
William Rasileka Seattle Seawolves 3 5
Anthony Salaber San Diego Legion 5 5
Josua Vici Houston SaberCats 5 5
9 Lote Tuipulotu Utah Warriors 4 4
Mathew Turner Seattle Seawolves 4 4
Sam Windsor Houston SaberCats 4 4
Marcus Walsh Austin Elite 4 4

Sources:[12][13]Americas Rugby News and MLR (archived).

Leading point scorers

[edit]
No. Player Team Points
excl.
playoffs 		Total
points
   
1 Sam Windsor Houston SaberCats 103 103
2 Timothée Guillimin Austin Elite 84 84
3 Will Magie Glendale Raptors 64 77
4 JP Eloff New Orleans Gold 65 65
5 Brock Staller Seattle Seawolves 60 60
6 Kurt Morath Utah Warriors 47 49
7 Tonata Lauti Utah Warriors 40 45
8 Tadhg Leader San Diego Legion 42 42
9 Peter Smith Seattle Seawolves 20 41
10 Maximo de Achaval Glendale Raptors 35 35

Sources:[12][13] Americas Rugby News and MLR (archived).

Sanctions

[edit]
Player Team Red Yellow Suspended match(es):
Zachary Pangelinan Houston SaberCats 1 2 vs. New Orleans Gold (W5)
Connor Cook Glendale Raptors 1 0 vs. Austin Elite (W1)
Ben Landry Glendale Raptors 1 0 vs. Austin Elite (W1)
Jake Turnbull Houston SaberCats 0 1 vs. New Orleans Gold (W1)
Eric Howard New Orleans Gold 0 1 vs. Houston SaberCats (W1)
Ben Mitchell Austin Elite 0 1 vs. Glendale Raptors (W1)
Sani Taylor Austin Elite 0 1 vs. Glendale Raptors (W1)
Kelepi Fifita Glendale Raptors 0 1 vs. Austin Elite (W1)
Sione Tuihalamaka San Diego Legion 0 1 vs. Seattle Seawolves (W1)
Matt Trouville Houston SaberCats 0 1 vs. Austin Elite (W2)
Maximo de Achaval Glendale Raptors 0 1 vs. Seattle Seawolves (W2)
Siaosi Finau Austin Elite 0 1 vs. New Orleans Gold (W3)
Pago Haini Houston SaberCats 0 1 vs. San Diego Legion (W3)
Taylor Howden New Orleans Gold 0 1 vs. Seattle Seawolves (W4)
Hubert Buydens New Orleans Gold 0 1 vs. Houston SaberCats (W5)
Chris Slater Houston SaberCats 0 1 vs. Glendale Raptors (W8)
Anthony Parry New Orleans Gold 0 1 vs. San Diego Legion (W8)
Cam Poison Seattle Seawolves 0 1 vs. Glendale Raptors (W9)
Alec Barton San Diego Legion 0 1 vs. Austin Elite (W9)
Ben Mitchell Austin Elite 0 1 vs. San Diego Legion (W9)
Alec Barton San Diego Legion 0 1 vs. Seattle Seawolves (SF)
Siaosi Mahoni San Diego Legion 0 1 vs. Seattle Seawolves (SF)

Awards

[edit]

MVP of the Championship Match

Player Team
United States Vili Toluta'u Seattle Seawolves

All-MLR First Team

Player Position Team
United States Paul Mullen Loosehead Prop Houston SaberCats
United States Zach Fenoglio Hooker Glendale Raptors
Australia Tim Metcher Tighthead Prop Seattle Seawolves
Ireland Ben Mitchell Left Lock Austin Elite
United States Ben Landry Right Lock Glendale Raptors
United States Vili Toluta'u Blindside Flanker Seattle Seawolves
United States Hanco Germishuys Openside Flanker Austin Elite
United States Cam Dolan No8 San Diego Legion
Canada Phil Mack Scrum-half Seattle Seawolves
Australia Sam Windsor Fly-half Houston SaberCats
United States Tonata Lauti Blindside Wing Utah Warriors
United States Paul Lasike Inside Centre Utah Warriors
United States Ryan Matyas Outside Centre San Diego Legion
United States Harley Davidson Openside Wing Glendale Raptors
England Mathew Turner Fullback Seattle Seawolves

All-MLR Second Team

Player Position Team
United States Olive Kilifi Loosehead Prop Seattle Seawolves
United States Pat Blair Hooker San Diego Legion
United States Alex Tucci Tighthead Prop Utah Warriors
United States Matt Jensen Left Lock Utah Warriors
United States Matt Trouville Right Lock Houston SaberCats
United States Peter Dahl Blindside Flanker Glendale Raptors
United States Matt Hughston Openside Flanker NOLA Gold
Australia Sam Figg No8 Glendale Raptors
United States Shaun Davies Scrum-half Glendale Raptors
United States Will Magie Fly-half Glendale Raptors
Fiji Josua Vici Blindside Wing Houston SaberCats
United States Andrew Suniula Inside Centre Austin Elite
Fiji Osea Kolinisau Outside Centre Houston SaberCats
Canada Brock Staller Openside Wing Seattle Seawolves
United States Zinzan Elan-Puttick Fullback Austin Elite

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ In a discrepancy between sources, Zach Fenoglio's second try in the MLR championship game, as recorded by Americas Rugby News,[10] was attributed instead to Kelepi Fifita on the MLR website,[11] which therefore listed Fenoglio's tally of tries for the full season at 6 instead of 7.[12]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "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.
  2. ^ a b "Major League Rugby crowns Seattle champions – and looks to season two". The Guardian. UK. July 10, 2018. Archived from the original on July 10, 2018. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Major League Rugby schedule revealed". Rugby Today. December 1, 2017. Archived from the original on December 9, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  4. ^ a b "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.
  5. ^ a b "Austin Elite, new U.S. pro rugby league lure major TV contract". Austin American-Statesman. November 7, 2017. Archived from the original on November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  6. ^ "Seattle Seawolves' Home Debut - "Something Special"".
  7. ^ "San Diego Legion deliver a victory in Major League Rugby home debut". April 30, 2018.
  8. ^ "SD Legion". Archived from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  9. ^ "MLR reveals Finals Locations and Expansion Plans". Americas Rugby News. March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  10. ^ a b "Seawolves stun Raptors to win inaugural MLR title". Americas Rugby News. July 8, 2018. Archived from the original on July 10, 2018. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  11. ^ "Big Second Half Propels Seawolves Over Raptors in Inaugural MLR Championship". usmlr.com. July 8, 2018. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  12. ^ a b c "Player stats (incl. playoffs)". Major League Rugby. 2018. Archived from the original on July 17, 2018.
  13. ^ a b "Player stats (excl. playoffs)". Americas Rugby News. 2018. Archived from the original on July 17, 2018.
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