Major League Rugby Crowns Rugby New York


Rugby New York dethroned the two-time defending champion Seattle Seawolves 30-15 to win their first Major League Rugby (MLR) title.

New York led by 11 at halftime.  In the second half, New York went for the kill. Kalolo Tuiloma, a prop, got desperately close. Seattle held but couldn’t escape their 22. Emery kicked a penalty for 22-8.  New York went on to confirm the victory with a drop goal from Sam Windsor later in the game.

New York, which lost in the conference finals in 2019 and 2021, finished the regular season third in the Eastern Conference at 11-5, beating Rugby ATL and the New England Free Jacks before playing Seattle in the final. 

This was the fifth season of Major League Rugby with 13 teams playing a 16-game schedule.

Here are the final standings:

Eastern Conference

  • New England Free Jacks (62 points)
  • Rugby ATL (57 points)
  • Rugby NY (56 points)
  • Toronto Arrows (41 points)
  • New Orleans Gold (25 points)
  • Old Glory DC (23 points)
Western Conference
  • Austin Gilgronis (58 points)
  • LA Gilitinis (54 points)
  • Houston SaberCats (48 points)
  • Seattle SeaWolves (46 points)
  • San Diego Legion (43 points)
  • Utah Warriors (33 points)
  • Dallas Jackals (4 points)
On June 7th, due to a violation of league rules, Austin and LA were disqualified from competing in the playoffs because of breach of salary cap rules.

Playoffs:
  • Eliminators
    • Rugby NY 26, Rugby ATL 19
    • Seattle 43, San Diego 19
  • Conference Finals
    • Seattle 46, Houston 27
    • Rugby NY 24, New England 16
  • Championship Final
    • Rugby NY 30, Seattle 15
The top scorer was Ed Fidow (Rugby NY) with 12 tries.  AJ Alatimu (Seattle) led the league with 166 points.

Click here to watch highlights from the championship final.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New Version of Arena Football To Return in 2025

Image
After a rough restart of the Arena Football League (AFL) last season which began with 16 teams and eventually dropped to eight teams by season’s end, the teams which survived formed a new league called Arena Football 1 (AF1)  and have released their 2025 schedule for the 12 teams which will once again try to establish its’ place on the indoor football map. The new AF1 plans to kick off their 2025 season on March 14 with the following teams set to play a 14-game schedule in the new league: West Division Arizona Bandits Billings Outlaws Oregon Lightning Washington Wolfpack Central Division Corpus Christi Tritons Salina Liberty Southwest Kansas Storm Wichita Regulators East Division Albany Firebirds Nashville Kats Orlando Predators Wilkes-Barre (team name TBA) Two other teams are planned for the 2026 season.  Let’s hope they survive this season first. For more information about the league:   https://www.theaf1.com/
Read more

ESPN 8 - The Channel for Obscure Sports

Image
I recently stumbled on to "The Ocho" which is ESPN's channel featuring obscure sports.  The channel was started in 2017.   The Echo broadcasts unconventional and lesser-known sports competitions such as corn hole, horseshoes, darts, air hockey, ax throwing and many others. The origin of ESPN8 came from the fictional television channel in the 2004 movie Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story which was a full-time channel showcasing obscure competitions that were "almost a sport". Some of the most unusual competitions and events shown on the network include: Mullet championships (yes, I'm afraid there is such a thing) Teqball - combination of soccer and table tennis. Onewheel - Skateboard with one wheel Excel world championship - Did someone say spreadsheets? Slippery stairs - Do we really need a sport for this? Omegaball - Three soccer teams playing on a round field at the same time. Chase Tag - Yes, same as our elementary school playground game. Steinholding - A G...
Read more

2025 Arena/Indoor Football Leagues Preview

Image
Are you ready for some (indoor) football? The arena/indoor football season is upon us. In fact, one league - the American Indoor Football league - has already started the indoor season. Here are some short previews of the most notable seven indoor leagues which will play this season: Indoor Football League (IFL) Website: https://goifl.com/ The IFL is the longest active arena/indoor league as it enters its 16th season.  Although the league is the premier indoor football league in the United States; however, they continue to have issues with franchise stability as the Duke City Gladiators, Frisco Fighters and Sioux Falls Storm deciding to sit out the 2025 season.  The league did add one new team - Fishers Freight - this season.  The Arizona Rattlers won the IFL title last season after finishing third in the Western Conference.  The Rattlers finished the season on a six-game winning streak.  The Rattlers upset the Vegas Knight Hawks 39-38 in the first round the...
Read more