Ahead of the MLR 2021 kickoff, get a quick look at why each team has plenty of reason for optimism heading into the season.

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Western Conference

LA Giltinis
Last Year’s Record: N/A

Reasons to Be Excited for 2021: A new team? A star-studded roster? Yeah, there are a few things to get excited about  for this LA squad. 

Being the lone expansion team would have been enough to garner headlines heading into the 2021 season. But owner Adam Gilchrist wasn’t satisfied and won the offseason with one star signing after another. 

Domestically, LA brought in two of MLR’s most thrilling try scorers in Mika Kruse and John

Ryberg, both signed from the now-defunct Colorado Raptors. On the international side, the team signed two of Australia’a biggest stars, Adam Ashley-Cooper and Matt Giteau. 

The player many American rugby fans are excited to see is Luke Carty. Carty is the younger brother of Irish international Jack Carty, is USA-eligible through American grandparents, and is one to watch for the future of coach Gary Gold’s squad. Carty boasts a big boot at the fly half position. With experience at 12, it figures we’ll see plenty of individual brilliance from him as well.

The forwards are not to be outdone, as LA has brought in Langilangi Haupeakui. Haupaeakui

was the breakout star from the lone PRO season, going from a relative unknown to Eagles caps

and on to the Glasgow Warriors in a season’s time. From there, he disappeared from the rugby

scene, and admitted to losing his passion for the game. Now he is back, refreshed, and

has the chance to revitalize a once-promising career and catapult himself back onto the international scene.


If you go by the names on the roster sheet, this team is ready to jump right in as a playoff favorite for its debut season. 

Houston Sabercats

Last Year’s Record: 1-4
Reasons to Be Excited for 2021: Explosive backs give this team a chance in every match.

It’s hard to believe that a team built around Sam Windsor and Zack Pangelinan has struggled to find its footing through two-plus MLR seasons. Though just 1-4 last season, the team’s point differential indicated it played in some tight matches a year ago, and may not be as far from contention as the past records indicate. 

Fijian National Veramu Dikidikilati figures to add even more fireworks to the backline and is a great pairing with the steady veteran Taylor Howden in the centers. In the forwards Tiaan Erasmus moves across the state to bolster the front row. 


Will this be the year Houston throws some punches back at the Western Conference’s top teams? 

Austin Gilgronis

Last Year’s record: 1-3-1

Reason to Be Excited for 2021: On paper, this team is as balanced as any in MLR

The Western Conference has been dominated by the San Diego Legion and Seattle Seawolves thus far in MLR’s young history. LA figures to make noise, but could the Gilgronis shake things up as a spoiler as well? Austin has yet to form an identity both on and off the field. The “Gilgronis” are the team’s third name in four years and the team has yet to emerge as a contender. 

However, f45 training tycoon Adam Gilchrist figures to bring stability off the field, and there have been key additions on it. Will Magie’s effect on the team was just beginning to be felt before the shutdown, and now he’s joined in the midfield by another American standout Bryce Campbell. They join Kurt Morath and Zinzan Elan-Putick in what shapes up to be a menacing backline.

The forwards feature a hell of an engine in Jamie “Whoppa” Mackintosh, Mason “The Hit Man” Pedersen, Jake Turnbull and Paddy Ryan. Dominic Akina is an intriguing prospect as a football crossover who was coming into his own as a loose forward a year ago. He continued his progress with two tries in the team’s preseason match vs. LA. 

This team looks as balanced as any across the league. Can it be MLR’s first team to grow from bottom feeder to contender? 


Seattle Seawolves
Last Year’s Record: 1-4
Reason to Be Excited for 2021: Champs are eager to prove slow start to 2020 was an aberration. 

Seattle remains MLR’s two-time, reigning, and only champion. A 1-4 start (and unexpected finish) to 2020 cannot change that. The season was cut too short to see if the Seawolves could dig out of the early hole. Is a fresh start all the champs need? 

Seattle returns most of its core with punishing runners like Riekert Hattingh and Eric Duechle in the forwards. USA Rugby legend Andrew Duratalo rejoins the frey after one appearance last season.  Shalom Suniula flirted with retirement but will return to the backline along with Ross Neal and Matt Turner, who added a coaching role on the team to his responsibilities. 

A couple of newcomers in scrum half Devereaux Ferris and wing JP Aguirre were poached from fellow contenders San Diego and RUNY, respectively, so the moves double as win-wins for the team trying to remain on top of Major League Rugby. 

Utah Warriors

Last Year’s Record: 2-2-1

Reasons to Be Excited for 2021: Can a trio of USA Rugby veterans push Utah over the edge? 

Utah will look to build off of an improved 2020 campaign that saw the squad match its 2019 win total in just five games. A busy offseason saw a number of established USA Rugby veterans sign with the Warriors this season in Mikey Te’o, Olive Kilifi, and Paul Mullen. But could a rookie fly half use the opportunity to throw his name into the Eagles’ mix, and deliver a few more Utah wins along the way? 

Danny Giannascoli burst onto the scene throughout the 2019 USA Club 7s circuit. He landed on the Dream Team after his Schuylkill River side surprised many by making it to the National semifinals. 

“Danny G” looked good on preseason debut, tallying eight points with the boot and contributing to the team’s lone try. A massive 80 meter-net clearance kick put his team on the foot, where it capitalized with a penalty try from a scrum deep in Rugby ATL territory. 

This team has never been short on talent. Will 2021 be the year it can capitalize?

San Diego Legion
Last Year’s Record: 5-0
Reasons to Be Excited for 2021: The perennial contenders had another busy offseason, signing two of the biggest stars in world rugby. 

San Diego never fails to turn heads amidst the offseason. Last year it was Ma’a Nonu. This year it’s Chris Robshaw and Cecil Afrika headlining the Legion’s acquisitions. The international stars join a team featuring American stars like Nate Augspurger and Dylan Audsley that is hungry to restart, as it was the undefeated championship favorites before COVID shutdown the 2020 season. 

The “revenge tour” mindset is now two years in the making, as San Diego lost at the death in MLR’s 2019 championship  match to rival Seattle. To pour salt in the wound, it was also the Seawolves who ended the Legion’s season in the 2018 semifinals on the way to the first of two MLR Championships.  

Is this the year San Diego finally completes its mission and brings home the crown? 

Eastern Conference:

New England Free Jacks

Last Year’s Record: 1-4

Reasons to Be Excited for 2021: Fresh faces and a fresh start could be all this team needs to shrug off a disappointing debut campaign. 

The New England Free Jacks’ debut match shocked the MLR with a 34-14 victory over favored RUNY. The team struggled from there as the final four matches all resulted in losses. Sometimes change is for the better, and New England certainly hopes that’s the case with as many as 20 new players and a new head coach.

Ryan Martin now oversees a team bolstered by the likes of versatile Scottish outside back Dougie Fife, veteran Super Rugby loose forward Tera Mtembu, and 2018 MLR MVP Vili Tolata’u. 

Martin’s biggest challenge will be filling the void at fly half, where Tadhg Leaders has left the squad for a pursuit at the NFL and Timothee Guillimin bolted for NOLA. The man likely to get the first crack is Harrison Boyle. Boyle is young, well-trained (by virtue of selection to the New Zealand U20 Development Camp), big, and USA-eligible. 

Free Jacks’ CEO Alex Magleby has made a statement that if the results aren’t there, he will shake things up. The question is, will the turn over yield improved results in 2021? 

Rugby ATL

Last Year’s Record: 2-3

Reasons to Be Excited for 2021: Some additional offensive punch could be all this defensive-minded team needs to improve in the win column. 

Rugby ATL finished the abbreviated 2020 season a game under .500. It also had the league’s fourth best point differential. In other words, those were some tight losses, and perhaps a few more tries could push the team to victory more often than not in 2021. 

If you’re looking for more offensive production, look no further than Robbie Petzer. Petzer is electrifying with the ball in hand and can rack up some points. It could be an entirely new 9-10 battery for 2021, with Rudy Scholz Award winner Ryan Rees also joining the club. Petzer got the start at fly half in the team’s lone preseason match, while Rees got solid time as a reserve. Petzer’s fellow ex-Colorado Raptor Connor Cook is a strong addition to the team’s crop of loose forwards. 

Rugby ATl’s head coach Scott Lawrence is one of the most respected rugby minds in America, having turned Life University into a powerhouse. Many of his Life players have followed him into the professional ranks. Can he, along with some key additions, make them a contender in 2021? 

Rugby United New York
Last Year’s Record: 3-2
Reasons to Be Excited for 2021: Busy offseason makes a strong squad even stronger. 

RUNY entered 2020 off a hard-fought semifinals appearance hoping for bigger things. At 3-2 and in the middle of the playoff race, the team seemed to be rounding into form after a slow start. 

Back are Ben Foden, Hanco Germishuys, Dylan Fawsitt, Kyle Sumsion, and Nate Brakely. Gone are scrum halves Mike Petri and Marcus Walsh, fly half Cathal Marsh, and head coach Greg McWilliams, who has stepped aside to tend to family matters. 

Harry Bennett figures to slide in at 10, where he’s already played plenty for this club. New Zealand’s Andy Ellis will man the #9 position as one of several key additions that include test veterans Nick Civetta, Zak Taulafo, big Argentine eight-man Benjamin Bonasso. New York rugby legend Luke Hume provides additional flair to the backline. 

If RUNY can navigate a tough start to the season, there’s every reason this team can return to the semifinals (and beyond) in 2021. 

NOLA Gold

Last Year’s Record: 3-2
Reasons to Be Excited for 2021: One of MLR’s biggest trades to date brings a very important piece to a team ready to contend. 

NOLA Gold has been the hard-luck team of Major League Rugby thus far. Year One was derailed by the injury bug. Year Two saw the Gold lead the league for most of the year only to see a late-season collapse cost the squad a playoff appearance altogether. NOLA was in the playoff hunt at 3-2 last year before  the shutdown. Will Year Four be the season that coach Nate Osborne’s squad puts it all together and gains that elusive postseason appearance? 

NOLA returns its core of Eric Howard, Kane Thompson, Cam Dolan, Holden Yungert, Carl Meyer and Tim Maupin. The acquisition of JP du Plessis figures to pay huge dividends, as he’s been one of MLR’s most explosive centers and brings a ton of big-game experience from his time spent with the San Diego Legion, as well as competing in the Currie Cup and Super Rugby before that.  

NOLA will again be a tough out that is capable of winning on any given Saturday. 

Old Glory DC
Last Year’s Record: 4-1
Reasons to Be Excited for 2021: Some key signings figure to shore up a known weakness from a year ago. 


Old Glory returns as a team on a mission. After a blowout loss in its debut match, Old Glory played some phenomenal rugby and ended the season on a four-game win streak. And that was with a scrum on roller skates for the majority of the season. Fittingly, most of the impact signings were dedicated to revving up the engine. 

Standout holdovers Mungo Mason, Callum Gibbins, Jamason Fa’anana Shultz and Mikey Sosene-Feagai are joined by former Harlequins’ lock Stan South and Scottish premiership prop Steven Longwell. Internally the team is very excited by the return of local product and Cal standout Jack Iscaro, who missed all of 2020 due to injury. 


The backs return Danny Tusitala, Thretton Palamo, Ciaran Hearn, and MLR points leader Jason Robertson, though the loss of Dylan Taikato-Simpson hurts. Rookie addition D’montae Noble will likely have to prove himself to the coaches, but is electrifying in space and could make an impact at wing. 


If the forwards can provide parity, this team will rack up a lot of points and a lot of wins throughout 2021. 

Toronto Arrows:
Last Year’s Record: 4-1

Reasons to Be Excited for 2021: Eastern conference leaders a year ago return eager to resume chase for MLR Championship, albeit in an adopted home. 

MLR fans and pundits may have forgotten that it was the Toronto Arrows, not the undefeated Legion, who had the league’s best point differential. If the Arrows are to return to contention the team will have to do it from a new home in Atlanta, Georgia. Due to COVID restrictions and the complications stemming from being the only team out of U.S. borders, Toronto will share training ground with its Week One opponent, Rugby ATL. 

While Lucus Rumball and Kolby Francis return to lead an intimidating back row, Toronto will have to fill the void in some key areas. Sam Malcolm is gone and replaced by Argentina’s Juan Cruz Gonzalez. A veteran of the 7s circuit, Cruz looks to run more with the ball-in-hand than his predecessor, so there figures to be an adjustment period there. Also removed from last year’s squad is wing and captain Dan Moor, who announced his retirement over the summer. 

There will be challenges, but this team has the talent to overcome them and continue its chase for the Shield.