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After avenging an April loss to the Toronto Arrows this week with a 30-17 rout, the Seattle Seawolves now have a chance to defend their Major League Rugby title by advancing to the championship match.
This time, however, they’ll be up against the San Diego Legion, and they’ll be on the road after seeing three of their four 2019 losses come away from home.
The Seawolves, of course, are no slouches. Headlined by reigning MLR championship MVP Vili Toluta’u, they finished 11-4-1 this season and boast the league’s top scorer in 27-year-old British Columbia native Brock Staller. They are also just a year removed from edging the Glendale Raptors in the 2018 championship to cap off the MLR’s inaugural season.
But the Legion are not to be trifled with, either, finishing the 2019 campaign atop the standings with a 12-3-1 mark. San Diego outlasted Rugby United New York on Sunday to advance to the finals after becoming the first team this year to clinch a spot in the championship series, and it escaped the weekend by conquering one of MLR’s top defenses — second only to their own.
Led by fly-half Joe Pietersen, Paddy Ryan, Lou Stanfill and Co., they secured the top seed in the championship series after a season that included two lengthy winning streaks, one of which lasted five games.
On Sunday, they’ll go head to head with the Seawolves for a shot at their own glory.
HERE’S EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO TUNE IN:
- Date: Sunday, June 16
- Time: 1 PM PT
- Location: Torero Stadium (San Diego)
- US TV: CBS
- International Stream: Facebook @sandiegolegion
- Tickets: bit.ly/2019-Champs-Tix
Major League Rugby was founded in 2018 as a top-level competition for the sport in North America. It currently houses nine teams but will add three more for the 2020 season.