Major League Rugby

[Al Bangor]

 

[Al Bangor]

Not to put Mole out of business with his lovely tables, but the official standings seem nice and cleanly laid out.

https://www.usmlr.com/stats-standings/

I've not been following the league this year so much (in part due to highlights being only 1min long, which doesn't give me much of a flavour of a match), but a few things stand out or interest me.

- the relative parity seems to be continuing if you look at the points difference column. No team cruising and no team getting totally smashed each week.
- some teams have played 5 games, others 3. This doesn't seem to be related NY and Toronto being in winter.
- how are they handling the scheduling of NY and Toronto games in winter?
- NY making a solid start (2-1) despite having a female forwards coach *gasps sarcastically*

The MLR shows some full matches on YouTube a few days after they've been played. And ESPN+ streams many of them live each week (it's only $5.00 American per month) to subscribe. And you can watch it for free for a week to check it out. Just go to the ESPN website and you'll see the ESPN+ link at the top of the page. I predict the championship match will feature San Diego and New York. Just a hunch, but I admit that I am a biased Legion fan.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIynwDVqRK7KTUy72_kSBhA

http://www.espn.com/

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Here is my answer to how winter rugby is going in the US. This isn't even one of the most northerly stadia like NY or Toronto.



EDIT: And another

 

[Al Bangor]

Here is my answer to how winter rugby is going in the US. This isn't even one of the most northerly stadia like NY or Toronto.



EDIT: And another

I love it. No snow here in San Diego, but there's been a lot of rain and our MLR team (Legion) played in a couple of mud fests on the pitch last month.

 

[Al Bangor]

Here is my answer to how winter rugby is going in the US. This isn't even one of the most northerly stadia like NY or Toronto.



EDIT: And another

Glendale, Colorado is a suburb of Denver which is a mile high. They get a lot of snow there. I got snowed in at the Denver airport once in early April. All flights were stopped for two days due to a blizzard. Salt Lake City has a high altitude as well and has similar weather. Thanks for posting the video clips. Snow rugby rocks!

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

The Irish and Scottish obsession with all things American may continue.

https://www.scotsman.com/sport/rugb...ke-in-us-pro-franchise-old-glory-dc-1-4894747

Makes total sense for the SRU if they cant create a third domestic pro side. But it seems to run a but contrary to trying to establish a good quality for their own domestic Super 6 comp.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

It's hard to see how this would be more beneficial than entering into the current Irish-Welsh Cup. My best guess is that the SRU (and IRFU through the Cara Cup) are trying to position themselves in the event that MLR fails. If they can drum up enough interest along the North American Atlantic coast, perhaps some of Toronto Arrows, New England Free Jacks, RUNY and Old Glory could be picked off for an expanded Pro 14+ competition.

 

[die_mole]

i signed up for a free trial of youtubeTV to watch the semi-finals so i'll try to watch.

i've been watching the premier lacrosse league this afternoon. Production quality is in a different league than MLR and the quality of play is a great standard. Don't see it threatening MLR just because of the demographics of lacrosse.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Isn't that a given with how much more established lacrosse is in Schools in NA.

For example i've seen Lacrosse in American Pie and Teen Wolf TV show edition (My ex made me watch it I swear).
Whereas Rugby is only really just coming to the wider knowledge of Joe Public.

 

[die_mole]

Isn't that a given with how much more established lacrosse is in Schools in NA.

For example i've seen Lacrosse in American Pie and Teen Wolf TV show edition (My ex made me watch it I swear).
Whereas Rugby is only really just coming to the wider knowledge of Joe Public.

it's only really established in the northeast and played by upper-middle and upper class kids as well as Iroquois. Most of the country has a pretty negative view of lacrosse but yeah it should be expected that the US and Canada would be better at lacrosse than rugby and probably has more connections with higher ups in TV. Although rugby isn't exactly an everyman's sport here in the US it's not the same as lacrosse.

I'd say your average american knows as much about lacrosse than they about rugby, maybe even less just because they know about the haka and they might have watched invictus.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

i've been watching the premier lacrosse league this afternoon. Production quality is in a different league than MLR and the quality of play is a great standard. Don't see it threatening MLR just because of the demographics of lacrosse.

These are the biggest issues for MLR.

PLL is getting huge traction on social media and has produced a product that looks great on TV (though it appears there's nobody in the stands). It also has, for the most part, the best players in the world at it's sport playing in the league. MLR is poorly produced, the best players play in pro leagues elsewhere and isn't hitting any sort of numbers on social media.

MLR has done brilliantly to expand again and get to a 3rd season in 2020. It needs to up it's marketing of the league and how it looks on TV in a big way though. Maybe poach Paul Rabil from the upstart lacrosse league! The best thing that could happen MLR is outside it's control; for World Rugby to award the hosting of the 2027 World Cup to the US.

Who have you got in the semi finals? I'm going for San Diego Legion over the Roosters and Toronto Arrows to upset the Seattle Seawolves.

 

[die_mole]

rooting for San Diego cause they took my former teammate out of the 23, he's off to new england next year anyway. I want to Toronto to upset Seattle cause I can't stand Seattle.

We need to start aggressively going after foreign coaches and signing the right foreign players. It seems some teams are just signing any random players with a foreign passport.

Go after Tier 2 internationals. It's really hard for people in non-Tier 1 nations to be in a full-time rugby environment so let's get some some PIs and south americans, maybe some Georgian backs. Then go after the Tier 1 guys who can't just make it. Sell it to the public as an International League that guys are willing to to tear up their roots to join.

Get a better TV deal, IDK if the people running MLR just aren't good businessmen but we need one game a week on broadcast tv. Get actual rugby announcers. For soccer we poached guys from england for years and we should do the same for Rugby. IDC that hightower and dallas have doing USA rugby for years they aren't any good at it. Have sky sports or canal+ come over and teach the broadcast crews how to do a rugby game.

 

[die_mole]

If every team had San Diego's stadium we'd be in a much better place.

 

[Al Bangor]

If every team had San Diego's stadium we'd be in a much better place.

I live about three miles from Torero Stadium and was at the Semi-Final match today. The Legion scored in the last minute and the conversion sealed the victory, Legion 24 RUNY 22. San Diego advances to the Championship match next Sunday.

 

[Al Bangor]

Seattle beat Toronto in the other Semi-Final, 30-17. *The Seawolves will be defending their MLR championship ***le against the Legion next Sunday in San Diego.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

Houston's owner has said the league expanding to 12 teams next season, which we already knew, and 14 in 2021. Dallas look like the 13th team. Where will the 14th team call home?

 

[die_mole]

Dallas is forever one year away.

Chicago is hopefully the other.

Vancouver, halifax, San Fran, and Ohio seem to be what people want.

I'd love for Philly to get a team. Plenty of rugby clubs in the area and a city that really loves sports.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

David Mele now not going to austin, instead becoming Tigers academy coach

 

[Al Bangor]

Dallas is forever one year away.

Chicago is hopefully the other.

Vancouver, halifax, San Fran, and Ohio seem to be what people want.

I'd love for Philly to get a team. Plenty of rugby clubs in the area and a city that really loves sports.

Philadelphia is a great sports town, one of the best in the USA. I'm pretty sure they'll get a team in the MLR before too long. I saw the Commissioner on TV last month and he said the current teams are in good shape and expansion will continue. I feel blessed living so close to Torero Stadium in San Diego. It's great for rugby!

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

If teams want to get more traction in their local areas, don't be like RUNY. They haven't tweeted since going 22-17 ahead yesterday. The term half assing it comes to mind. It's no wonder they get poor crowds when they can't keep fans informed.

I'm no expert in the North American sports market but assume it would be good to have teams in Vancouver (2nd Canadian team, ready made rivalry with Seattle), Philly (as others have mentioned), Chicago (due to successes of internationals there), San Francisco (hosted Sevens World Cup) or Vegas (great climate, hosts USA Sevens).