The 2018 Major League Rugby final marked the culmination of the inaugural season of Major League Rugby (MLR), a professional rugby union competition in the United States. Held on July 7, 2018, at Torero Stadium in San Diego, California, the final featured the top two teams of the regular season, the Glendale Raptors and the Seattle Seawolves. Seattle defeated Glendale 23–19 to claim their first championship title. Both finalists advanced through the MLR Championship Series by overcoming San Diego and Utah in the semifinals.
Background
Major League Rugby was established in 2017 and began play in April 2018.
Seattle and Glendale played each other twice during the regular season, with Glendale winning both matches.1
Venue
Torero Stadium, home field of Major League Rugby team San Diego Legion, was selected as the venue for the final before the beginning of the Championship Series playoffs.2 The stadium with a seating capacity of 6,000 on the campus of the University of San Diego is also home to the various athletics teams of the university.3
Broadcasting
The match was broadcast on CBS Sports Network.4 Dan Power served as the play by play commentator for CBS and was joined by color analysts Brian Hightower and Peter Steinberg.5
Match
Details
| July 7 | Glendale Raptors | 19–23 | Seattle Seawolves | Torero Stadium, San Diego, California | ||
| 9:00 pm EDT (UTC−04) | Try: Fenoglio (2) 13' c, 50' mCampbell 56' cCon: Magie (2/3) 13', 57' | Report | Try: Barkwill 23' mRasileka 58' m, Hattingh 61' cCon: Smith (1/3) 62'Pen: Smith (2/3) 9', 67' | Attendance: 2,901Referee: Scott Green 6 (United States) |
| Glendale Raptors | Seattle Seawolves |
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Highlights
The champion Seattle Seawolves was awarded the "America's Championship Shield", an oversized 80-pound (36 kg) metal shield of the MLR logo, which they hoisted. Seawolves flanker Vili Tolutaʻu was named the MLR Championship Series "MVP", equivalent to man of the match.7 For his efforts, he received a Shinola Detroit American Made watch.
External links
References
"Seattle Seawolves use big second half to beat San Diego 38-24 for shot at Major League Rugby title". The Seattle Times. June 30, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2018. https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/other-sports/seattle-seawolves-use-big-second-half-to-beat-san-diego-38-24-for-shot-at-major-league-rugby/ ↩
Leonard, Tod (July 6, 2018). "In San Diego for title match, Major League Rugby reflects on inaugural season, future". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved July 6, 2018. http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/sd-sp-major-league-rugby-championship-inaugural-season-future-20180705-story.html ↩
Leonard, Tod (July 6, 2018). "In San Diego for title match, Major League Rugby reflects on inaugural season, future". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved July 6, 2018. http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/sd-sp-major-league-rugby-championship-inaugural-season-future-20180705-story.html ↩
Benjamin, Cody (July 6, 2018). "Major League Rugby Championship: How to watch Seattle Seawolves vs. Glendale Raptors". CBS Sports. Retrieved July 6, 2018. https://www.cbssports.com/general/news/major-league-rugby-championship-how-to-watch-seattle-seawolves-vs-glendale-raptors/ ↩
Benjamin, Cody (July 6, 2018). "Major League Rugby Championship: How to watch Seattle Seawolves vs. Glendale Raptors". CBS Sports. Retrieved July 6, 2018. https://www.cbssports.com/general/news/major-league-rugby-championship-how-to-watch-seattle-seawolves-vs-glendale-raptors/ ↩
"Seawolves stun Raptors to win inaugural MLR title". Americas Rugby News. 2018-07-08. Archived from the original on 2018-07-10. Retrieved 2018-07-10. https://www.americasrugbynews.com/2018/07/08/seawolves-stun-raptors-to-win-inaugural-mlr-title/ ↩
Strickler, Colton (July 8, 2018). "Big Second Half Propels Seawolves Over Raptors in Inaugural MLR Championship". Major League Rugby. Retrieved October 4, 2018. https://www.usmlr.com/news/big-second-half-propels-seawolves-over-raptors-in-inaugural-mlr-championship ↩