Major League Rugby: Five takeaways as Playoff picture becomes clearer and what to do with struggling World Rugby-funded side
Miami Sharks' Ricky Rose and Bailey Wilson for Utah Warriors. (Image credit Lauren Sopourn and Davey Wilson)
Remarkably there is just one more week of the Major League Rugby (MLR) regular season left to go.
In Week 16 there was a flurry of teams that qualified for the Playoffs, one reminded us that they are a power in competition and there are even two teams left fighting it out.
So, here’s five takeaways from the most recent weekend’s action.
RFCLA and Miami claim knockout rugby for the first time
With a win each at the weekend, second year franchises Rugby Football Club Los Angeles and the Miami Sharks have secured a path to the Playoffs for the very first time.
RFCLA ground out a 43-32 win on the road at Old Glory DC, with a late flurry of scores from Jason Damm and Seth Purdey ultimately felling their hosts’ efforts.
Similarly, Miami were pushed close by the San Diego Legion but Shane O’Leary’s 21 points from the kicking tee went a long way to subjecting the visitors to a 36-32 loss on a rainy Friday night in Florida.
While both teams are reasonably new there is a lot to like about each of them.
Both have a clear identity, LA borrows a lot from Australia and Miami take plenty from their South American origins, and both foster strong cultures that allow players to thrive on the field.
Just reward for their exploits, just how each team fares in Playoffs rugby is now of the greatest interest.
Warriors scratch four-year itch
After a four-year wait in the cold the Utah Warriors finally claimed a place in the Playoffs with a 31-10 victory over Anthem RC.
It was a win that was largely unimpressive and exactly what Utah needed to do.
Under head coach Greg Cooper the Warriors have slowly emerged as a force in the Western Conference again and in 2025 have been, arguably, the most consistent team in their division.
In some ways it is remarkable that the Warriors have not taken part in knockout rugby since a late defeat to the LA Giltinis in the Western Conference Final in 2021.
Now with a strong body of work behind them, victory over RFCLA in Week 17 can secure a home clash.
With the Warriors win and the San Diego Legion’s Friday night loss to the Miami Sharks, the Houston SaberCats’ place in the postseason was secured.
Not much to sing about for Anthem
Anthem RC’s loss to the Utah Warriors means that the side has now lost all 15 of their games this season.
Combine that with their 16 defeats in 2024 and North Carolinians have lost 31 games. In fact they are yet to experience a win in MLR altogether.
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Already this season it has been reported that their head coach, Alama Ieremia, has been replaced by his assistant, Agustin Cavalieri, however there has been no public statement about this.
A team formed as part of an alliance between MLR, USA Rugby and World Rugby to ultimately aid the development of domestic players, with no results to show for two years of effort, just what to do with this team becomes the primary question.
Yes, the team has made improvements in 2025 and yes, the team have already started making moves for 2026, but just where a complete turnaround comes from is unclear.
Free Jacks may just be best-in-class again
It is funny to think that a few weeks ago the New England Free Jacks looked a shadow of their former selves.
Yes, they were still good enough to claim a spot in the postseason, but a home game of knockout rugby looked a long way off.
On Sunday night the back-to-back champions secured top seed in the Eastern Conference.
While the Seattle Seawolves did make life difficult in the 37-30 win at Veterans Memorial Stadium, Paula Balekana again got to display why he is the best wing MLR has ever seen with a brace of tries and a continuation of their second-half dominance.
Honestly, whichever team visits Massachusetts later this month you back the Free Jacks to dispatch them and with the Championship Final being held in Rhode Island, it is all set up for the Shield holders to compete a treble.
All eyes on the Western Conference now
With just the one week of the regular season to go there is just one place left in the postseason to claim.
This weekend the San Diego Legion and Seattle Seawolves will be slugging it out for the opportunity to take that much-coveted final Western Conference spot.
Both teams have home encounters to look forward to, with San Diego hosting Old Glory DC on Saturday and Seattle welcoming the Miami Sharks to their shores on Sunday.
The league’s two most-recent runners-up in the competition have endured Jekyll and Hyde like campaigns.
At the start of 2025 Legion looked infallible before a dramatic fall off in form, while Seattle find themselves in pole position thanks to an upturn in their fortunes.
Simply put, a bonus point win for Seattle will secure them fourth-place in the west on Sunday night, although a defeat that yields no bonus points the night before for San Diego could have already decided the outcome.