2019 Major League Rugby final

Last updated
2019 Major League Rugby final
Event 2019 Major League Rugby season
San Diego Legion Seattle Seawolves
Flag of California.svg Flag of Washington.svg
2326
DateJune 16, 2019
Venue Torero Stadium, San Diego, California
Man of the Match JP Smith
Referee Scott Green (United States)
Attendance6,000
← 2018
2021 →

The 2019 Major League Rugby final was the championship match of the 2nd season of Major League Rugby (MLR), a rugby union club competition in the United States. It was played on June 16, 2019, at Torero Stadium in San Diego, California, between the San Diego Legion and the Seattle Seawolves.

Contents

San Diego and Seattle finished first and second in the regular season, respectively, and advanced to the final after defeating New York and Toronto in the semifinals. The Seattle team was the defending champion, having won the 2018 final. Seattle defeated San Diego 26–23 in the 2019 final to take their second championship title.

Background

The 2019 Major League Rugby season began in January 2019 with nine teams all playing each other home and away. The Seattle Seawolves won the previous season's championship, defeating the Glendale Raptors at Torero Stadium in San Diego. [1]

Seattle and San Diego played each other twice during the regular season, ending in 17–13 and 28–22 victories for the Legion. [2]

Venue

Torero Stadium, home field of Major League Rugby team San Diego Legion, was selected as the venue for the final after the team finished as the top seed in the regular season. [3] 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. [4]

Broadcasting

The match was broadcast nationally on CBS. [5] It received a rating of 0.34 (510,000). [6]

Match

Details

June 16 San Diego Legion 23–26 Seattle Seawolves Torero Stadium, San Diego, California  
1:00 pm EDT (UTC−04)Try: Boyer 52’ c Manihera 65’ c
Con: Pietersen 2/2 (53’, 66’)
Pen: Pietersen 2/2 (6’, 21’)
Drop: Pietersen 1/2 (78’)		 ARN Report Try: Coetzee 22’ c Smith 32‘ c Hattingh 71’ m Tucker 80’ c
Con: Staller 3/4 (23’, 33’, 82’)		Attendance: 6,000
Referee: Scott Green (United States)

Man of the Match: JP Smith

Team details
LP1 Flag of the United States.svg Fakaʻosi Pifeleti Sub off.svg 40'
HK2 Flag of the United States.svg Kapeli Pifeleti Sub off.svg 57'
TP3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Paddy Ryan Sub off.svg 61'
LL4 Flag of the United States.svg Louis Stanfill Sub off.svg 61'
RL5 Flag of Italy.svg Joshua Furno
BF6 Flag of Fiji.svg Jasa Veremalua Sub off.svg 61'
OF7 Flag of the United States.svg Psalm Wooching
N88 Flag of New Zealand.svg Jordan Manihera
SH9 Flag of the United States.svg Nate Augspurger (c)
FH10 Flag of South Africa.svg Joe Pietersen
LW11 Flag of the United States.svg Nick Boyer
IC12 Flag of South Africa.svg JP du Plessis
OC13 Flag of the United States.svg Ryan Matyas
RW14 Flag of the United States.svg Conor Kearns
FB15 Flag of the United States.svg Tai Enosa Sub off.svg 42'
Replacements:
HK16 Flag of South Africa.svg Dean Muir Sub on.svg 57'
PR17 Flag of the United States.svg Nathan Sylvia Sub on.svg 40'
PR18 Flag of the United States.svg Dino Waldren Sub on.svg 61'
LK19 Flag of the United States.svg Siaosi Mahoni Sub on.svg 61'
FL20 Flag of the United States.svg Pat Blair Sub on.svg 61'
FB21 Flag of the United States.svg Kyle Rogers
WG22 Flag of Fiji.svg Save Totovosau
OB23 Flag of the United States.svg Will Holder Sub on.svg 42'
Coach:
Flag of England.svg Rob Hoadley
LP1 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Djustice Sears-Duru  Sub off.svg 50'
HK2 Flag of South Africa.svg Stephan Coetzee Sub off.svg 75'
TP3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Tim Metcher Sub off.svg 50'
LL4 Flag of Fiji.svg Api Naikatini Sub off.svg 62'
RL5 Flag of New Zealand.svg Brad Tucker
BF6 Flag of the United States.svg Samu Manoa Sub off.svg 53'
OF7 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Nakai Penny Sub off.svg 62'
N88 Flag of the United States.svg Riekert Hattingh
SH9 Flag of South Africa.svg JP Smith
FH10 Flag of the United States.svg Ben Cima Sub off.svg 57'
LW11 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Jeff Hassler
IC12 Flag of the United States.svg Shalom Suniula (c)
OC13 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg George Barton Sub off.svg 57'
RW14 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Brock Staller
FB15 Flag of England.svg Mathew Turner
Replacements:
HK16 Flag of the United States.svg Daniel TrierweilerSub on.svg 75'
PR17 Flag of the United States.svg Kellen GordonSub on.svg 50'
PR18 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Jake Ilnicki Sub on.svg 50'
LK19 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Jérémy LenaertsSub on.svg 62'
LF20 Flag of the United States.svg Eric DuechleSub on.svg 62'
SH21 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Phil Mack Sub on.svg 57'
OB22 Flag of the United States.svg Roland Suniula Sub on.svg 57'
LF23 Flag of the United States.svg Vili Toluta’u Sub on.svg 53'
Coach:
Flag of New Zealand.svg Richie Walker

Most Valuable Player:
JP Smith

Assistant Referees:
Anthony Woodthorpe (England)
Elgan Williams (Wales)

Television Match Official:
Davey Ardrey (United States)

Post-match

The defending champion Seattle Seawolves was once again awarded the "America's Championship Shield", which was changed to a 20-pound (9.1 kg) metal shield in the shape of the MLR logo. Seawolves scrum-half JP Smith was named the MLR Championship Series "man of the match".[ citation needed ]

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References

  1. ↑ Monahan, Terry (July 7, 2018). "Seawolves win inaugural Major League Rugby championship". The Seattle Times . Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  2. ↑ Saul, John (June 15, 2019). "Seawolves hoping third time's a charm vs. San Diego in quest for repeat Major League Rugby title". The Seattle Times. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  3. ↑ Strickler, Colton (June 7, 2019). "Legion Host RUNY to Kick Off MLR Championship Series". San Diego Legion . Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. ↑ Benjamin, Cody (June 11, 2019). "Major League Rugby championship: How to watch Seattle vs. San Diego on CBS". CBS Sports . Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  6. ↑ "SKEDBALL: Weekly Sports TV Ratings 6.10-6.16.2019 | Showbuzz Daily". www.showbuzzdaily.com. Archived from the original on 18 June 2019. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
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