The 2018 Major League Rugby final was the championship match of the inaugural season of Major League Rugby (MLR), a rugby union club competition in the United States. It was played on July 7, 2018, at Torero Stadium in San Diego, California, between the Glendale Raptors and the Seattle Seawolves. Seattle won the match 23–19 to take their first title.
| Event | 2018 Major League Rugby season | ||||||
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| Date | July 7, 2018 | ||||||
| Venue | Torero Stadium, San Diego, California | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Vili Tolutaʻu | ||||||
| Referee | Scott Green (United States) | ||||||
| Attendance | 2,901 | ||||||
The Glendale and Seattle teams finished first and second in the regular season, respectively, and advanced to the MLR Championship Series, contesting the semifinals against San Diego and Utah.
Background
editMajor 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
editTorero 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.[2]
Broadcasting
editThe match was broadcast on CBS Sports Network.[3] Dan Power served as the play by play commentator for CBS and was joined by color analysts Brian Hightower and Peter Steinberg.[3]
Match
editDetails
edit| 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' m Campbell 56' c Con: Magie (2/3) 13', 57' |
Report | Try: Barkwill 23' m Rasileka 58' m, Hattingh 61' c Con: Smith (1/3) 62' Pen: Smith (2/3) 9', 67' |
Attendance: 2,901 Referee: Scott Green [4] (United States) |
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Highlights
editThe 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.[5] For his efforts, he received a Shinola Detroit American Made watch.
References
edit- ^ "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.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b Benjamin, Cody (July 6, 2018). "Major League Rugby Championship: How to watch Seattle Seawolves vs. Glendale Raptors". CBS Sports. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Strickler, Colton (July 8, 2018). "Big Second Half Propels Seawolves Over Raptors in Inaugural MLR Championship". Major League Rugby. Retrieved October 4, 2018.