This year according to our calculations there are 47 Canadian players in the MLR rosters. There are 24 in the Western Conference and 23 in the Eastern Conference. The largest number of Canadian players are on the New England Free Jacks (12), there are 3 teams with 7 players LA, Dallas and Utah. There’s one team with no Canadians, Houston Sabercats.
World Rugby has announced a partnership with USA Rugby and MLR to launch a new MLR expansion club in Charlotte, North Carolina, named Anthem Rugby Carolina. The initial roster will “feature players from various MLR teams who are eligible to compete on behalf of the USA in international competition”.
Major League Rugby has announced its 2024 schedule which starts on March 2nd. The regular season is 18 weeks and then the top 8 teams will start the playoff round in July.
It was shocking news for the Canadian rugby community, in particular MLR fans and Arrows supporters, as both the Arrows and MLR announced they won’t participate in the 2024 MLR season. The MLR went even further announcing the “Toronto Arrows will cease operations, effectively immediately”.
It has been a long road back for Jamie Cudmore, he should have been national XVs coach by now but due to one ill advised tweet he has had to go the circular route. It’s a testament to his character that he’s forged ahead and it’s that type of perseverance and determination that he’ll pass on to academy players, and hopefully, one day, national team players.
A Message from the Toronto Arrows
It is with deep sadness that the Toronto Arrows organization joins the Webb Family in mourning the passing of our President and General Partner William “Bill” Webb after an illness he faced with courage and determination.
New England Free Jacks won the 2023 MLR title defeating San Diego Legion 25-24. There were 6 Canadians in the match, Andrew Quattrin, Conor Keys and Ben Lesage starting for New England, with Cole Keith and Spencer Jones on the bench. Michael Smith was on the bench for San Diego. New England had the largest number of Canadians on a USA based team roster, with 11 players used during the season.
We crunched the numbers to come up with an Editor’s pick of the BCRN Canadian MLR XXIII.
First we looked at the MLR First XV team of the week selections. These were the season results.
There’s one week left in the regular season and the only question that remains about post-season play is who will have home field advantage in the East in the first round of the playoff, Old Glory (38) or New York (42). Old Glory hosts Atlanta in the final weekend while New York visit Utah. A win by NY will guarantee home field advantage. The East conference winner New England will host the winner of Old Glory v New York, while in the West San Diego will host the winner of Seattle v Houston.
In the East New England (58) have clinched top spot and Old Glory (38) have clinched a playoff spot. New York (37) looks certain to claim the other playoff spot in the East with 2 weeks remaining. Atlanta (27) have a slim chance of catching NY. In the West it’s still a battle between San Diego (64) and Seattle (58) for top spot with San Diego having the lead. Seattle have clinched a playoff spot and just need a point in their remaining two games to ensure home field in the semi-finals. Houston (48) are leading the race for the final playoff spot with Utah (44) still in contention.