NEWS

Round Seven Preview

WRITTEN BY ALEXANDER DIEGEL FOR THE RUGBY NETWORK | Photo by Davey Wilson

Last week was rivalry week across Major League Rugby. Week Seven features a handful of intriguing East-West matches, with four teams catching some rest on their bye weeks. Read along to see what’s in store for this week’s matches.

New England at San Diego

Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET | Stream on The Rugby Network

New England makes the trip for the first of three cross-continental matches, kicking things off in San Diego Saturday night. Both teams are coming off of losses and are hungry to right the ship.

What’s at Stake: New England currently sits in last place in the East, though is better off from a league points perspective, just five behind the leaders with a game in hand. San Diego sits in fourth but is eight points behind Austin for the second Western Conference playoff spot.

Bold Prediction: San Diego has had a rough go of it, first starting out the season in Las Vegas, now with injuries. The team still isn’t quite in its home city for gameday, but will be nearby in LA for this one. The Legion get enough healthy bodies back to pick up its third win of the season, 34-27.

DC at Los Angeles

Saturday at 9:00 p.m. ET | Watch on FS2

DC will be the second East Coast team to fly across the country for a Saturday night match. Old Glory is riding high, getting some key players back plus midseason acquisitions to help cover its injuries in the backline.

What’s at Stake: LA puts its perfect record on the line, aiming for 30 league points in six matches. Old Glory wants to string some wins together to continue its climb in the Eastern Conference

Bold Prediction: With Danny Tusitala and Jason Robertson at the helm, DC can score with anyone. It will put that theory to the test against a team that’s scored 40+ in every game this season. Old Glory takes a big swing, but comes out short on the road. 45-38 LA.

Toronto at New Orleans

Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET | Stream on The Rugby Network

Sunday’s games kick off with the lone Eastern Conference match of the weekend. Toronto has shaken off a 1-3 start in huge fashion, ringing up 50+ points in back-to-back wins. NOLA Gold is capable of lighting up the scoreboard in its own right, but is coming off of a disappointing loss.

What’s at Stake: One of these teams will leave the field happy, a game above .500 and at or near the top of the Eastern Conference standings. As tight as the conference is the other could easily find itself near the bottom.

Bold Prediction: Put me in the camp as one who counted out Toronto early, not because it lacked in quality players, but because of the transient status that COVID thrust upon the team. Kudos to them, and it’s time to stop picking against the Arrows. 38-34 to the visitors.

New York at Seattle

Sunday at 8:00 p.m. ET | Watch on CBS Sports Network

The Seattle Seawolves are a team on its heels right now, and have brought in a new coaching staff to try to right the ship. Rugby United New York was rolling coming out of its bye, but is now wounded after taking a beating from Toronto at home

What’s at Stake: Seattle needs to start stringing wins together if it’s going to get out of the basement of the league, let alone try to make a run at a playoff spot. The latter seems a near impossibility at this point. New York still would be in an ok position in the very tight East with a loss, but certainly doesn’t want to make a habit by stringing two together.

Bold Prediction: The Seawolves have earned its spot at the bottom of the league, both in league points and in point differential. Playing at home keeps things tight for awhile, but New York prevails 38-24.