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News May-7-2025

Major League Rugby Week 12 Recap

Written By Joe Harvey

Like that, we are two-thirds of the way through the 2025 Major League Rugby season.

Week 12 provided.

Over the most recent round of competition, several teams made strides towards playing knockout rugby.

After playing two games in Week 12, the Utah Warriors are now top of the Western Conference, and the New England Free Jacks maintain top spot in the Eastern Conference with a win on Sunday.

UTAH WARRIORS 38-31 SAN DIEGO LEGION

 

On Wednesday night, Logan Crowley’s 74th-minute score handed the Utah Warriors a 38-31 win over the San Diego Legion.

Nothing separated the two teams as converted tries for Utah’s Nic Benn and D’Angelo Leuila were wiped out by those for San Diego’s Steffan Crimp and Charlie Hewitt.

A Liam Coltman score put the Warriors back in front, and after Tiaan Loots’ red card, Utah went over the whitewash through back-row forward Dylan Nel.

In response, Tavite Lopeti and Vili Helu brought Legion back into the contest, while hooker duo Tu Vugakoto and Shilo Klein exchanged efforts to level the scoreline in the final 10 minutes.

To definitively win the contest, Crowley completed a length-of-the-field score and moved Utah to the top of the Western Conference.

SEATTLE SEAWOLVES 26-26 RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB LOS ANGELES

 

Rugby Football Club Los Angeles came within a whisker of a road win but were forced to share the points with the Seattle Seawolves with a 26-26 draw.

Gonzalo Bertranou’s missed conversion with the game’s final play was the difference between the two teams, who had gone blow-for-blow at Starfire Stadium beneath the Friday night lights.

Nothing separated the two teams at half-time either as converted tries for Seattle’s Duncan Matthews and Dewald Kotze, and LA’s Billy Meakes and Tim Anstee kept things close.

At the start of the second half, both LA’s Nick Chan and Ben Sugars were sent to the sin bin, with Malacchi Esdale the only Seawolves player to make the most of the extra space.

There was an exchange of scores to keep Seattle in the lead, with LA’s Justus Tavai and the hosts’ Divan Rossouw both dotting down.

In the final moments of the game, Jason Damm gave RFCLA the opportunity to win outright, only for the visitors to watch Bertranou’s conversion drift wide.

OLD GLORY DC 28-12 UTAH WARRIORS

 

Old Glory DC were in a comprehensive mood as they dispatched the Utah Warriors 28-12.

Jason Emery handed the hosts an early lead with a penalty, but could not convert Perry Humphreys’ 11th-minute try several minutes later.

The 31-year-old did find his range again shortly afterwards when he converted Tex Naqali’s effort.

With Utah reduced to 14 players after Remsy Lemisio’s sin-binning, John Rizzo went over the whitewash for Old Glory.

To resume the second half, Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz registered DC’s bonus point score.

The Warriors did respond with Reid Davis and Fred Apulu scores, and Emery’s second penalty of the day concluded the contest.

NEW ENGLAND FREE JACKS 36-17 HOUSTON SABERCATS

With their 36-17 win over the Houston SaberCats, the New England Free Jacks have maintained top spot in the Eastern Conference.

The two-time champions had a try-scoring bonus point before the break thanks to Sam Caird, Paula Balekana, Jack Reeves, and Cam Nordli-Kelemeti tries, while the SaberCats registered a score through Dom Akina.

In the second half, Balekana went over the whitewash again, and Houston responded with a Drew Wild try.

Houston’s third score came from teenage front-row Seth Smith, and Dan Hollinshead’s 62nd penalty goal sealed the game for New England.

CHICAGO HOUNDS 14-7 MIAMI SHARKS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDec6z-AXmo

The Chicago Hounds ground out a 14-7 win over the Miami Sharks to register their seventh win of 2025.

It was a slow burner at SeatGeek Stadium, where Miami led 7-0 at the break thanks to Kirby Myhill’s converted score as the clock ticked into the red.

When the second half resumed, there was still little to separate the two teams.

Eventually Luke White drove across the whitewash and Chris Hilsenbeck’s conversion levelled things with 25 minutes still to play.

Chicago won the contest with Dylan Fawsitt’s sixth try of this season and have maintained second place in the Eastern Conference. 

SAN DIEGO LEGION 45-36 NOLA GOLD

 

There were 13 tries scored at Torero Stadium as the San Diego Legion edged out the NOLA Gold 45-36.

At half-time, it was NOLA who had the lead. Despite a strong San Diego start, which included tries for Hugh Roach, Christian Poidevin, and Connor Tupai, the Gold took the halfway advantage thanks to Harley Wheeler, Reece Botha, and a Moni Tonga’uiha brace.

When the game resumed, Shilo Klein helped Legion retake the advantage, and Roach also got his second following Damian Stevens’ effort.

Klein and Poidevin each went across the whitewash once more to make their lead unassailable in the closing stages of the clash, and Wheeler’s second was a consolation score for NOLA.

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