NEWS

Quest for the Championship Shield: Round 18

There may only be two weeks left in Major League Rugby’s second season, but there is still plenty of rugby left to be played. Round 18 will begin to decide which of the five teams still in playoff contention will qualify for the three remaining spots in the MLR Championship series. The NOLA Gold, Seattle Seawolves, Rugby United New York, Toronto Arrows, and Glendale Raptors all remain in the hunt for one of the three remaining playoff positions. All five of the remaining playoff eligible teams will take the pitch on Sunday to attempt to inch closer towards who will get the chance to play in the semifinals on June 8 and 9.

The San Diego Legion became the first team in the MLR to clinch a playoff spot with their 31-21 win over the Utah Warriors in Round 17. Despite dropping their first match of the season 25-23 to Rugby United New York, the Legion has secured at least one point in every match they’ve played this season to secure themselves atop the table with one match to play. With a bye in Round 18, the Legion will be watching to see who will be joining them in the MLR Championship series in just two weeks.

Here is where the other five playoff eligible teams sit going into Round 18.

NOLA Gold (9-5)

Current Position: 2nd

Table Points: 52

Remaining Fixtures: @ RUNY (5/26), @ San Diego (6/2)
Difficulty Rating: 8/10

Weekend Wishlist: A victory over RUNY OR a Toronto loss to Glendale.

NOLA started the season red hot. They were 6-2 through their first eight matches and have flipped between first and second place several times throughout the season. After a two-game slide, they currently sit in second place with two extremely tough matches to play. They’ll travel to take on a RUNY side that also needs a win to qualify for the playoffs. A win would secure NOLA’s spot in the MLR Championship series.

Seattle Seawolves (10-4)

Current Position: 3rd

Table Points: 51

Remaining Fixtures: vs Utah (5/26), vs Austin (6/2)
Difficulty Rating: 3/10

Weekend Wishlist: A victory over Utah AND a NOLA loss to RUNY OR a RUNY loss to NOLA and a Toronto loss to Glendale.

Even in third place, the Seattle Seawolves are probably in the best position to secure a playoff spot in Round 18 simply based on their opponents’ records. Thanks to their 5-1 record over the last six weeks, they can lock up a playoff spot and simultaneously knock out the Raptors out of playoff contention with a victory over the Utah Warriors on Sunday. Losses by RUNY and Toronto would also punch their ticket to one of the semifinal matches.

Rugby United New York (10-4)

Current Position: 4th

Table Points: 49

Remaining Fixtures: vs NOLA (5/26), @ Toronto (6/2)
Difficulty Rating: 8/10

Weekend Wishlist: A victory over NOLA. A Seattle loss to Utah AND a Toronto loss to Glendale would be a bonus.

Rugby United New York finds themselves in fourth place in the table largely in part to their performance in the month of March. Despite their heavy workload, RUNY went 5-0 in March to work their way towards the top of the table. Their last two weeks are going to be anything but easy. They’ll have to hold off a hungry Gold team that will not only be looking to secure a playoff spot themselves, they’re also looking to snap their two-match slide – their only losing streak of the season.

Toronto Arrows (9-5)

Current Position: 5th

Table Points: 48

Remaining Fixtures: vs Glendale (5/26), vs RUNY (6/2)
Difficulty Rating: 7/10

Weekend Wishlist: A victory over Glendale AND a RUNY loss to NOLA AND a Seattle loss to Utah.

Making the playoffs in any sport is all about getting hot at the right time of the season. That’s exactly what the Arrows have done. They alternated wins and losses until their ninth match of the season. They haven’t lost a match since they fell to the NOLA Gold 35-31 on April 7. They are currently riding a five-match win streak and are coming off a bye heading into their final two matches of the season. A bonus point victory over the Raptors in Round 18 would put Toronto into a playoff spot heading into the final week of the season.

Glendale Raptors (7-5-2)

Current Position: 6th

Table Points: 43

Remaining Fixtures: @ Toronto (5/26), @ Houston (5/29)
Difficulty Rating: 10/10

Weekend Wishlist: A victory over Toronto AND a RUNY loss to NOLA AND a Seattle loss to Utah.

Glendale enters Round 18 as the only team in playoff contention that doesn’t control their own destiny. They’ll need to win out and receive help over the course of the final two weeks of the season to sneak into the final playoff spot. Unlike the teams above them in the table, the Raptors haven’t strung together a large win streak and that’s why they find themselves in sixth place with just two matches to play. Their chances largely rest on the shoulders of the Seawolves who have the easiest remaining schedule in terms of their opponents’ records.

Major League Rugby’s Championship series will consist of two semi-final games and the MLR Championship game over the course of two weekends. One semi-final will be played at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 8 and the other at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 9. Both semi-final matches will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network. The highest remaining seed will host the lower remaining seed in the MLR Championship game at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 16. The MLR Championship will be broadcast on CBS