Canada

The last weekend of the Major League Rugby preseason is now behind us and there are only a few days left until the second regular season kicks off. Five teams took to the field between Thursday and Saturday, but only two were going head-to-head. A sixth team – Austin Elite …

London Irish came away from Lady Bay with a win on Friday but it wasn’t easy. Nottingham pushed the league leaders right to the death, ultimately falling short by 35-29 to earn two losing bonus points. Canadian international Shane O’Leary played a starring role for the home side, creating a …

It’s a little quiet for Americas fans in the RFU Championship but there are still seven players to keep an eye on. The first is on Friday’s lone game as Nottingham host league-leaders London Irish at Lady Bay. Canada’s Shane O’Leary will be looking to spoil the Irish luck. Five …

And over to the big cheese – the Champions Cup. European campaigns will be defined based on some of this weekend’s results. A compelling match between Edinburgh and Montpellier at Murrayfield starts this off on Friday. Juan Pablo Socino is on the bench for the Scottish side hoping to claim …

The Pro D2 weekend got started on Thursday with Conor Trainor and Nevers pulling out a 23-17 win over Bayonne at home to jump into first overall. With only one team guaranteed promotion and a second forced to play-off with a Top 14 side, the race to the first division …

The Utah Warriors have added some international experience to their backline. New US Eagles cap Gannon Moore will join the side for the 2019 Major League Rugby season. The 28-year-old made his test debut against Samoa on the wing but has previously played largely as a center. It’s in the …

Paul Mullen will be wearing a Houston SaberCats jersey once again in 2019. The US Eagles prop returns having spent three months in the UK on contract with Newcastle Falcons. After just one Premiership appearance and two games with Doncaster Knights on loan, he played all three tests in November …

The Seattle Seawolves have added considerable strength to their forward pack with the signing of Fiji international Apisai Naikatini. At 6’5″ (1.96m) and 255lbs (115kg) the 33-year-old provides ballast as well as lineout athleticism to the Seattle second row, which now boasts five players of starting quality. Naikatini played 18 …

Similar to our Rookie award, the Breakthrough Player of the Year is given to an individual who rises from relative obscurity to prominence over the calendar year. Where it differs from the Rookie award is that these nominees might have been capped before, jumping from fringe player to test starter, …

International competition in 2018 got underway with Canada vs Uruguay. Vancouver was the setting on January 27 for the first of two fixtures with Montevideo hosting the return match the following weekend. The matches were two excellent tests. They were competitive with both teams have the opportunity to win. Ultimately …