Major League Rugby: Five takeaways as Wallaby great’s side go top while Coffee Cup claimed by Seawolves
Hamish Bain for Chicago Hounds and Logan Weidner for Old Glory DC. (Image credit - Lauren Sopourn and Caitlan Noone)
From fights in suits of armour to teams staking a claim for success in 2025.
Week 4 of Major League Rugby’s eighth season brought with it excitement, drama and even half-time entertainment that will leave you asking one question: why?
Here are five takeaways from across the pond after the fourth week of the 2025 MLR season.
Hounds continue to look the business
The Chicago Hounds moved top of the Eastern Conference with an impressive 31-18 win over the Miami Sharks in Florida.
The result means that Wallabies legend Chris Latham’s side’s loss to the Utah Warriors was nothing more than a blip, with victories against two-time champions the New England Free Jacks and the Houston SaberCats looking more impressive with every outing.
Chicago set the tone early with a converted Maclean Jones try and Chris Hilsenback penalty.
With Tau Koloamatangi in the sin bin, Miami did mount a fightback with a Manuel Ardao try and Santiago Videla penalty, however Mason Flesch’s score on the stroke of half-time kept the Hounds on top.
A yellow card for Chicago skipper Lucas Rumball opened the door for Kirby Myhill to dot down for the Sharks and another Videla penalty landed the home side with a one-point advantage.
In the final 15 minutes the Hounds oozed class as Conall Boomer and ex-England centre Ollie Devoto raced over the try line to send the visitors back to the Midwest with five more points.
SaberCats end Warriors 3-0 hopes
Ahead of their clash with the Houston SaberCats, the Utah Warriors harboured hopes of going 3-0 to start a season for the first time in the team’s history.
By full-time the Warriors were soundly beaten at home 37-17.
From the very first minute Houston were in the ascendancy and before the break had seen Drew Wild cross the whitewash twice and score a drop goal, while Davy Coetzer also slotted a penalty. In response all the Warriors could muster was a Tonga Kofe try.
Nathan Den Hoedt kept Houston on top early in the second half, but when Louritz van der Schyff received a red card it did allow Utah a foothold in the game.
Nic Benn and Joel Hodgson crossed the whitewash for the home side, although another penalty from Coetzer and Tautalatasi Tasi try put the Texans firmly out of sight.
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This result was undoubtedly a blow to the Warriors after such a bright start to 2025, but still provides Greg Cooper’s team with lots of positives ahead of clashes with the Miami Sharks, Seattle Seawolves and New England Free Jacks.
Such a performance from the SaberCats keeps them second in the Western Conference and the side will get an opportunity to rest and reset as they enjoy a Week 5 bye week.
Half-time entertainment goes medieval in Utah
If the game at Zions Bank Stadium was not enough the half-time entertainment certainly brought its own heat.
With the SaberCats leading 20-5, as the crowd dissected the SaberCats’ supremacy at altitude, performers stepped out onto the turf clad in suits of armour.
Utah win halftime entertainment – guys in shining armor with swords and shields having a go at each other??? I'd buy a ticket just for that@usmlr @utwarriorsrugby pic.twitter.com/Co5KP8XISq
— The Rugby Network (@therugbynetwork) March 8, 2025
When you disregard the glaring historical discrepancy, people trying to take lumps out of one another on a Saturday afternoon in early March is quite cool isn’t it?
Kendrick Lamar move aside, we may have just found the new best half-time performance of the season.
Anthem left in the cold… again
Yet again Anthem RC were left wondering ‘what if’ in their 26-22 loss to Old Glory DC on the road.
It was a game in which the hosts were reduced to 13 players for 20 minutes but did not let their ill-discipline affect the full-time result.
At half-time it was the league’s winless franchise that led. Tries for reigning Rookie of the Year, Junior Gafa, Conner Mooneyham, Connor Robinson and the kicking of Cliven Loubser gave them a 22-24 advantage.
A missed penalty from Loubser was the undoing for Anthem, who increasingly looked uncomfortable in the lead, and were duly wiped out of the game when Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz and Logan Weidner crashed over the whitewash.
This means that after playing 20 games since being introduced to MLR the team are yet to taste victory.
Showing continuing potential, with a run of fixtures coming up that includes the Houston SaberCats, Seattle Seawolves and NOLA Gold, it is hard to see exactly where that first victory is coming from.
Legion and Seawolves lift silverware in Week 4
We all know about the Calcutta Cup, Bledisloe Cup and Doddie Weir Cup, but what do you know about the Coffee Cup or the Cali Cup?
Contested by the Seattle Seawolves and New England Free Jacks, the Coffee Cup references two global brands that come from the cities they represent: Starbucks (Seattle) and Dunkin’ Donuts (Boston).
On Saturday it took a 78th minute try from Malacchi Esdale to help the Seawolves pick up some silverware early into the season and their first win of 2025 after a challenging start to the year.
Ex-Gloucester front-row Cam Orr dotted down twice for the hosts as Allen Clarke’s team shrugged off losses to San Diego Legion and Houston SaberCats.
In contrast New England are yet to convince in and have just six points to their name in the Eastern Conference.
Yes, there is plenty of rugby still to play this season, but the team will want to get back to winning ways sooner rather than later.
San Diego and Rugby Football Club Los Angeles play for the Cali Cup as the league’s only representatives from California.
Over the weekend the third edition of this competition saw Legion continue their dominance in the fixture.
Taking place at Torero Stadium it was a game with plenty of bite between two local rivals.
Tries for LA’s Mike Sosene-Feagai and Ed Timpson’s tries wiped out Lincoln McClutchie’s penalty and Hugh Roach’s efforts in the opening 40 minutes.
As the second half wore on Brad Wilkin’s score nudged San Diego back in front, but when Tim Anstee received a second yellow card it was all Legion from then on.
A penalty try was awarded for Anstee’s infringement and after Semi Kunatani’s yellow card put LA down to 13 players, Shilo Klein and Ryan James both crossed the whitewash.