The San Diego Legion are an American professional
rugby union
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
team based in
San Diego
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, California, that competes in
Major League Rugby
Major League Rugby (MLR) is a professional rugby union competition in the United States. The league comprises 11 teams. While operating outside of the governance and oversight of the national governing body, the league is officially sanctioned ...
(MLR). The team plays its home games at
Torero Stadium. The Legion began play in the league's inaugural
2018 season.
History
Established in 2017, the San Diego Legion have represented
San Diego
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
since their inception. The Legion are one of seven founding teams in
Major League Rugby
Major League Rugby (MLR) is a professional rugby union competition in the United States. The league comprises 11 teams. While operating outside of the governance and oversight of the national governing body, the league is officially sanctioned ...
. The Legion began play at
Torero Stadium on the campus of the
University of San Diego
The University of San Diego (USD) is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in San Diego, California, United States. Chartered in 1949 as the independent San Diego College for Women and San Diego University ...
for the
2018 season.
On February 2, 2022, the Legion announced
Snapdragon Stadium
Snapdragon Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in San Diego, California, located on the campus of San Diego State University (SDSU). It is the home of the San Diego State Aztecs football team of the Mountain West Conference (MW), San Diego FC o ...
to be their new home beginning in 2023. On November 19, 2024, the team announced plans to leave Snapdragon Stadium to return to Torero Stadium. Playoff games may be hosted at Snapdragon Stadium depending on demand.
The Legion were runner-ups in the
2019
This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year.
Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
and
2023 season championships.
Sponsorship
Players and personnel
Current squad
The San Diego Legion squad for the
2025 Major League Rugby season is:
* Senior 15s and senior 7s internationally capped players are listed in bold.
* * denotes players qualified to play for the on dual nationality or residency grounds.
* MLR teams are allowed to field up to ten overseas players per match.
Head coaches
*
Rob Hoadley (2018–2020)
[
* Zack Test (2020)][
* Scott Murray (2020–2021)][
* Danny Lee (2022–2024)
* John Manenti (2025–present)
]
Captains
* Nate Augspurger (2018)
* Joe Pietersen (2019)
* Nate Augspurger (2020–present)
Records
Season standings
{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size: 95%"
, -
! rowspan="2", Season
! rowspan="2", Conference
! colspan="10", Regular season
! colspan="8", Postseason
, -{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
, - border=1 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=0
! style="width:20px;", Pos
! style="width:20px;", Pld
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! style="width:20px;", D
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! style="width:20px;", F
! style="width:20px;", A
! style="width:25px;", +/−
! style="width:20px;", BP
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! style="width:20px;", Pld
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, -
, 2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
, -
, 3rd, , 8 , , 5 , , 0 , , 3 , , 214 , , 201 , , +13 , , 4 , , 24, , 1 , , 0, , 1, , 24, , 38, , -14, , Lost Semifinal ( Seattle Seawolves) 24–38
, -
, 2019
This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year.
Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
, -
, 1st, , 16 , , 12 , , 1 , , 3 , , 457 , , 296 , , +161 , , 12 , , 61 , , 2 , , 1, , 1, , 47, , 48, , -1, , Won Semifinal ( Rugby United New York) 24–22
Lost Major League Rugby final ( Seattle Seawolves) 23–26
, -
, 2020
The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
, Western
, 1st, , 5 , , 5 , , 0 , , 0 , , 161 , , 108 , , +53 , , 3 , , 23 , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , Cancelled
, -
, 2021
Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
, Western
, 4th, , 16 , , 6 , , 0 , , 10 , , 430 , , 464 , , -34 , , 14 , , 38 , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , - , , Did not qualify
, -
, 2022
The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
, Western
, 5th , , 16 , , 8 , , 0 , , 8 , , 475 , , 428 , , +47 , , 8 , , 43 , , 1 , , 0, , 1, , 19, , 43, , -24, , Lost West Conference Eliminator ( Seattle Seawolves) 19–43
, -
, 2023
Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
, Western
, 1st , , 16 , , 15 , , 0 , , 1 , , 554 , , 285 , , +269 , , 14 , , 74 , , 2 , , 1 , , 1 , , 56, , 35, , +21, , , Won Conference Final ( Seattle Seawolves) 32–10
Lost Major League Rugby final New England Free Jacks 25–24
, -
, 2024
The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
, Western
, 3rd , , 16 , , 11 , , 0 , , 5 , , 421 , , 374 , , +47 , , 11 , , 55 , , 1 , , 0 , , 1 , , 28, , 38, , -2, , , Lost West Conference Eliminator ( Seattle Seawolves) 28–30
, - align="center"
! colspan="3", Totals !! 93 !! 62 !! 1 !! 30 !! 2,412 !! 2,056 !! +356 !! 66 !! 318 !! 7 !! 2 !! 5 !! 174 !! 202 !! -28 !! 5 playoff appearances
Notes
Honors
*Major League Rugby
Major League Rugby (MLR) is a professional rugby union competition in the United States. The league comprises 11 teams. While operating outside of the governance and oversight of the national governing body, the league is officially sanctioned ...
**Runner-up: 2019
This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year.
Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
, 2023
Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
**Playoff appearances: 2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
, 2019
This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year.
Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
2018 season
{, class="wikitable"
, -
! Date !! Opponent !! Home/Away !! Result
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, March 25 , , Austin Elite° , , Away , , Won, 24–32
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, April 7 , , Houston SaberCats° , , Home , , Lost, 17–33
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, April 22 , , Seattle Seawolves , , Away , , Lost, 23–39
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, April 29 , , Utah Warriors , , Home , , Won, 31–24
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, May 4 , , Houston SaberCats , , Home , , Won, 35–32
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, May 13 , , Glendale Raptors , , Away , , Lost, 27–31
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, May 25 , , Austin Elite , , Away , , Lost, 5–31
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, June 9 , , New Orleans Gold , , Away , , Won, 39–22
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, June 17 , , Austin Elite , , Home , , Won, 31–17
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, June 23 , , Glendale Raptors , , Home , , Won, 23–5
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, June 30 , , Seattle Seawolves°° , , Neutral , , Lost, 24–38
° = Exhibition game
°° = Playoff semifinals at Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado.
2019 season
Exhibition
{, class="wikitable"
, -
! Date!! Opponent !! Home/Away !! Result
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, January 6 , , Life West , , Away , , Won, 76–0
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, January 13 , , Glendale Raptors , , Home , , Lost, 31–38
Regular season
{, class="wikitable"
, -
! Date !! Opponent !! Home/Away !! Result
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, January 27 , , Rugby United New York , , Home , , Lost, 23–25
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, February 2 , , Seattle Seawolves , , Home , , Won, 17–13
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, February 9 , , Houston SaberCats , , Home , , Won, 17–13
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, February 17 , , Utah Warriors , , Home , , Won, 21–10
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, February 23 , , Austin Elite , , Away , , Won, 45–17
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, March 10 , , Toronto Arrows , , Home , , Lost, 20–27
, - bgcolor="#FFFFCC"
, March 16 , , Glendale Raptors , , Away , , Draw, 28-28
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, March 31 , , Seattle Seawolves , , Away , , Won, 28–22
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, April 7 , , Austin Elite , , Home , , Won, 45–15
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, April 14 , , Rugby United New York , , Away , , Won, 29–19
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, April 20 , , Glendale Raptors , , Home , , Won, 46–15
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, April 28 , , Houston SaberCats , , Away , , Won, 41–19
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, May 5 , , Toronto Arrows , , Away , , Lost, 19–23
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, May 11 , , New Orleans Gold , , Away , , Won, 26–19
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, May 18 , , Utah Warriors , , Away , , Won, 31–21
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, June 2 , , New Orleans Gold , , Home , , Won, 22–10
Post season
{, class="wikitable"
, -
! Date !! Opponent !! Home/Away !! Result
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, June 9 , , Rugby United New York , , Home , , Won, 24–22
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, June 16 , , Seattle Seawolves , , Home , , Lost, 23–26
, -
2020 season
On March 12, 2020, MLR announced the season would go on hiatus immediately for 30 days due to fears surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. It was canceled the following week
Regular season
{, class="wikitable"
, -
! Date !! Opponent !! Home/Away !! Result
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, February 9 , , Seattle Seawolves , , Home , , Won, 33–24
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, February 16 , , Colorado Raptors , , Home , , Won, 49–22
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, February 23 , , New England Free Jacks , , Home , , Won, 30–21
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, February 29 , , New Orleans Gold , , Away , , Won, 25–21
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, March 8 , , Rugby United New York , , Home , , Won, 24–20
, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF"
, March 15 , , Austin Gilgronis , , Away , , Cancelled
, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF"
, March 22 , , Old Glory DC , , Home , , Cancelled
, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF"
, March 27 , , Utah Warriors , , Away , , Cancelled
, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF"
, April 5 , , Houston SaberCats , , Home , , Cancelled
, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF"
, April 12 , , Seattle Seawolves , , Away , , Cancelled
, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF"
, April 26 , , Rugby ATL , , Away, , Cancelled
, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF"
, May 3 , , Austin Gilgronis , , Home , , Cancelled
, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF"
, May 10 , , Toronto Arrows , , Away , , Cancelled
, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF"
, May 16 , , Houston SaberCats , , Away , , Cancelled
, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF"
, May 25 , , Utah Warriors , , Home , , Cancelled
, - bgcolor="#CCCCFF"
, May 30 , , Colorado Raptors , , Away , , Cancelled
2021 season
Regular season
{, class="wikitable"
, -
! Date !! Opponent !! Home/Away !! Result
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, March 20 , , Rugby United New York , , Home , , Lost, 29–36
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, March 28 , , Austin Gilgronis , , Away , , Won, 14–11
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, April 3 , , Rugby ATL , , Away , , Lost, 22–41
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, April 10 , , Houston SaberCats , , Away , , Lost, 32–34
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, April 17 , , Utah Warriors , , Home , , Won, 31–29
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, April 24 , , LA Giltinis , , Away , , Lost, 17–45
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, May 1 , , New England Free Jacks , , Home , , Lost, 17–33
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, May 9 , , Seattle Seawolves , , Away , , Lost, 15–21
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, May 15 , , New Orleans Gold , , Home , , Won, 43–17
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, May 29 , , Houston SaberCats , , Home , , Won, 39–11
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, June 6 , , Toronto Arrows , , Away , , Won, 40–30
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, June 12 , , Utah Warriors , , Away , , Lost, 41–45
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, June 20 , , LA Giltinis , , Home , , Lost, 13–19
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, June 26 , , Austin Gilgronis , , Home , , Lost, 14–33
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, July 3 , , Seattle Seawolves , , Home , , Won, 34–21
, - bgcolor= "#FFCCCC"
, July 10 , , Old Glory DC , , Away , , Lost, 38–29
2022 season
Regular season
{, class="wikitable"
, -
! Date !! Opponent !! Home/Away !! Result
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, February 6 , , Utah Warriors , , Home , , Won, 39–21
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, February 12 , , Dallas Jackals , , Home , , Won, 37–29
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, February 20 , , Seattle Seawolves , , Home , , Lost, 28–31
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, February 26 , , Houston SaberCats , , Away , , Won, 31–20
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, March 6 , , Old Glory DC , , Home , , Won, 24–12
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, March 13 , , Rugby New York , , Away , , Lost, 23–26
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, March 19 , , LA Giltinis , , Away , , Lost, 13–26
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, April 1 , , Utah Warriors , , Away , , Won, 40–25
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, April 10 , , Austin Gilgronis , , Home , , Lost, 21–35
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, April 16 , , Seattle Seawolves , , Away , , Lost, 32–34
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, April 24 , , Rugby ATL , , Home , , Lost, 17–30
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, April 30 , , Dallas Jackals , , Away , , Won, 53–14
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, May 7 , , Houston SaberCats , , Home , , Lost, 24–34
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, May 14 , , LA Giltinis , , Home , , Won, 31–27
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, May 21 , , NOLA Gold , , Awaay , , Won, 42–12
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, May 28 , , Austin Gilgronis , , Away , , Lost, 28–44
Post season
{, class="wikitable"
, -
! Round !! Date !! Opponent !! Home/Away !! Result
, - bgcolor="#FFCCCC"
, West Eliminator , , June 12 , , Seattle Seawolves , , Away , , Lost, 19–43
2023 season
Regular season
{, class="wikitable"
, -
! Date !! Opponent !! Home/Away !! Location !! Result
, - bgcolor="CCFFCC
, February 18, , Utah Warriors, , Home , , Snapdragon Stadium
Snapdragon Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in San Diego, California, located on the campus of San Diego State University (SDSU). It is the home of the San Diego State Aztecs football team of the Mountain West Conference (MW), San Diego FC o ...
, , Won, 33-17
, - bgcolor="CCFFCC
, February 26, , New England Free Jacks, , Home , , Snapdragon Stadium , , Won, 29-12
, - bgcolor="FFCCCC
, March 5, , Houston SaberCats, , Away , , SaberCats Stadium , , Lost, 31-26
, - bgcolor="CCFFCC
, March 11, , Dallas Jackals, , Home, , Snapdragon Stadium , , Won, 22-0
, - bgcolor="CCFFCC
, March 18, , Rugby ATL, , Away , , Atlanta Silverbacks Park , , Won, 35-10
, - bgcolor="CCFFCC
, April 2, , Old Glory DC, , Home, , Snapdragon Stadium , , Won, 48-26
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, April 8, , Seattle Seawolves , , Away , , Starfire Sports Complex, , Won, 23–20
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, April 16, , Chicago Hounds , , Home , , Snapdragon Stadium, , Won, 48–24
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, April 22, , Dallas Jackals , , Away, , Choctaw Stadium, , Won, 47–38
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, April 30, , Houston SaberCats , , Home , , Snapdragon Stadium, , Won, 29–16
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, May 6, , Utah Warriors, , Away , , Zions Bank Stadium, , Won, 26–16
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, May 13, , NOLA Gold, , Away , , Gold Mine , , Won, 26–12
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, May 28, , Rugby New York Ironworkers, , Home, , Snapdragon Stadium, , Won, 36–13
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, June 3, , Chicago Hounds, , Away , , SeatGeek Stadium , , Won, 36–14
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, June 11, , Toronto Arrows , , Away , , York Lions Stadium, , Won, 50–17
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, June 18, , Seattle Seawolves , , Home , , Snapdragon Stadium, , Won, 40–19
, -
Post Season
{, class="wikitable"
, -
! Round !! Date !! Opponent !! Location !! Result
, - bgcolor="#CCFFCC"
, West Conference Finals , , July 2, 2023 , , Seattle Seawolves, , Snapdragon Stadium , , Won, 32–10
, - bgcolor="FFCCCC
, MLR Grand Final
, July 8, 2023
, New England Free Jacks
, SeatGeek Stadium
, Lost, 25–24
References
External links
*
{{California sports
Major League Rugby teams
2017 establishments in California
Rugby clubs established in 2017
Rugby union teams in San Diego