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California Legion

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California Legion
FoundedJuly 30, 2025; 9 months ago (July 30, 2025)[1]
Location
RegionSouthern California
Grounds
CEOAdam Freier[1]
CoachStephen Hoiles
CaptainJason Damm
LeagueMajor League Rugby
2026TBD
Official website
legion.rugby

The California Legion are a professional rugby union team based in Southern California that competes in Major League Rugby (MLR). The team was established in July 2025 following a merger between two former Southern Californian MLR teams: San Diego Legion and Rugby Football Club Los Angeles.[1][2][3] Its inaugural season is scheduled to be in the 2026 Major League Rugby.[1]

Background

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During the months after the 2025 Major League Rugby season four teams from across the league had merged or disbanded. Beginning with the July 30 announcement of a merger between San Diego Legion and Rugby Football Club Los Angeles of Southern California,[1][2][4] the same day New Orleans Gold announced it would not take part in the 2026 season.[2][5][4] Less than two months later, in September 2025 another MLR franchise, the Houston Sabercats, also announced they would not be taking part in the 2026 season.[6]

The San Diego Legion, for which the California Legion's logo is based on,[1] were a foundation team for the Major League Rugby (MLR). During their tenure they achieved one conference title, and made two Championship Final appearances (2019,[7] 2023).[8] The Rugby Football Club Los Angeles was established in late 2023 after being relocated from Atlanta.[9]

Players and personnel

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Current squad

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For player movements before and during the 2026 season, see List of 2025–26 Major League Rugby transfers § California Legion.

The California Legion squad for the 2026 Major League Rugby season is:

2026 California Legion squad

Props

Hookers

Locks

Back row

Scrum-halves

Fly-halves

Centres

Wings

Fullbacks

(c) denotes the team captain.
Bold denotes internationally capped players.
* denotes players qualified to play for United States on residency or dual nationality.
Source: [10]

Head coach

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Technical staff

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The team's technical staff as of 2026 is as follows:[10]

  • Australia Dave Dennis, Assistant coach, Defence (2026–present)
  • Ireland Dave Clancy, Assistant coach, Backs (2026–present)
  • New Zealand Todd Thornley, Assistant coach, Forwards (2026–present)
  • Canada Sebastian Pearson, Performance lead (2026–present)

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Finley, Ryan (July 30, 2025). "San Diego Legion, L.A. club merge; new rugby team will play throughout SoCal". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Digital First Media. Archived from the original on October 7, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c Carosella, Vitas (August 7, 2025). "Major League Rugby Bullish About Rugby In U.S. Despite Clubs Folding". Forbes. Archived from the original on October 7, 2025.
  3. ^ Morton, Finn (July 30, 2025). "MLR confirms major shake-up impacting one of its biggest clubs". RugbyPass. Archived from the original on September 5, 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Major League Rugby Down Two Teams for MLR 2026 Season". Americas Rugby News. July 30, 2025. Archived from the original on October 7, 2025.
  5. ^ Urquhart, Spencer (July 31, 2025). "NOLA Gold future uncertain after competing in Major League Rugby for 8 seasons". The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate.
  6. ^ Young, Matt (September 12, 2025). "Houston SaberCats, the city's pro rugby team, will not compete in Major League Rugby in 2026". Houston Chronicle. Hearst Communications.
  7. ^ Leonard, Tod (July 6, 2018). "In San Diego for title match, Major League Rugby reflects on inaugural season, future". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Digital First Media. Archived from the original on August 10, 2024.
  8. ^ Sandalow, Brian (July 8, 2023). "MLR hoping championship match in Bridgeview is a celebration of rugby". Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago Public Media. Archived from the original on July 15, 2023.
  9. ^ Snowden, Scott (December 21, 2023). "Los Angeles Major League Rugby team name, logo and roster revealed". Santa Monica Daily Press.
  10. ^ a b "California Legion". North American Rugby Database. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
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