California Legion
| Founded | July 30, 2025[1] |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Region | Southern California |
| Grounds |
|
| CEO | Adam Freier[1] |
| Coach | Stephen Hoiles |
| Captain | Jason Damm |
| League | Major League Rugby |
| 2026 | TBD |
| Official website | |
| legion | |
The California Legion is a professional rugby union team that compete in the Major League Rugby (MLR). The team is based in Southern California, United States and 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
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
Current squad
The California Legion squad for the 2026 Major League Rugby season is:[10]
Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
- Senior 15s internationally capped players are listed in bold.
- * denotes players qualified to play for the United States on dual nationality or residency grounds.
- ** denotes non-American players playing as domestic players (maximum of four per matchday-23).
Head coach
- Stephen Hoiles (2026–present)
Technical staff
The team's technical staff as of 2026 is as follows:[10]
- Dave Dennis, Assistant coach, Defence (2026–present)
- Dave Clancy, Assistant coach, Backs (2026–present)
- Todd Thornley, Assistant coach, Forwards (2026–present)
- Sebastian Pearson, Performance lead (2026–present)
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Snowden, Scott (December 21, 2023). "Los Angeles Major League Rugby team name, logo and roster revealed". Santa Monica Daily Press.
- ^ a b "California Legion". North American Rugby Database. Retrieved January 14, 2026.