Just before Sunday’s crucial qualifier against Samoa in Denver, the American domestic league lost a third team in less than two months
The US Eagles men can qualify for the 2027 World Cup on Sunday, by beating Samoa in the Pacific Nations Cup fifth-place play-off in Denver. Defeat will not end hopes of making it to Australia, as further play-offs await. But in another horrible week for American men’s rugby, to have one weighty challenge dealt with would be welcome indeed.
On Thursday, in a move the Guardian understands caught other team owners by surprise, the Houston SaberCats became the third team to drop out of Major League Rugby this year. That reduced the competition to just seven teams from 11 last season, given the merger of San Diego and LA, announced in August as NOLA Gold and Miami Sharks also called it quits. Houston, San Diego and NOLA were founder clubs in 2018.
The Eagles head coach, the former Test flanker Scott Lawrence, supervises a squad predominantly employed – or not – in MLR. Four Houston players were in the 23-man squad for the 47-21 defeat by Japan in Sacramento last week. Two more were unattached after previous collapses, seven were at least nominally with the new California Legion, and four came from Anthem Rugby, the Charlotte, South Carolina team backed by World Rugby that is winless in two MLR campaigns.
