A look at Major League Rugby as it kicks off its fourth season Saturday:
TEAMS: 12 this year with the addition of the expansion Los Angeles Giltinis and departure of the Colorado Raptors.
EASTERN CONFERENCE: Rugby ATL (Atlanta), New England Free Jacks, NOLA Gold (New Orleans), Old Glory DC (Washington), Rugby United New York and Toronto Arrows.
WESTERN CONFERENCE: Austin Gilgronis, Houston SaberCats, L.A. Giltinis, San Diego Legion, Seattle Seawolves and Utah Warriors.
SCHEDULE: Each team will play a 16-game regular-season schedule featuring 10 in-conference games and six non-conference games, with two bye weeks apiece.
PLAYOFFS: The top two teams from each conference qualify. The championship game is scheduled for Aug. 1.
SALARY CAP: Teams are working under a US$500,000 cap.
PAST: The 2020 season was called off in mid-March after teams were five games in, with no champion declared. Seattle won the title in 2018 and 2019.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 18, 2021
The Canadian Press
