Ep.11 – MLR State of Play with David Lawrence
From 8/9 Rugby by Brett McKay & great co-hosts
April 28, 2026 · 44 min · Season 2 · Episode 23
About this episode
Brett McKay discusses the current state of Major League Rugby with guest David Lawrence.
US-based podcaster and commentator David Lawrence joined Brett McKay on 8/9 Rugby this week, for a deeper dive into the current state of play around Major League Rugby in the United States. MLR had one of the roughest off-seasons in the history of professional rugby at the end of their 2025 season, when four clubs – Utah, Houston, NOLA, and Miami – all announced they were suspending operations for 2026, and two further clubs in San Diego and Los Angeles merged. What was an eleven-team, two conference competition is now six teams dotted to all corners of the USA. So how is MLR travelling now, just over a month into the 2026 season? Is this the reset the league needed, will any of those clubs return, and what does it all mean for USA Rugby, who will host a Rugby World Cup in just over five years’ time? #rugby #rugbypodcast #89Rugby Find David’s ‘Scrum of the Earth’ podcast, along with his MLR-focussed pod, the ‘Maul Street Journal’ wherever you get your podcasts. Find us on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever else you get your podcasts Social media: search for ‘8/9 Rugby’ on Twitter, Bluesky, LinkedIn, and on Instagram, too And please do check out and subscribe to 8/9…
People in this episode
Host: Brett McKay
Guest: David Lawrence
Topics covered
- Major League Rugby
- US rugby
- sports commentary
- rugby league
- season analysis
Keywords
- Major League Rugby
- David Lawrence
- rugby
- 2026 season
- USA Rugby
- sports podcast
- rugby commentary
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Major League Rugby, USA Rugby
Places: Utah, Houston, NOLA, Miami, San Diego, Los Angeles
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