Thousands of rugby fans at Torero Stadium watch the San Diego Legion win their third game in a row.
The San Diego Legion in Feb. 2020. (Photo by Chris Stone/Times of San Diego)

The San Diego Legion are set to open their 2025 Major League Rugby season Sunday against the Seattle Seawolves, the team that sent them home last season.

To say this is a rivalry would be an understatement. The Seawolves beat the Legion in the Western Conference Semifinal last season in Seattle. The Seawolves also got the better of the Legion in the 2019 Championship Final.

San Diego will be looking to even the score, quite literally, as Seattle holds a 9-8 record all-time against San Diego.

The season-opener at Torero Stadium will be the first game under new head coach John Manenti. The former player at Sydney University comes to San Diego with many years of coaching experience. Manenti was the head coach of the Australia 7s from 2021-2024, and he coached the women’s Australia 7s from 2018-2021.

“Every season is a new challenge, but the opener against the Seawolves is especially significant,” said David Haigh, CEO of San Diego Legion. “It’s a chance to revisit the match that has become a cornerstone of our rivalry and to set the record straight. We are ready to reignite that spirit and showcase the sport in an electrifying atmosphere in front of a loud home crowd.

In last season’s playoff matchup, the first half saw good defense early from both sides, but a late push from Seattle put them up 18-9 at halftime. The second half saw the Legion crawl back to trail by only four, but a penalty and another try gave the Seawolves take a 30-14 lead. It was too large for the Legion to overcome in the end.

San Diego is coming off an 11-5 season, one that saw the Legion win five out of their last six regular season games before falling short in the playoffs.

The 2019 Championship Final between the two teams was held at the same Torero Stadium, and the Legion hope the result is different this time around.

The match will be broadcast on KUSI and ESPN+ and it will begin at 2 p.m. PST Sunday. Tickets are available now.