San Diego Legion vs New England Free Jacks Prediction: A final to go down in history

Since the beginning of the 2023 season of Major League Rugby in February, twelve clubs have been competing against one another for the opportunity to participate in the Championship Final in Chicago. Following a total of 20 weeks of competition, the San Diego Legion and the New England Free Jacks have made it to the Final and will compete for the right to hoist the Shield at SeatGeek Stadium on Saturday. On the same weekend, both teams dominated their competition and won the championships of their respective conferences. Nevertheless, given that this is the championship game, which of the two teams do you believe will walk away with the trophy?

The San Diego Legion finished with a record of 16-1, which was not only the most wins in the history of Major League Rugby but also had the longest winning streak (14 games), the most points (74), an undefeated home record (9-0), and the highest point difference (plus-269) of any team in the league. Also, the most offensive productivity is spread out between the San Diego Legion's back line and forward pack, making the Legion difficult to stop and giving them the highest scoring total (554 points) and the largest point differential (plus 269 points) in MLR this season. However, the end game for coach Danny Lee's squad is to win the club's first MLR title in history. The San Diego Legion defeated the Seattle Seawolves by a score of 32-10 on Sunday during the Western Conference Final, a victory that allowed the Legion to move on to the championship game.

In their pursuit of this championship, the New England Free Jacks could very well prove to be a difficult opponent in the match that will take place on Saturday. The New England Free Jacks have been dominant this season, winning 11 consecutive matches and securing their spot in the championship game with an impressive 25-7 victory at home over Old Glory DC in the Eastern Conference Final. The Free Jacks finished the season with the fewest tries allowed (36) in the MLR, and they had eight games in which they allowed two or fewer opposition tries. Paula Balekana, who plays for New England and is a winger, is now second in the league in terms of the number of tries she has scored (13). Le Roux Malan has been on a scoring tear recently, as he has scored at least once in each of the previous two games. The New England Free Jacks are going into this matchup with a roster that is, for the most part, unchanged from the one that they used when they easily defeated Old Glory. Semisi Paea will start at lock in place of Reegan O'Gorman, while Mitch Wilson will return to the wing position after recovering from an injury.

The San Diego Legion and the New England Free Jacks have competed against one another three times throughout the course of their respective clubs' histories, with the first match taking place in the year 2020. The first and the most recent match between these two teams was won by San Diego Legion, but the New England Free Jacks prevailed in the second match. Over forty points have been scored in every single one of their contests that we have watched.

The championship matches are often challenging, and it is not anticipated that this one would have a different result. The San Diego Legion are the favorites to win this match, and it is fair to say that they have been the superior team throughout the MLR season as a whole. However, the performance that the New England Free Jacks have put in throughout the season cannot be ignored, nor can the manner in which their players have stepped up, including the likes of Le Roux Malan, who has been effective in attack, and Paula Balekana, who has been the second most dangerous attacking threat the league has seen all year long. Despite this, I am certain that the New England Free Jacks have a chance of winning this match, and regardless of how poorly they play, I am certain that they will cover the spread.Also, despite the fact that both teams are likely to approach this match with caution and awareness in both attack and defense, I have a strong suspicion that not many points will be scored in the first half of this match. This is due to the fact that both teams have the best defenses in the league this season, and despite the fact that both teams pose significant attacking threats, a more balanced halftime is expected.