The San Diego Legion open a new Major League Rugby season with a throwback as the team returns to Torero Stadium with a 2 p.m. start on Sunday.
After two seasons at Snapdragon Stadium, the Legion are returning to the cozier confines of the stadium where they played for its first five seasons. The club has a new coach, John Manenti, and a roster that includes 23 returners from last season’s 11-5 squad.
Manenti replaces Danny Lee, now the head coach of New Orleans, and comes from a long career of coaching in Australia.
The 53-year-old Manenti promises a tougher, better-conditioned team than the one that lost to the Seattle Seawolves in the Western Conference semifinals last spring.
“I am about consistency,” Manenti said. “The switch has been turned on now, and it won’t be turned off until the end of June. They turn up every day, every session, every week, and they do the work so that it is embedded in their mentality of who they are and how we do things. That is our identity. I am not the most tactical or technical, but I am a tough taskmaster. They will be the more disciplined team they have in the past. They will work harder than they have in the past. That will take us a lot further than we have been in the past.”
The Legion play a 16-game schedule culminating in the WLR playoffs in the spring.
Legion fans can catch a fun glimpse of the squad on Amazon Prime with the show “Quest for the Shield.”
Mojo slumping
The San Diego Mojo (3-6) of the Pro Volleyball Federation have lost three straight going into Sunday’s game at Omaha (1 p.m., YouTube.com).
Middle blocker Ronika Stone and libero Shara Venegas were named PVF All-Stars. The game is slated for Feb. 22 in Fishers, Ind., and will be televised on CBS.
Gulls hit the desert
The San Diego Gulls are 14-24 in regulation, 5-2 in overtime and in last place in the Western Conference standings entering Saturday’s game at Coachella (25-16, 1-5 OT). The Gulls have won two of their last three games including a 4-1 win at Abbotsford on Wednesday.
AHL January Player of the Month Sasha Pastujov scored two goals in the win at Abbotsford to continue his hot streak.
Seals play league-leading Buffalo
The San Diego Seals (4-5) face off against the two-time defending champion Buffalo Bandits (6-0) at 4:30 p.m. Saturday in New York.
The Seals are coming off a thrilling 11-10 win at Toronto, a game won when captain Wes Berg scored with 49 seconds remaining. Berg scored four goals on the night and has 250 career National Lacrosse League goals.
The game will be televised locally on KUSI-TV and stream via ESPN+.
