The San Diego Legion (1-0) return to the pitch for Major League Rugby’s (MLR) Vegas Weekend against the Colorado Raptors (0-1).

Coming off a hard fought win against conference foe Seattle last weekend, the Legion will look to continue to build momentum for the 2020 season with another game against a conference opponent.

Last season, the Colorado (formally Glendale) Raptors held the Legion to a 28-28 draw, while in San Diego the Legion coasted to a 46-15 victory.

“We expect them to be strong conference rivals there at the end of the season. So it’s very important for us. Looking to take advantage [with the scrum]. The line out is something we use to set foundation. Last week I thought we really attacked with good width across the field, so we’ll be looking to do that again.” Hoadley said.

Hoadley also mentioned the team will look inside and outside to see where they can take advantage of the Colorado defensive line.

While the club looks towards the Raptors, the starting lineup will still be affected by injuries.

“We had a clean bill of health actually coming out of [last week]. Which is testament to the work the lads have done with Jason Huntley, with Matthew Andreolli, to keep them in really robust shape through the pre-season,” head coach Rob Hoadley said.

Captain Joe Pietersen remains out with a muscle strain. “It can be difficult to predict, so [he’s] day-to-day. Joe’s back home doing double treatments everyday and we are hoping to see him next week,” stated Hoadley.

Second row Ben Mitchell (left shoulder) returns to the club after getting injured in the MLR Championship against the Seawolves last season.

Absent from this week’s matchup will be Mikey Te’o who is splitting time between the Legion and USA 7’s this season.

Dylan Audsley will replace Te’o at no. 15 with Tira Patterson coming to no. 11 where Audsley played last week.

The Legion and Raptors will play at Sam Boyd Stadium where UNLV’s football team plays at 3 p.m. PT. in Las Vegas.