The 2023 Major League Rugby regular season is complete, and it’s time for the Championship Series. The defending champions are Rugby New York (Ironworkers), and they will be looking to continue the defense of their title when they face off against Old Glory DC in the Eastern Conference Eliminator this Sunday. Here we look at their chances, in our latest MLR betting picks.
- What; 2023 MLR Eastern Conference Eliminator
- Who; Rugby New York vs Old Glory DC
- Where; Memorial Stadium, Mount Vernon, New York
- When; Sunday, June 25th
- Time; 6 pm ET
The New England Free Jacks and the San Diego Legion topped the MLR Eastern and Western conferences respectively, and both are already assured of their places in the Conference Finals on July 1st.
The match between the Ironworkers and Old Glory is for the right to face the Free Jacks in the Eastern Conference final. The San Diego Legion awaits the winners of the match between the Seattle Seawolves and the Houston SaberCats on Saturday.
Only 6 teams remain - the path to the #MLR2023 Shield is set 💥
Who will contest the 2023 Championship in Chicago on July 8th? 🤔@usmlr #rugby #MajorLeagueRugby pic.twitter.com/vIWp1joilk
— The Rugby Network (@therugbynetwork) June 20, 2023
In the regular season, the New England Free Jacks ran away with the Eastern Conference, winning 14 of their 16 fixtures. Scott Mathie’s team was unstoppable and topped the table with 68 points. To put their performances into perspective, the Ironworkers finished second, and Old Glory was third. Both franchises finished on 43 points.
And while the Ironworkers are the defending champions, it remains to be seen if they can even make it to the final this year. They may well overcome Old Glory in the Eliminator, but beating the Free Jacks will be a different story altogether.
Rugby New York vs Old Glory Betting
Rugby New York has a home-field advantage, and this is reflected on the moneyline where the top rugby betting online sites have the Ironworkers at -200 to win. As for Old Glory, they are the +150 outsiders.
As a result, Old Glory is getting 4.5 points on the handicap line, where they are favored to win at -115. To win and cover the spread, the Ironworkers are -110.
As well as the home-field advantage, the Ironworkers also have by far the better defensive record. James Semple’s team only conceded 52 tries all season, which was ten less than Old Glory.
In total points conceded, again the Ironworkers came out well on top. New York leaked 387 points compared to Old Glory, who conceded 443. Only the Free Jacks conceded less than New York, and only the Toronto Arrows conceded more than Old Glory.
When it comes to scoring, both sides are nearly equal. The Ironworkers had 428 points, including 62 tries. Old Glory’s offensive record was 408 points scored, with 60 tries.
| Rugby New York vs Old Glory DC; MLR Betting |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rugby New York | -200 | -200 | -200 |
| Old Glory DC | +150 | +150 | +150 |
| Handicap Spread | |||
| Rugby New York (-4.5) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Old Glory DC (+4.5) | -115 | -115 | -115 |
Our Rugby odds table takes odds from the best sites for online sports betting. You can read more about them on our sportsbook reviews page.
Who is the in-form team?
It’s hard to say who is the in-form team, as both sides have been very up and down this season. In recent matches, both sides had little to play for. The Free Jacks had run away with the top spot, and the New Orleans Gold struggled to keep pace with the second and third teams, meaning both qualified comfortably for the Eliminator.
In their last three matches, the Ironworkers won two and lost one. On June 4th, they defeated the Dallas Jackals 43-14 in New York.
Bonus point W down in Atlanta ✅
See you next Sunday for our last home game of 2023! pic.twitter.com/11MzRobsBM
— Rugby New York (@rugbynewyork) June 11, 2023
They won 39-24 on the road at Rugby ATL the following week. Before losing 43-33 at home to the Utah Warriors in their final regular season match.
As for Old Glory, they also won two and lost one of their last three fixtures. The wins were on the road at the New Orleans Gold (28-15) in Week 16 and at home to Rugby ATL (36-28) in Week 18.
Roll on the playoffs 👊#DCvATL | #UpTheFlags pic.twitter.com/g4I3cSa0DH
— Old Glory DC (@OldGloryDC) June 18, 2023
The loss came at the hands of the Houston SaberCats in Week 17. The 31-7 loss on the road was their biggest defeat of the season since Week 3, when they went down 34-8 to Rugby New York at the same venue as this Sunday’s match.
Old Glory did get some revenge over the Ironworkers in the reverse fixture. In the match at Segra Field in mid-April, Josh Syms’ team defeated the Ironworkers 42-31.
Our Pick
As the Ironworkers proved last year, they know how to get results at the business end of the season. John Semple’s team finished six points behind the Free Jacks in the conference table but then defeated Rugby ATL in the Eliminator, and the Free Jacks in the Conference Final, to take their place in the MLR final.
Are they capable of repeating that this year? That is the question.
We doubt they can go all the way, as the Free Jacks look better than they did 12 months ago. And the Ironworkers also look a lot weaker. The Ironworkers won 11 times in the regular season in 2022, they only won eight times this year.
But when you compare the records of the Ironworkers and Old Glory this season, New York is the team that comes out on top. And with the recent form of both teams a bit hard to read, we have to use the records to make our call.
New York looks too short on the moneyline to back at -200. But we think that John Semple’s team will win, so we will be wagering on Rugby New York to win and cover the spread for our betting pick.
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