Previewing Old Glory DC For 2026 Major League Rugby Season

Old Glory DC starts off this 2026 campaign in a weird position as they will be one of only six teams in the league as a bunch of clubs went into administration during the offseason. While the future looks bleak for the league, this campaign looks promising for Old Glory. Each team seems to have a great chance at winning the MLR Shield, DC really bolstered their squad and look very strong and deep.

Schedule

Match 1: at Seattle

Match 2: at New England

Match 3: at Anthem RC

Match 4: vs CA Legion

Match 5: at Chicago

Match 6: vs Seattle

Match 7: vs New England

Match 8: at CA Legion

Match 9: vs Chicago

Match 10 vs Anthem RC

This is a weird schedule for Old Glory as four of their first five games are played on the road. But on the back end, four of the last five matches played are at home. So no matter how you look at it both halves of the schedule are key to making the MLR championship as the second half could be all the momentum the team needs to secure a chance at making the playoffs by playing so much at home.

Major Additions

Max Schumacher-Flyhalf

Benjamin Bonasso-Back Row

Rick Rose-Lock

Harley Wheeler-Wing

Paul Mullen-Prop

Kirby Myhill-Hooker

Semi Kunatani-Back Row

Jay Fenton-Scrumhalf

Ross Depperschmidt-Center

Jordan Jackson-Hope-Center

This crop of players coming into the squad offers more talent and depth that it makes Old Glory look scary good. Lots of experience too, but the biggest pickup is Schumacher as he can play at 10 if Jason Robertson is hurt and can also play at the 15 when both are on. Bonasso adds power in the back row as he's a star in the league. The same goes for Rose. Wheeler, Mullen, Myhill, and Depperschmidt offer experience that should help the team.

Major Losses

Axel Muller-Wing

Jack Iscaro-Prop

Jamason Faa'anana-Schultz-Backrow

Ethan McVeigh-Scrumhalf

Connor Buckley-Scrumhalf

Joe Wrafter-Prop

Facundo Gattas-Hooker

Martin Vaca-Hooker

Quentin Newcomer-Prop

Ignacio Dotti-Lock

Lautaro Bavaro-Backrow

Brady Daniel-Backrow

Tommaso Boni-Center

Declan O'Loughlin-Wing

Lots of talent here that is lost. Muller was a dynamic winger and that will be tough to replicate. Iscaro and Faa'anana-Schultz were legit stars on the team, so their presence will be felt. McVeigh and Buckley made the scrumhalf group the best in the league as both were good enough to start in the league and push for a cap with USA. Gattas and Vaca are legitimately solid hookers, but their time to leave seemed inevitable. Bavaro and Daniel were great in the back row (Daniel's situation though was needed considering what happened). And Boni was a great back for the club. Wrafter and Newcomer were solid depth.

Will Jason Robertson Bounceback?

Robertson is arguably the best flyhalf in the league, but certainly has the best boot. That being said, he's coming off an injury that derailed his season in 2025 and it's always hard to come back from that. What helps is that Schumacher and Emery can cover at flyhalf when needed, which could alleviate some pressure on Robertson. I can potentially see Robertson playing so well that he wins most valuable player in the league.

Scrumhalf Situation

Scrumhalf has normally been the strength for Old Glory over the years including when Danny Tusitala manned the position being probably the best at the position when playing in the league. McVeigh and Buckley made the position so lethal when playing there. Then all of a sudden, it's become a question mark. Jay Renton was signed to add as experience, but while Ridgeway and LeFevre are talented, there isn't much assurance here. Will the two youngsters step up? Will Renton play seamlessly into the squad? We shall see.

The Dynamism Of The Backs

Robertson, Schumacher, Emery, John Powers, Depperschmidt, Jackson-Hope, Perry Humphreys, John Rizzo, Wheeler, Damian Hoyland, and Owen Sheehy. Wow, that's a stacked and deep backs group that opposing defenses should fear. Power, speed, versatility, and technical, yeah they should be so good in 2026. They're also very experienced, kind of hard to forget that.

The Forwards Should Mash

Cali Martinez, Bart Vermeulen, Mullen, Patrick Beattie, Rob Harley, Tevita Naqali, Bill Whiteside, Rose, Cory Daniel, Collin Grosse, Bonasso, Aidan King, and Kunatani. Good lord this team should be able to hit hard, ruck very well, and scrum like no other. If this team clicks on all cylinders, this could be one of the toughest forward packs to go up against especially defensively. The set pieces should be pretty solid for the team, so it will be up to the backs to execute. Really great pack here.

Hooker Situation

KoiKoi Nelligan now has a chance to solidify himself as the first choice hooker and become a star in the league. Nelligan has shown to be a pretty good player, but he can't play every single minute of every match. The team luckily signed a very experienced one in Kirby Myhill as that should help manage the minutes and help develop Nelligan. However, Connor Robinson is in a similar boat as Nelligan as he played well for Anthem RC and adds more depth for Old Glory. It looks good at the 2 jersey, but losing Vaca and Gattas hurts. That being said, it will be interesting how things transpire.

This squad is good enough to win the MLR shield. Yes there are other strong contenders especially after what Chicago Hounds have done during the offseason, but it's hard to ignore how strong and deep they are. Old Glory won't dominate as each six teams have a great chance of winning each and every game, but once things start working together, Old Glory should be one of the last teams playing for the MLR Championship.