The eighth-best Colorado Raptors match of all-time comes from a fork in the road that was the 2019 season. The Raptors found themselves in fifth place in the Major League Rugby table heading into their home match against a fourth-place Rugby United New York team that sat at 8-2 through 10 matches. With the home stretch of the season right around the corner, this match against RUNY was MASSIVE for the Raptors. After falling to the San Diego Legion 46-15 on the road just a week earlier, the Raptors entered into the match with 33 points in the table. Having beaten the Raptors in their first meeting of the season just a month earlier, the Raptors – trailing RUNY for…

Colton Strickler recaps Round 2 of MLR 2020: Virtual and tells you why he thinks Mika Kruse is going to win the entire tournament. After that, he provides you instructions on how to participate in the first Raptors match that DNVR will be watching as a part of the “DNVR Watches” series. Make sure to follow @DNVR_Raptors on Twitter for instructions on how to participate. On Saturday, March 28 at 10 AM sharp we will be watching this match! Please send in any questions you have about the Colorado Raptors, Major League Rugby or rugby as a whole to @DNVR_Raptors and @coltonstrickler on Twitter. DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE POD! iTunes link – Stitcher Link – Spotify Link

The ninth-best Raptors match is also one that comes with a bit of baggage. It is also the only loss on the list. While the Raptors didn’t come away with the result that they wanted in the 2018 Major League Rugby championship match, there are several reasons why the 23-19 loss to the Seattle Seawolves should be included on a list like this. First of all, the match was fantastic. I had everything you would want in a championship rugby match. It had long, beautiful tries and it had ugly, dirty tries. It had staunch defensive efforts by both teams and it had well-thought-out gameplans. It had drama from start to finish and when the dust settled it was the…

The first match on the list is the Raptors 19-15 Round 2 victory over the Seattle Seawolves from 2018. Those that are familiar with Major League Rugby know that it’s tough to win in Seattle. The Seawolves call Starfire Sports Stadium in Tukwila, Washington their home and they defend about as well as anyone in the MLR defends their home turf. After pushing around the San Diego Legion in Round 1, the Seawolves got ready to take on a Glendale Raptors team that was the clear cut favorite to win the entire competition in 2018. In what would be a preview of the 2018 Major League Rugby championship, it was the Raptors that took care of business and handed the…

Colton Strickler provides an update on how the Colorado Raptors did in Round 1 of the MLR 2020: Virtual tournament. After that, he explains what Round 2 will look like and what to expect from him in terms of content over the next few weeks. Please send in any questions you have about the Colorado Raptors, Major League Rugby or rugby as a whole to @DNVR_Raptors and @coltonstrickler on Twitter. DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE POD! iTunes link – Stitcher Link – Spotify Link

Colorado’s rugby scene is second to none. The United States is working hard to become the rugby powerhouse that it has the potential to be, and a significant amount of that work revolves around the state of Colorado. From the high school competition to the men and women’s club scene to Major League Rugby, Colorado is a pillar in American rugby. That’s why USA Rugby is headquartered here. That’s why some of the best rugby players in the world compete at Infinity Park. That’s why DNVR is covering rugby. Familiarize yourself with the game, the Colorado Raptors, and Major League Rugby in this edition of DNVR Explains. https://youtu.be/OYEJsdwoIYI

Just a week after announcing that they would suspend all operations for 30 days to adjust to the ever-evolving COVID-19 crisis, Major League Rugby announced on Thursday morning that it would cancel the remainder of the 2020 season. The decision comes after safety requirements set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) limited almost all the possibilities of playing a shortened season. That, combined with the uncertainty of when the crisis will end, ultimately led to the decision to pick up the pieces in 2021. Despite cancelling the remainder of the 2020 matches, MLR also announced on Thursday that it will continue forward with their MLR 2020: Virtual campaign. The campaign will consist of player representatives from…

Colton Strickler reacts to Major League Rugby’s decision to cancel the 2020 season. He fills you in on what he knows, speculates on what went into the decision, and talks about the plan moving forward. Please send in any questions you have about the Colorado Raptors, Major League Rugby or rugby as a whole to @DNVR_Raptors and @coltonstrickler on Twitter. DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE POD! iTunes link – Stitcher Link – Spotify Link

Colton Strickler provides an update on Major League Rugby’s MLR 2020; Virtual campaign. He dives into what the video game tournament will look like, how the teams will be decided, and how long it is slated to run. After that, he provides an update on what the Colorado Raptors will do during their two-week hiatus. To close the show, Colton talks about some of the fun stuff that DNVR is doing to engage the community during this sports dry-spell. Please send in any questions you have about the Colorado Raptors, Major League Rugby or rugby as a whole to @DNVR_Raptors and @coltonstrickler on Twitter. DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE POD! iTunes link – Stitcher Link – Spotify Link

Colton Strickler provides an update on what Major League Rugby suspending the 2020 season for 30 days means in the long run before sitting down for a conversation with Colorado Raptors scrum-half Sean Yacoubian in an attempt to keep the show somewhat normal. Colton talks to Sean about his life, his unique path to St. Mary’s and what it’s like to play for both the Raptors and the Glendale Merlins. Yacoubian is in his first year with the Raptors after graduating from St. Mary’s. In his appearance against the Utah Warriors, a match that the Raptors won 22-14, Yacoubian carried the ball four times for 26.7 meters gained, made all six of the tackles that he attempted on defense, and…

Major League Rugby has suspended the 2020 season for 30 days to assess the impact of COVID-19, the league announced on Thursday afternoon. “After discussions with all clubs, we have determined that the decision to suspend our season is in the best interest of our community, fans, players, officials, and staff. We will update our fans when further decisions have been made, and we would like to thank them for their patience and continued support during this time,” MLR commissioner George Killebrew said in the statement released by the league. https://twitter.com/usmlr/status/1238162905347973120?s=20 As it stands now, matches would resume on April 11. Updates will be provided as they are made available. Read the statement in its entirety here.

With the Washington banning events of over 250 people for 30 days, Colton Strickler gives an update on how that affects Major League Rugby and the Colorado Raptors. After that, Colton sits down with lock Brendan Daly about his rugby career, the team’s feelings heading into Round 6 and what he expects to see from Old Glory D.C. Daly is in his second year with the Raptors. He finished the 2019 season with 92 ball carries for 601 meters gained and three tries. He also totaled 156 tackles on defense while appearing in all 16 matches. Please send in any questions you have about the Colorado Raptors, Major League Rugby or rugby as a whole to @DNVR_Raptors and @coltonstrickler on…

Colorado Raptors prop Blake Rogers joins Colton Strickler to talk about the Raptors’ 22-19 victory over the Toronto Arrows in Round 5. After that, Colton asks Blake about his rugby career, his path to the Raptors, and his mullet. After Blake’s interview, the two answer your questions about injuries, a potential Major League Rugby combine and draft, and the biggest misconception about professional rugby. Rogers finished the 2018 season with 41 ball carries and 78 made tackles as the Raptors played their way to the inaugural MLR Championship. In 2019, Rogers finished the season with 68 ball carries for 376 meters and 58 tackles on defense in 15 games played. Please send in any questions you have about the Colorado…

Toronto Arrows 19 – 22 Colorado Raptors The Colorado Raptors used two big defensive stands, timely tries from John Ryberg and Mika Kruse, and 12 points off the boot of Robbie Petzer to hand the Toronto Arrows their first loss of the season. The Arrows proved why they are the top-ranked team in the East in the loss, though. While the Raptors left points off the board throughout the game, the Arrows hung in there from start to finish. With two wins in two weeks over quality opponents, the Raptors are quietly climbing up the table. They’ll have another tough test against Old Glory D.C., who sits in second place in the East, in Round 6. After five weeks on…

Friday night’s matchup against the Toronto Arrows couldn’t have been much bigger for the Colorado Raptors. With a loss to the undefeated Arrows (4-1(1-0 EC)), the Raptors (2-3, (1-2 WC)) would’ve been deep in a hole as they approach the midpoint of the second quarter of the season. While certainly not impossible, the Raptors would’ve had their work cut out for them if the playoffs were apart of their plans in 2020. The Raptors didn’t let that become a possibility, and in their biggest match of the season thus far, they played their best rugby. The Raptors rose to the challenge and used a 22-19 victory to hand the Arrows their first loss of the season. “Oh, it was huge,”…

Colton Strickler gives a brief preview of the Colorado Raptors’ Round 5 matchup against the Toronto Arrows before sitting down for a conversation with Derek Bressette of Layman’s Sports. Derek provides an in-depth look at the Arrows depth, what they do well, and what to look for ahead of the match. He also gives his take on the Raptors and what has been the biggest surprise in MLR thus far. Make sure to follow Derek on Twitter @BressetteTheJet. Please send in any questions you have about the Colorado Raptors, Major League Rugby or rugby as a whole to @DNVR_Raptors and @coltonstrickler on Twitter. DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE POD! iTunes link – Stitcher Link – Spotify Link

Colton Strickler recaps the Colorado Raptors Round 4 victory over the Utah Warriors, talks about some key points in the match and highlights some of the top performers in the win. Afterwards, he sits down for a conversation with flanker Connor Cook about his dog, his rugby career and the upcoming match against the Toronto Arrows. Cook is in his fourth year with the Raptors. In the 22-14 victory over the Warriors, Cook totaled 15 tackles and 40 ruck arrivals while also adding six carries for 21 meters on offense. Please send in any questions you have about the Colorado Raptors, Major League Rugby or rugby as a whole to @DNVR_Raptors and @coltonstrickler on Twitter. DON’T FORGET TO SUBSCRIBE TO…

The Colorado Raptors are going to have their work cut out for them if they want to pick up their second win of the season on Friday night. The scorching hot Toronto Arrows are coming to town with their fifth win in as many weeks on their minds and the Raptors in their sights. Unlike the first four teams the Raptors faced this season, the Arrows haven’t been around since Major League Rugby’s inception. Toronto and Rugby United New York were the first two expansion teams to join the competition prior to the 2019 season. As a result, the Raptors aren’t as familiar with the Arrows as they were with their first four opponents. Colorado and Toronto squared off twice…

Allie Monroy and Colton Strictler discuss the Raptors first win of the season, a few players that stood out from the win, what to expect moving forward and more! https://youtu.be/U0htu_Cz8hY