Colorado Raptors Withdraw From Major League Rugby

The Colorado Raptors have withdrawn from Major League Rugby.

The ownership group sent out a letter to the players informing them of their decision on Tuesday night and the team confirmed the news in a post on their social media platforms on Thursday.

 

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A post shared by Colorado Raptors (@coloradoraptorsrugby) on Apr 9, 2020 at 8:20am PDT

The Raptors were one of the seven original founding members of the competition.

According to their statement, the Raptors believe their “greater responsibility lies within the development of American players that can go on to win the World Cup for the United States of America.”

Developing talent and building a Major League Rugby roster are two different things. Withdrawing from the MLR opens up a world of possibilities for the Raptors as they get ready for their next venture. What that next venture consists of has not yet been made clear.

For now, the one thing that is clear is that the Raptors will not be competing in Major League Rugby in 2021.