IRVINE, CA – Anthem Rugby Carolina opened the 2026 Major League Rugby season with the most important result in franchise history, defeating the California Legion in Irvine and snapping a 32-match winless streak in emphatic fashion.
From kickoff at Great Park, Anthem’s intent was obvious. Captain Johan Momsen led the defensive tone early, repeatedly shutting down Legion carries around the ruck while flankers Moni Tonga’uiha and Makeen Alikhan piled up tackles in the opening exchanges to keep the hosts from establishing rhythm. That defensive platform proved decisive.
The visitors finished with 222 Tackles and won 10 Turnovers.
The Legion dominated in time of possession and meters gained but the Anthem scored three tries in the first half (two by Conner Mooneyham) to the Legion’s one. Hooker Campbell Robb – who was steady in his debut – also scored for the visitors in the pivotal first 30 minutes.
Ryan James got California back in it with a try in extra time in the half with the man advantage.
BUT… center Erich Storti sliced through traffic for Anthem’s 1st try of the 2nd half and and Baden Godfrey added another in the 63rd minute. That proved to make the climb too high for no-quit hosts.
To their credit, California tried to fight back, with hooker Ben Sugars coming off the bench to power across from close range. However, Ramiro Gurovich got another Anthem try off a maul before No. 8 Ben Houston finishing a sustained attacking sequence for the hosts. It was too little too late, though.
Captain Jason Damm and flanker Christian Poidevin were especially active defensively for the Legion, both logging heavy tackle involvement as they tried to slow Anthem’s growing confidence.
But the difference on the night came in defensive cohesion. Anthem’s engine room—Momsen, Scott, Tonga’uiha, and Alikhan—absorbed repeated Legion carries and repeatedly forced errors at key moments. Late in the match, with California pressing inside Anthem territory, a sequence of back-to-back defensive stands led by Will Sherman and Sam Golla helped seal the result. On the night, Storti, Momsen and Sherman each had 22 tackles for the Carolina side. That is a clear indicator of a team not ready to stand down.
Just as important as the scoreboard was the composure. Previous Anthem sides might have folded under that pressure. This one didn’t.
Instead, Anthem closed out the contest with maturity, structure, and belief.
After two seasons of near misses and hard lessons, Anthem Rugby Carolina finally has its breakthrough moment—and it arrived against a California Legion side packed with experience and expectation.
