MLR San Diego Legion

San Diego Legion Appoints John Manenti as New Head Coach

August 27, 2024 - Major League Rugby (MLR)
San Diego Legion News Release


San Diego, CA - San Diego Legion is thrilled to announce the appointment of John Manenti as its new Head Coach, effective September 1, 2024. John brings a wealth of experience and a proven track record of success in both 7s and 15s formats. Most recently, he served as the Head Coach of the Australian National Men's Sevens team.

John has been instrumental in achieving historical successes, including leading Australia to its first Sevens World Series victory in 2022 and securing automatic Olympic Rugby Sevens qualification for the first time ever in 2023. His coaching career is distinguished by stints with both men's and women's teams, where he consistently demonstrated his ability to recruit, develop, and retain talent, driving teams to consistent top performances.

Ryan Patterson, Team Owner of San Diego Legion, expressed his enthusiasm about the appointment, saying, "Throughout the Head Coach recruitment process, John consistently stood out from an exceptionally talented field of candidates. His strategic vision for rugby, coupled with his demonstrated ability to elevate teams and foster winning cultures, left us deeply impressed. We are thrilled to welcome a coach of his caliber to San Diego Legion, confident in his expertise and dedication to lead our team to new successes."

David Haigh, CEO of San Diego Legion, also commented on the appointment, stating, "John's appointment is a clear reflection of our commitment to excellence. His extensive experience and impressive track record of nurturing players and achieving success on the international stage will be invaluable as we aim to fortify our presence in Major League Rugby and beyond. We are confident that John will lead the San Diego Legion to new heights."

John Manenti expressed his excitement about his new role, "Returning to 15s rugby as the Head Coach of San Diego Legion is an exciting opportunity to apply my coaching philosophy and experience in a new environment. I am committed to building on the solid foundation here and leading the team to achieve our goal of winning the MLR Championship." John will be relocating to San Diego and is eager to begin working with the team to prepare for the upcoming season



Major League Rugby Stories from August 27, 2024


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central