The California Legion of Major League Rugby team is back in San Diego for a match against a New England rival.

The Legion (0-1)  host New England (1-0) at Torero Stadium 4 P.M. Saturday.

The Legion departed San Diego after eight seasons spent at Torero Stadium and Snapdragon Stadium.

Regardless of venue the Legion emerged as one of the strongest situations in American rugby.

Coming back to America’s Finest City was a no-brainer according to Legion CEO Adam Freier, an Australian native who played professionally and has lived in Southern California for years.

“We apologize for the way we left San Diego, but we are always about growing the game in that wonderful city,” Freier said. “We want the Legion fans to know they are a big part of our movement going forward. San Diego has excellent rugby at the youth and club levels. We always will be tied to the rugby community in San Diego.”

Freier made a day with Legion fans at the The Pub in San Diego, where he took some heat from fans upset about the team’s changes.

“It was important to let the San Diego rugby community know that we appreciate their passion,” Freier said. “ Southern California is a hotbed for our sport and we want to continue growing the game in San Diego.”

The Legion opened the season with a 39-26 loss to Anthem RC in Orange County. They train in El Segundo adjacent to the Chargers and Lakers facilities.

The MLR has shrunk from 13 teams to the current six.

”We are going through a re-model,” Frieier said. “Ownership is strong and we are creating a foundation for our future. Southern California is a key piece of it all.”

Sockers playoff-ready

The San Diego Sockers locked up the No. 1 seed for the playoffs and await outcomes before hosting April 19th at Frontwave Arena.

Boxing card set

El Cajon cousins Jonny Mansour and Julius Ballo have respective matchups set for bouts at Frontwave Arena April 18th.  Ballo (2-0) is building off a superstar Amateur career and will fight veteran Roman Reyes (6-1) in a scheduled 6 round featherweight bout.

Mansour (6-0, 2 KOs) will battle William King (6-3-2, 2 KOs) in a scheduled eight-round lightweight bout.

Gulls win

The San Diego Gulls (30-23-8-4, 72 points) are coming off a 3-0 home win over Tucson entering Friday’ s 7 p.m. home tilt at Pechanga Arena against Bakersfield.

Rookie forward Roger McQueen is expected to make his professional debut.