Former Fijian Drua boss Glen Jackson named California Legion head coach ahead of 2027 MLR season

California Legion have appointed Glen Jackson as their new head coach, the Major League Rugby franchise confirmed ahead of the 2027 season. The 50-year-old New Zealander arrives having most recently served as head coach of the Fijian Drua, and brings an unusually broad rugby CV to the role.

Jackson began his coaching career under Vern Cotter — now head coach of the Queensland Reds — with the Fiji national side before stepping up to lead the Drua. That coaching path followed a distinguished career first as a player and then as a referee, making him the first New Zealander to play 100 first-class matches before also refereeing 100 first-class matches.

As a player, Jackson made 60 appearances for the Chiefs in Super Rugby before moving to Saracens, where he accumulated over 1,500 points across his time with the club. He then transitioned into refereeing, earning New Zealand referee of the year honours on five occasions and taking charge of 88 Super Rugby matches and 32 Tests. His officiating career included appearances at the 2015 Rugby World Cup and the Six Nations.

Legion finished runners-up in the 2026 MLR season, ending the regular season third with five wins from ten games before defeating the Seattle Seawolves 43-34 in the semi-final. The Chicago Hounds, who had won all ten of their regular-season fixtures, proved too strong in the grand final, beating Legion 35-17 at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois.

“I’m incredibly excited to be joining California Legion and to have the opportunity to lead the club into the 2027 season,” Jackson said. “I’ve been fortunate that rugby has allowed me to experience the game from a number of different perspectives — as a player, referee and coach — and you learn something different from each of those environments.”

Jackson pointed to California’s broader rugby potential as a key draw, with the United States set to host the 2031 Rugby World Cup. “California as a rugby state has enormous potential. There is a strong rugby community, an incredible athlete and player base and a market that has the ability to become genuinely significant for the sport,” he said. “We want to play rugby that people enjoy watching, develop players and ultimately compete for championships.”