Cassh Maluia scored his first try as a member of the San Diego Legion in the team’s 38-36 victory over RFC Los Angeles last Saturday. The spectacular score, during which Maluia took a pitch on the perimeter and broke several tackles before diving into the end zone, looked so natural that an observer may have assumed that the 6-foot, 243-pounder has been playing rugby his entire life. In fact, it wasn’t all that long ago that Maluia was playing professional football. The New England Patriots took the linebacker in the sixth round of the 2020 draft out of the University of Wyoming. Maluia appeared in nine games with the Patriots and Tennessee Titans before leaving football after the 2021 season. Though Maluia was somewhat familiar with rugby while growing up in Compton — his dad and other relatives played the sport — he never actually played until August of 2023, when he signed with the American Raptors of Major League Rugby. A stint with the Chicago Hounds followed in 2024. Maluia signed with the Legion prior to this season. He’ll be in the lineup on Sunday, when the Legion (6-5) host New Orleans (4-6) at 2 p.m. inside Torero Stadium. “It didn’t take all that long for me to get the hang of it,” said Maluia, who has appeared in five games for the Legion this season. “I had some free time at the time and I was able to really pour myself into the training and with learning the fundamentals. There is quite a bit of crossover with football. It came kind of naturally.” The NFL has long shown interest in recruiting and developing international players, including several with rugby backgrounds through programs like the International Player Pathway. Notable examples include Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata, who grew up playing rugby in Australia and Nate Ebner, who played fullback for the New England Patriots in the NFL and also played for Team USA in Olympic Rugby Sevens. Recently, the Eagles invited New Zealand rugby player Carsen Patu to the team’s rookie minicamp to see if he can develop as a linebacker/pass rusher. The Las Vegas Raiders signed former Australian pro rugby player Laki Tassi to see if he can learn to play defensive tackle. In a recent interview, Tassi admitted to “not even knowing what the NFL was” but jumped at the opportunity after being told that he has the body type to play football. Such transitions between the two sports could become more commonplace with the success of athletes like Maluia. “The biggest differences are in conditioning and with tackling,” Maluia said. “I really had to focus on getting my wind up because rugby involves constant movement whereas in football, there are breaks between plays. And with tackling, sometimes in football you tend to feel more protected with the helmets and pads. You see guys not really wrap up but go for those big hits. You can’t do that in rugby. It’s all about form tackling, getting cheek to cheek with the runner and wrapping up.” And what did it feel like scoring that try last week — the second of his MLR career? “It’s an awesome feeling, like scoring a touchdown,” Maluia said. “I had one in college on a fumble return but it got called back on a penalty. I still count it though — it’s a rare thing for a linebacker. So scoring that try was fantastic just celebrating with your teammates. It’s something I hope to do a lot more of.” • The San Diego Mojo (10-17) of Pro Volleyball Federation will wrap their season by hosting the Indy Ignite (13-14) Saturday at 6:05 p.m. at Viejas Arena. The Mojo have been eliminated from playoff contention. • The San Diego Strike Force (2-2) of the Indoor Football League visit the Bay Area Panthers (3-1) on Sunday for a 7:05 p.m. kickoff. The Strike Force are coming off Sunday’s 45-22 home win over the Tucson Sugar Skulls.