SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Cassh Maluia didn't play rugby growing up.
"Some of my friends played, my dad played, my sister played... but that's about all the experience I had," he said.
Instead, Maluia devoted himself to football, earning a scholarship to Wisconsin as a linebacker. In 2020, the New England Patriots selected the Southern California native in the sixth round of the NFL Draft.
"It was great, you know, just being around those players that had been to the top, who know what it takes to be the best, and getting coached by [Bill] Belichick and all those guys."
Now, with his NFL career behind him, Maluia is trying something new. He's latched on with Major League Rugby's San Diego Legion, joining the team for a late-season playoff push.
"My first day here, I felt like I've been here the whole time with them," Maluia told ABC 10News at a Legion practice on the campus of Palomar College in San Marcos.
Legion head coach John Menenti wasn't sure if Maluia would be able to make the transition from football to rugby.
"I've got to find out who's who in the zoo and work out who is capable of what," Menenti said.
Cassh turned out to quite capable, scoring his first try — the rugby equivalent of a touchdown — in last week's win over Los Angeles. Menenti was impressed.
"He bounced off a couple of defenders and crashed over, and you can sort of see the power of him, and he's got a bit of football about him, and he's got some of skill, and he's a really nice lad to be around the group so he's been a really terrific asset for the team," Menenti said.
For Maluia, rugby is a chance to do something Patriots coach Bill Belichick never would have allowed: Carry the ball down the field.
"I think I speak for all the defensive football players: We all like the ball in our hands, see what we can do offensively. So it's definitely fun," Maluia said.
The Legion continues its Major League Rugby season on Sunday afternoon when it hosts the NOLA Gold at 2 p.m. at USD's Torero Stadium.
