US born Canadian hooker Neil Trainor played in Major League Rugby during the 2025 season. He represented Anthem RC for his entire MLR career.

Trainor was born in Columbia, MD and moved to Stratford, Ontario at a young age. He began playing rugby while at Stratford Northwest Secondary School between 2015-2019, also playing with Stratford Blackswans RFC U18s from 2016-2018, and continues to play with the Blackswans senior side at club level (2019- present). Trainor played with the Onatio U18 side before attending Queen’s University in the fall of 2019, playing with the Golden Gaels 2nd XV from 2019-2020, and the 1st XV from 2021-2023. He finished as an Ontario University Athletics (OUA) silver medallist twice with the Gaels, in 2021 & 2023, and played with the Toronto Arrows senior academy in the summer of 2023, lifting the Coast-to-Coast Cup.

Neil Trainor declared for the 2024 MLR Collegiate Draft and was selected 2nd overall by Anthem RC, becoming the highest drafted Canadian in MLR history. Following his graduation from Queen’s, Trainor joined Rugby Canada’s Development Academy, the Pacific Pride, and played there until the MLR Pre-season camps opened, when he reported to Anthem RC, who included him on their full 2025 roster on January 21st, 2025. Having been born in the US and therefore eligible to play for the USA, Anthem’s signing of Trainor have led many to speculate that he may be in Scott Lawrence’s sights for the USA Eagles, rather than the Maple Leaf.

Achievements

• 2024 MLR Draftee: 2nd Overall (1st Round) – Anthem RC

NARDB Player #1,371