US-Eligible South African scrum-half Ishma-eel Safodien played in Major League Rugby between 2025-2026. He represented Anthem RC for his entire MLR career.

A native of Cape Town, Safodien attended Rondebosch Boys’ High School, the same school as Anthem RC teammate Graeme Pedegana. He represented his school during the 2019 Craven Week before graduating and enrolling at Life University in the United States. Safodien played for the Running Eagles from 2020 until his graduation in 2024, captaining the team for the 2023/24 season and earning a Rudy Scholz nomination that same year.

Following his graduation from Life U, Anthem RC signed Ishma-eel Safodien to a Homegrown Player Contract for the 2025 MLR season, during which he will become US-eligible on residency. This signing was confirmed when Anthem RC announced their complete 2025 roster on January 21st, 2025. In his debut MLR season, Safodien scored 2 tries in 13 appearances, starting 3 times and gaining over 150m in possession as a 9, completing 38 tackles. On December 9th, 2026, Anthem RC announced the return of Ishma-eel Safodien for his 2nd MLR season in 2026.

NARDB Player #1,377