League: Major League Rugby

Founded in 2017 with it’s inaugural season played in 2018, Major League Rugby (MLR) is the highest level of professional rugby in North America.

Tommy Clark

Samoa born US-eligible forward Tommy Clark played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2022. He represented the Seattle Seawolves for his entire MLR career.

Born in Apia, Clark attended the American International College and was one of MLR’s first ever draftees. He was selected 9th overall by the Dallas Jackals in the inaugural MLR Collegiate Draft in 2020. Although he was selected by the Jackals in the draft, Clark instead opted to sign with the Seattle Seawolves as a free agent, and scored 2 tries in 11 appearances (3 starts) for his local MLR side during his rookie season, completing over 70 tackles and running for just shy of 150m gained. Clark returned to the Seawolves for the 2022 season, earning another start and a career high 12 appearances, completing over 50 tackles once again with just under 100m gained.

Achievements
  • MLR Draftee: 2020 – 1st Round (9th Overall) – Dallas Jackals

Rhyno Herbst

South African lock Rhyno Herbst played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2026. He represented the Seattle Seawolves for his entire MLR career.

A Gauteng native, Rhyno Herbst played rugby through high school in Roodepoort, and played age-grade rugby with the Golden Lions between 2012-2017. In 2016, while playing for the Lions U21s, he was also a member of the Junior Boks Training Squad. In 2017 he got a chance with the Golden Lions Currie Cup side, and in 2018 he progressed to the Lions Super Rugby side, playing between the Super Rugby and Currie Cup sides until 2020.

Herbst travelled stateside ahead of the 2021 MLR season, signing with the Seattle Seawolves. He has represented the Seawolves for 4 MLR seasons, scoring 5 tries in 58 appearances (57 starts) for Seattle, earning his 50th MLR cap on May 11th, 2024. Across those 4 MLR seasons, Herbst has racked up over 1,700m gained in possession and has completed exactly 500 tackles, including a high of 165 in 2024. He has featured for the Seawolves in two MLR Championship games, in 2022 (a 30-15 defeat to Rugby New York) and again in 2024 (a 11-20 defeat to the New England Free Jacks), and his 2024 performances earned him an All-MLR First XV selection. On January 14th, 2025, the Rhyno Herbst was included on the Seattle Seawolves’ full roster for the 2025 season, marking his 5th season for the team. During the 2025 season, Herbst started all 15 of his appearances for the Seawolves to take his career total to 72 starts in 73 games. He added a 6th career try with over 150m gained and recorded his 4th 100+ tackles season, with 143 completed to take his career totals to 1,861m gained and 643 tackles made through the 2025 season.

On 6th January, 2026, the Seattle Seawolves confirmed that Rhyno Herbst would return for his 6th season with the team in 2026.

achievements

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 10
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 14
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 1
  • 2024 MLR Runner-Up: Seattle Seawolves
  • 2024 All-MLR First XV Selection: Seattle Seawolves
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 17
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 8
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 5
  • 2022 MLR Runner-Up: Seattle Seawolves

James Malcolm

Scottish hooker James Malcolm played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2023. He represented the Seattle Seawolves for his entire MLR career.

A Glasgow native, Malcolm began playing rugby at age 9 at Hutcheson’s Grammar School. He represented Scotland at U17, U18, and U20 levels and played with Ayr RFC in the Scottish Premiership from 2013-2017 and again in the 2018/19 season. While with Ayr he was part of the Glasgow Warriors Elite Development Program in 2014/15, graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering while a part of the Elite Athlete program at the University of Strathclyde. He signed a pro contract with the Glasgow Warriors and earned his PRO 12 debut (later PRO 14 & now URC) in March 2016 and ha earned 25 apperances for the Warriors. He was a member of Scotland’s wider Six nations squad in 2018 and was loaned to the Doncaster Knights for the 2018/19 Championship season in England, before joining London Scottish for the 2019/20 Championship Season.

Malcolm initially signed with the Dallas Jackals for the 2021 MLR season, but when they postponed their entry to the following year, he signed with the Seattle Seawolves. He scored 8 tries in 12 games (11 starts) in his debut MLR season, including a hat trick from the bench in a span of only 9 minutes! The following year he appeared in all 18 of Seattle‘s games as they advanced to the Championship Final, falling 30-15 to Rugby New York. Malcolm completed 229 tackles that season, finishing 6th league-wide. Through his 3 seasons with the Seawolves, Malcolm scored 14 tries in 46 appearances (32 starts), carrying for 1193m and completing over 400 tackles as a front row.

Despite being signed with Seattle through the 2024 season, Malcolm returned to his native Scotland following the 2023 season, and has been playing with Ayr RFC once more, winning the FOSROC Super Series Sprint in 2024.

achievements:

Kieran Joyce

English-born Irish back Kieran Joyce played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2023. He represented the Seattle Seawolves from 2021-2022, earning 20 MLR caps and scoring 49pts including 1 try.

On 28th April, 2023, Rugby New York Ironworkers announced that they had signed Joyce for the remainer of the 2023 season.