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.

Aaron Gray

District of Columbia born winger Aaron Gray played in Major League Rugby between 2022-2023. He represented the Dallas Jackals for his entire MLR career.

A native of Washington, DC, Gray attended Kutztown University where he played rugby and was named as a Collegiate All-American at both 15s and 7s levels in 2019. He featured for the USA Falcons 7s side in 2020 before declaring for the 2021 MLR Collegiate Draft, where he was picked in teh 2nd Round (14th Overall) by the Dallas Jackals.

The Jackals promptly signed Aaron Gray for his rookie season in 2022, where he started 5 of his 9 appearances and was a first-choice winger for much of the early season. He racked up just under 200m gained in possession in his rookie year. Gray returned for a second season with the Jackals in 2023, adding 2 starts in 5 appearances and pushing his career metres gained over 200m. Gray has also played in the Premier Rugby 7s Competition, representing the Loggerheads in 2022, and the Locals in 2023 when he was an honorable mention for the Men’s Dream Team.

Gray has remained in Dallas since earning his last MLR appearance during the 2023 season, playing at club level with Dallas RFC from 2023-2025.

Achievements

Liam Murray

Canadian prop Liam Murray played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2024. He represented the Houston SaberCats (2021), Toronto Arrows (2021 loan), and the Dallas Jackals (2022-2024).

BC native Murray is a capped Canadian international, earning his test debut in July 2021 against England at Twickenham. He earned 7 caps in his debut MLR season, 6 for the Houston SaberCats (1 start) and 1 for the Toronto Arrows, to whom he was loaned to for injury coverage, as the Canadian team played the 2021 season out of Atlanta due to COVID-19 restrictions and had limited numbers.

In December 2021, the Dallas Jackals announced that they had signed Murray for the 2022 season. That year, he earned 9 caps and 6 starts for the Texas club. He followed this up with a 15 cap, 9 start season in 2023 when the Jackals looks far more able to compete following the disaster of their inaugural season in 2022. On September 19, 2023, the Jackals announced that they had re-signed Murray for the 2024 season, where he earned a further 14 MLR appearances (9 starts) for the Jackals in their best-ever season. Murray started the Jackals’ nail-biting Western Conference Final defeat to the Seattle Seawolves.

Following the announcement that the Dallas Jackals were withdrawing from MLR shortly following the conclusion of the 2024 season. Murray was not selected in the subsequent dispersal draft and on November 8th, 2024, Bryan Ray of Americas Rugby News tweeted that Murray had been handed a 3-year anti-doping ban following a urine sample in the July test window. This ban ruled Murray out of all competition until August 14, 2027.

 

Cael Hodgson

Thailand-born winger Cael Hodgson played in Major League Rugby between 2022-2024. He represented the NOLA Gold (2022), the Dallas Jackals (2023), and Anthem RC (2024).

Born in Bangkok to a British father and a Hawaiian born mother, Cael Hodgson was raised in Thailand until the age of 12, when he moved to Wolverhampton in England. Hodgson played rugby while attending Nottingham Trent University between 2017-2019. He joined the Worcester Warriors AASE Academy and trialed for the Scotland U18 side in 2018. He travelled to Miami for the Tropical 7s in 2019 and was offered a scholarship to Lindenwood University, which he accepted and was their top try scorer in 2020. Hodgson declared for the 2021 MLR Collegiate Draft and was selected in the 1st round, 8th overall by the New England Free Jacks and, not long after the draft, was selected to the USA Selects roster for the 2021 Americas Pacific Challenge in Uruguay.

On 24th February 2024, the Free Jacks traded Hodgson to the Dallas Jackals in exchange for Salary Cap Considerations (unknown). He earned his MLR debut for the Jackals in 2022, scoring 1 try in 9 games (all starts) during the Jackals nightmare inaugural season. On 5th October 2022, the Dallas Jackals traded Hodgson to the NOLA Gold in exchange for Devereaux Ferris. He added another try in 2023, appearing in 6 games (5 starts) for the Gold.

With MLR, USA Rugby, and World Rugby partnering to create Anthem RC for the 2024 season, Hodgson found a place on the ARC roster, and started 11 of his 13 appearances during Anthem’s inaugural season, adding another try and completing 86 tackles. All of which are career highs for the 24yo. He even earned a Team of the Week selection for his performance in Round 14, when he scored his 2024 try. Hodgson did not feature in MLR in 2025, playing club rugby with the Kansas City Blues. He remains a free agent ahead of the 2026 season.

achievements

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 14
  • MLR Draftee: 2021 – 1st Round (8th overall) – New England Free Jacks

Adriaan Carelse

South African fly-half Adriaan Carelse played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2024. He has represented Rugby ATL (2021), the Dallas Jackals (2022-2023), Seattle Seawolves (2023), and the Chicago Hounds (2024).

Carelse joined Rugby ATL from the Free State Cheetahs of South Africa’s Currie Cup competition, ahead of the 2021 MLR season. During his debut season in North America, Carelse earned 11 caps with the RATLers (10 starts), scoring 3 tries and leading the team with 63pts total (20/31 from the tee, 64.52%) as Rugby ATL advanced to the Championship Final where they fell to the LA Giltinis 31-17.

Ahead of the 2022 season, Carelse signed with the expansion Dallas Jackals in a relatively high profile move by MLR standards. He was one of the many many Jackals players affected by injury during their inaugural campaign but earned an additional 10 caps (all starts) for the Texas club, adding 42pts from the tee (18/30, 60.00%). Carelse stayed with the Jackals as the 2023 season kicked off, earning 5 more appearances (all starts) and 4pts from the tee (2/9, 22.22%) before being traded to the Seattle Seawolves on April 10th for the remainder of the 2023 season in exchange for 2023 Salary Cap Considerations (unknown). Carelse earned 11 caps with Seattle post-trade, earning 9 starts and scoring 3 tries.

Following the 2023 season, the Chicago Hounds announced the signing of Adriaan Carelse on 7th November, ahead of the 2024 MLR season where he excelled at the back. Carelse scored 77pts in a kicking tandem with Luke Carty, and appeared in all 18 of the Hounds’ games in 2024, including their 2 playoff games where they defeated the NOLA Gold in the Eastern Conference Semifinal before falling to the eventual Champions the New England Free Jacks in the Conference Final. He finished T-8th in MLR scoring that year, with Houston’s Davy Coetzer. On January 9th, 2025, the Chicago Hounds confirmed the return of Adriaan Carelse for a second season with the team, and a 5th in MLR.

Achievements
  • T-8th in MLR Scoring: 2024 (77pts)
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Round 2
  • 2021 MLR Runner-Up: Rugby ATL
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Round 6

Adriaan Booysen

Namibian back rower Adriaan Booysen played in Major League Rugby between 2020-2024. He represented the Houston SaberCats (2020-2021) and the Dallas Jackals (2022-2023).

Born and raised in Gobabis, Namibia, Booysen attended the University of the Free State in South Africa, studying Law. Between 2016-2017 he played with the Wanderers Rugby Club and, between 2017-2020, the Welwitschias, Namibia’s representation in the Supersport Rugby Challenge, primarily in South Africa. That same year, 2017, Booysen earned his test debut for Namibia against Senegal, and has since represented his country (also nicknamed the Welwitschias) at two Rugby World Cups, in Japan in 2019 and in France in 2023.

Booysen entered MLR in 2020 with the Houston SaberCats, appearing in all 5 games (4 starts) for the ‘Cats, scoring 1 try before the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the season. He returned for Houston the following year, appearing in all 16 games of their 2023 season (8 starts) scoring 3 tries. Booysen moved down the I-45 for 2022, joining the Dallas Jackals for their tumultuous inaugural MLR season, scoring his 5th career MLR try and earning 12 appearances. Booysen’s standout season came in 2023. He started all 16 games for the Jackals, scoring a PB 4 tries and carrying for 676m gained, also a PB. He finished 2nd in MLR tackling with 257 completed tackles, almost 120 more than his previous best of 138 in 2021.

achievements
  • 2nd in MLR Tackling: 2023 (257)