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.

Dylan Fawsitt

Irish born USA Eagle Dylan Fawsitt played in Major League Rugby between 2018-2025. He has represented the Glendale Raptors (2018), the Rugby New York Ironworkers (2019-2023), and the Chicago Hounds (2024-2025).

Born and raised in Wexford, Ireland, Fawsitt moved to the US following his graduation from St. Mary’s College in 2013 and attended Life University from 2014-2016, earning a Master’s Degree while also an Assistant Coach of the Senior Men’s Elite, as well as the Undergraduate Men’s and Women’s Rugby teams. In 2016 Fawsitt had his first taste of professional rugby, representing the Ohio Aviators in the short lived PRO Rugby competition. Once the PRO Rugby season ended, Fawsitt played with Old Blue of New York, a club with whom he has maintained ties with since.

At international level, Fawsitt became US eligible through residency in 2017. He earned his international debut with the USA on February 17, 2018 against Chile in the ARC, becoming Eagle #523. He scored his first try as an Eagle against Uruguay that year, as the US won the 2018 ARC. He represented the USA at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, and for the 2023 RWC Repechage tournament.

Fawsitt returned to professional rugby in 2018, representing the Rugby United New York franchise during their exhibition season. As an Associate Member of MLR at the time, New York lent players to other teams at the conclusion of their exhibition season, and Fawsitt spent the remainder of the 2018 MLR season with the Glendale (later Colorado) Raptors, earning 6 starts in 8 appearances, scoring his first (of many) MLR tries. Fawsitt returned to Rugby United New York (now full members of MLR) for the 2019 season, and represented them between 2019-2023, becoming a true legend of the league. He represented the Ironworkers (as they would come to be known) 72 times in MLR (65 starts) scoring 41 tries including 13 in 2019 (Tied for first in MLR with John Ryberg). As of the conclusion of the 2023 season, Fawsitt is the All-Time leading MLR Try Scorer (56) and the most capped player in the league (98 – 86 starts). Fawsitt is the highest scoring player in New York franchise history with 205pts from his 41 tries, more than any points scored by kickers and he is the highest scoring non-place kicker in Major League Rugby history. Fawsitt is a 5-time All-MLR player (outlined in the Achievements section below), 4 of which are First XV Selections, and he has earned a total of 17 Team of the Week Selections including a high of 9 during the 2019 season, the 3rd highest in MLR that season.

Following the news in early December 2023 that the Rugby New York Ironworkers would not compete in the 2024 MLR season, Dylan Fawsitt signed with the Chicago Hounds as a Free Agent for the 2024 season. He did not opt in to the Dispersal Draft and so his salary will count against the Hounds’ Cap Hit for the season. He finished as the joint-leading try scorer during 2024 with Utah’s Michael Manson, both scoring 14 tries. Fawsitt helped the Hounds to earn their first Playoff berth that season where they defeated the NOLA Gold in the Conference SFs to advance to the Eastern Conference Final, where they would fall 23-17 to eventual Champions, the New England Free Jacks. Fawsitt was named to the All-MLR First XV for 2024, his 4th First XV selection, and his 5th All-MLR nod. On January 9th, 2025, the Chicago Hounds confirmed the return of Dylan Fawsitt for a second season with the team and 8th season in MLR, where he became the first player in league history to pass 100 appearances in MLR. Fawsitt showed no signs of falling off, scoring 9 tries in 16 games, starting 15 times to help the Chicago Hounds to the postseason. The Fawsitt started both Chicago playoff games in 2025 as they defeated Old Glory DC to advance to the Eastern Conference Final against the New England Free Jacks once again, where they fell by the narrowest of margins. Fawsitt recorded his 6th season with 120+ tackles made and the 5th season in a row, passing 1,000 tackles in his MLR career. He is the 2nd player in MLR history to pass 1,000 tackles made behind Chicago Hounds teammate Lucas Rumball. For another stellar season, Dylan Fawsitt earned his 6th All-MLR selection when he was named to the 2025 All-MLR Second XV.

On March 3rd, 2026, Dylan Fawsitt posted a heartfelt thank you to the Chicago Hounds and encouraged fans to get behind the team for the 2026 season. Although the statement made no mention of an official retirement, it confirmed that he would not play in MLR during the 2026 season.

Achievements:

  • 2025 All-MLR Second XV Selection
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 13
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 8
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 2
  • 2024 All-MLR First XV Selection
  • T-1st in MLR Try Scoring: 2024 (14)
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 17
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 16
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 6
  • 2023 All-MLR First XV Selection
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 2
  • 2022 MLR Champion: Rugby New York
  • 2022 All-MLR First XV Selection
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Rd 13
  • T-5th in MLR Try Scoring: 2021 (9)
  • 2021 All-MLR Second XV Selection
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Rd 13
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Rd 7
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Rd 1
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2020 – Rd 3
  • T-1st in MLR Try Scoring: 2019 (13)
  • 2019 All-MLR First XV Selection
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Semi-Finals
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 18
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 17
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 16
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 15
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 14
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 9
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 8
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 6
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2018 – Championship Series
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2018 – Rd 8

Harley Davidson

Floridian winger Harley Davidson played in Major League Rugby between 2018-2024. He represented the Colorado Raptors (2018-2019), Rugby ATL (2020-2023), and RFCLA (2024-) following the relocation of ATL to Los Angeles.

Davidson was a lethal finisher in the early years of MLR, finishing in the Top 10 try scorers in both 2018 & 2019, during which he scored 15 of his 17 MLR tries to date. He sits just shy of 2,500m gained in his MLR career and had a standout season in 2019, gaining close to 1,000m and completing over 100 tackles. He represented the Raptors when they finished as Runners-Up in the 2019 season, and represented Rugby ATL when they also finished as Runners-Up in 2021, but has yet to lift the Shield.

Luke White

US-eligible Australian Luke White played in Major League Rugby between 2018-2026. He represented the Glendale (later Colorado) Raptors (2018-2020), the LA Giltinis (2021-2022), and the Chicago Hounds (2023-2026).

White hails from Sydney, where his rugby journey started at Saint Ignatius College, Riverview, a leading rugby school in Australia. He joined the Manly Marlins for the 2010/11 Shute Shield before attending the Australian College of Physical Education between 2012-2015, before moving to the United States and settling in Glendale, Colorado. White joined the Raptors that year, playing there until joining the Denver Stampede for the short-lived PRO Rugby competition (the spiritual predecessor to MLR) before returning to the Raptors. He proved to be a versatile forward, able to play in all 3 rows of the pack. White represented the Raptors during the early years of Major League Rugby, appearing in all 10 games during the league’s inaugural season which saw the Raptors advance to the Championship Final only to fall to the Seattle Seawolves 19-23. In 2019 White recorded over 1,200m gained and finished 6th in the league. He earned a total of 31 MLR caps for the Raptors through 3 seasons, including the truncated 2020 season where he started all 5 games before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following this, the Raptors withdrew from MLR and would eventually join the South American Super Rugby Americas as the American Raptors.

Following the withdrawal of the Raptors and the return of MLR, White signed with the Australian-heavy LA Giltinis for their inaugural season in 2021. He earned 7 appearances for the Giltinis, starting 5 and scoring 1 try as LA advanced to White’s 2nd Championship Final, this time finishing on the winning side as the Giltinis defeated Rugby ATL 31-17 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. White returned with the Giltinis in 2022, doubling his appearances to 14 with 11 starts in the regular season before the LA Giltinis (along with their sister team, the Austin Gilgronis) were disqualified from the season due to alleged salary cap breaches. Both teams subsequently folded in the 2022 offseason. In the subsequent Expansion/Dispersal draft, White was selected 14th overall by the Chicago Hounds expansion side, and signed a multi-year contract ahead of their inaugural season in 2023. For the Hounds, White tied his career high in tries scored (3), doing so in 12 appearances (all starts) while racking up 680m gained with ball in hand and delivering over 100 successful tackles. Following a strong season with the Hounds, Luke White earned his test debut as USA Eagle #561 in August 2023, and has earned 5 test caps to date.

The Hounds confirmed the return of Luke White for the 2024 season on January 3rd, 2024 where he scored another try in 15 games (10 starts) as the Hounds qualified for the MLR post-season, but White did not feature. Through his first 7 seasons in MLR, Luke White earned 80 MLR caps (64 starts), scoring 9 tries. He was the 13th player in MLR history to reach 50 caps in the competition, on 8th May, 2022. White earned his first test caps for the USA following the 2023 MLR season, playing No. 8 during the USA’s RWC qualifying campaign, as well as the La Vila cup in Spain in the fall.

On October 16th, 2024, the Chicago Hounds confirmed the return of Luke White for the 2025 MLR season, along with Bryce Campbell and Noah Brown. White appeared in all 18 games for the Chicago Hounds during the 2025 season, scoring his 10th MLR try and taking his career total to 98 MLR appearances (66 starts). He recorded 98 tackles to take his career total to just under 750, and sits on 3,904m gained in possession. With the Chicago Hounds announcing the return of Luke White for his 9th season in 2026, he is almost guaranteed to pass 4000m gained as well as earn his 100th Major League Rugby appearance.

achievements

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 16
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 1
  • 13th Player in MLR History to Reach 50 Caps
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Rd 16
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Rd 11
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Rd 9
  • MLR Champion: 2021 (LA Giltinis)
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Rd 2
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 15
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 9
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 6
  • MLR Runner-Up: 2018 (Glendale Raptors)
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2018 – Rd 9

Maximo de Achaval

Texan fullback/fly-half Maximo de Achaval played in Major League Rugby between 2018-2019. He represented the Glendale/Colorado Raptors for his entire MLR career.

Achaval finished T-10th for points scored during the league’s inaugural season in 2018 with 35pts. He is also one of the few players to have recorded a ‘full house’ (a try, conversion, penalty goal, and drop goal in the same game). Through the 2023 season, only de Achaval, JP Eloff (2018) and Sam Malcolm (2023) have achieved this.

Mika Kruse

California native Mika Kruse played in Major League Rugby between 2018-2025. He represented the Glendale/Colorado Raptors (2018-2020), the Utah Warriors (2021-2024), and the Seattle Seawolves (2025).

Kruse played 5 years of high school rugby while attending Bullard High School in Fresno, CA, and was named a High School All-American, at which time he played fly-half. Kruse joined the Glendale Merlins in 2017 that served as the academy side for the Glendale Raptors during the early years of MLR. Kruse earned 19 appearances for the Raptors between 2018-2020, and was included in the USA Rugby Selects squad for the 2018 Americas Pacific Challenge after his first season in MLR, that led to his inclusion in the USA Eagles training squad for the 2018 Autumn Tests, though he would have to wait for his test debut.

Following the withdrawal of the Raptors and ahead of the 2021 MLR season, Kruse joined the Utah Warriors where he earned 51 MLR appearances over 4 seasons between 2021-2024, scoring 18 tries. Kruse finally earned his test debut for the USA as Eagle #538 on 4th July 2021, against England at Twickenham. Kruse also had the chance to play alongside his younger brother Isaia following the latter’s drafting in 2023. As of the conclusion of the 2024 season, Kruse sits as MLR’s 8th highest try scorer on 26.

On October 2nd, 2024, Kruse was included in a group of 17 players that the Utah Warriors announced would not be returning as for the 2025 season. The following day, the Seattle Seawolves announced that they had signed Mika Kruse for their 2025 campaign.

Achievements
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 6