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.

Papa Matelau

Utah back rower Papa Matelau played in Major League Rugby during the 2025 season. He represented the Utah Warriors for his entire MLR career.

A native of Salt Lake City, Matelau played rugby through high school at East High School before joining the Utah Warriors Academy in 2021. Matelau is a USA U18 player, touring with the age-grade side to face Uruguay and Argentina in South America. Matelau was one of the first additions announced by the Utah Warriors ahead of their 2025 season.

NARDB Player #1,295

Tielu Sagala

California born, Utah raised center/wing Ammon Tielu Sagala played in Major League Rugby during the 2025 season. He represented the Utah Warriors for his entire MLR career.

Sagala is a native of Herriman, UT and was an All-State rugby player for 3 years during high school, winning 3 State 7s Championships and 3 State 15s Championships. He attended Brigham Young University and finished as national Runners-up. Sagala was drafted 16th overall out of BYU in the 2024 MLR Collegiate Draft by the Utah Warriors, and was among the first new additions announced by the Warriors for their 2025 campaign.

achievements

MLR Draftee: 2024 (16th Overall) – Utah Warriors

NARDB Player #1,294

Cole Semu

New Zealand born Center Cole Semu played in Major League Rugby between 2025-2026. He represented the Utah Warriors (2025) and the California Legion (2026).

Born in Auckland, Semu moved to Washington at the age of 8 where he discovered rugby when he was 12, playing with Chuckanut Bay RFC. He travelled to Chile with the California Grizzlies U23 team and has played with the USA u18, u20, and u23 teams.

Semu was drafted 28th overall in the 2024 MLR Collegiate Draft out of Brigham Young University by the Utah Warriors, and attended the Utah Warriors Pro ID camp in early October 2024. Semu was among the first new additions announced by Utah ahead of their 2025 season. In his rookie season, Semu started 8 of his 10 appearances and scored his first career MLR try during their Round 16 victory over Anthem RC, for which he was named to the MLR Team of the Week. Semu helped the Warriors finish the regular season as the top team in MLR. Following the withdrawal of the Utah Warriors in late 2025, Semu joined a number of former Warriors in California, signing with the Legion who confirmed this addition on 6th March, 2026.

achievements

MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 16
MLR Draftee: 28th Overall (3rd Rd), 2024 – Utah Warriors

NARDB Player #1,293

2025 MLR Players

A list of all players signed to play during the 2025 MLR season.

This list can be used to identify the season leaders in various categories for the 2025 MLR season.

Dave Dennis

Australian ex-player Dave Dennis coached in Major League Rugby betwee 2025-2026. He was a Senior Assistant Coach for Rugby FC LA (2025), and the California Legion (2026).

Following an impressive playing career that saw 18 Wallabies caps, over 100 Super Rugby Caps, a Super Rugby title in 2014 (Waratahs), two Premiership Titles in 2016/17 & 2019/20 (Exeter Chiefs) and a European Champions Cup title in 2019/20 (also Exeter Chiefs), Dennis joined the LA Giltinis ahead of their inaugural season, and served as captain between 2021-2022, adding the 2021 MLR Shield to his trophy cabinet before retiring as a player following the disqualification and subsquent folding of the LA Giltinis in 2022. For information on Dennis’ playing career, click here.

After a few years away from Major League Rugby, Dennis returned to the league, once again in LA but this time on the sidelines and for a different franchise. He was announced as Senior Assistant Coach for Rugby FC LA on 8th October 2024, where he would serve under his former Giltinis Head Coach Steve Hoiles, RFCLA‘s Director of Rugby. In 2025, Dennis helped RFCLA to a 8-1-7 regular season record to finish 3rd in the Western Conference and qualify for the postseason for the first (and only) time in team history, where they were eliminated in the Western Conference Semi-final by the Houston SaberCats.

Immediately following the 2025 season, Rugby FC LA and the San Diego Legion announced that they would be merging to form the California Legion, and when this new team announced their coaching staff in January of 2026, Dave Dennis was included as Assistant Coach – Defence.

Steffan Hughes

Welsh center Steffan Hughes played in Major League Rugby during the 2025 season. He represented Old Glory DC for his entire MLR career.

Having played his club rugby with Llanelli RFC since 2011, Hughes was recruited by his local Pro 12 (now the URC) team, the Scarlets where he began playing in 2013, the same year he began representing the Wales u20 side, which he earned 21 caps with and reached the 2013 Junior World Cup Final before captaining the side into the Junior Six Nations & Junior World Cup in 2014. Hughes represented the Scarlets over 100 times between 2013 & 2022, securing the Pro 14 title in 2017 and first captained the side in the 2017/18 season. Hughes was named full captain of the Scarlets for the 2019/20 & 2020/21 seasons. He moved from the Scarlets to the Dragons as short-term injury cover for the 2022/23 URC season, but was signed to a full contract after impressing in Newport. He was named as Captain of the Dragons for the 2023/24 URC season, after which he made the move to MLR.

Old Glory DC announced the signing of Hughes on 8th October 2024, ahead of their 2025 campaign. He was the first new addition confirmed by OGDC for the 2025 season. Old Glory DC Head Coach Simon Cross had previously worked with Hughes at the Scarlets. He started all 15 of his appearances for Old Glory DC during his debut MLR season in 2025, scoring a try and racking up just under 400m gained in the centre while completing 88 tackles as the Flags earned their 3rd successive post-season appearance, falling to the Chicago Hounds in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in which Steff Hughes played a full 80 minutes.

Following the 2025 MLR season on 12th November 2025, Steff Hughes announced on Instagram that he was hanging up the boots. Hughes remained in MLR however, and was named as the Old Glory DC Attack and Backs Coach for the 2026 season on the same day. His NARDB Staff Profile can be found here.

NARDB Player #1,292

Stephen Hoiles

Australian ex-player Stephen Hoiles featured in MLR between 2021-2022, and again between 2025-2026. He served as Defence Coach, then Head Coach of the LA Giltinis (2021-2022), and as both Head Coach and Director of Rugby for Rugby FC LA (2025), and Head Coach of the California Legion (2026).

As a player, Hoiles played with the famous Randwick Galloping Green at club level before joining the Australia 7s team in 2001, and earned his 15s test debut for the Wallabies against Scotland in 2004. That same year he played with the NSW Waratahs in Super Rugby, where he played until he joined the Brumbies in between 2007-2011. In 2012 he returned to the Waratahs where he played until 2015, when he retired. Hoiles then started a role as a commentator and presenter for FOX Sports, before starting his coaching career in 2018.

Hoiles serves as Forwards and Defence Coach of the LA Giltinis when they entered MLR in 2021, when they lifted the Shield in their debut season. Hoiles returned with the Giltinis as Head Coach in 2022, but following the fallout of ‘Gilly-Gate’, the Disqualification from the 2022 MLR Playoffs of the LA Giltinis and Austin Gilgronis, he returned to Australia. Hoiles then took up the role of Head Coach of his former club, the Randwick Galloping Green. He coached Randwick to the 2023 Shute Shield title, the club’s first since 2004, Hoiles’ first season playing with Randwick. The following season he was named as the 2024 Shute Shield Coach of the Year.

On 4th October 2024, Rugby FC LA announced that they had hired Stephen Hoiles as Head Coach and Director of Rugby for the 2025 & 2026 MLR seasons. This was Hoiles’ first role as DoR. In his first season as RFCLA Head Coach, he led the team to a 8-1-7 record and 3rd Place in the Western Conference to qualify for the postseason for the first (and only) time in team history. They fell to the Houston SaberCats in the Western Conference Semifinal. Immediately following the 2025 season, Rugby FC LA and the San Diego Legion announced that they would be merging to form a single franchise for the 2026 season, the California Legion. On 12th January 2026, the team announced their coaching staff, with Stephen Hoiles named as Head Coach.

Head Coach Record:

Overall: 19-1-13
LA Giltinis (2022): 11-5
Rugby FC LA (2025): 8-1-8
California Legion (2026):

Noel Reid

Irishman Noel Reid coach in Major league Rugby between 2025-2026. He served as Backs Coach of the Chicago Hounds.

Reid is a former MLR player, having played with the Toronto Arrows during the 2023 season. For his player page, click here. Capped for Ireland and a centurion with Leinster in the Pro 12/14 and URC, Reid turned his hand to coaching following the withdrawal of the Toronto Arrows from the 2024 MLR season, having represented them on the field in 2023, and re-signed for the 2024 season. He coached the Arrows Academy side as well as the Markham Irish in Ontario during 2024 with the likes of Canadian international Jamie Cudmore and MLR legend Sam Malcolm. Reid played at Leinster with ex-Hounds player and current Hounds minority owner Dave Kearney.

The Chicago Hounds announced the addition of Reid to their coaching staff on 2nd October 2024, along with Forwards Coach Todd Dammers. Both Reid and Dammers would return to the Chicago Hounds coaching setup for the 2026 season, following their heartbreaking Eastern Conference Final defeat the previous year.

Todd Dammers

Australian Todd Dammers coached in Major League Rugby between 2025-2026. He served as Forwards Coach to the Chicago Hounds for his entire MLR career.

The Hounds announced the addition of Dammers on 2nd October 2024 under head coach Chris Latham, alongside for Leinster, London Irish, and Toronto Arrows man Noel Reid who served as the Hounds’ Backs Coach in 2025. Dammers had previously worked with Latham while serving as Head Coach of the Souths Premier Rugby club in Australia, with Latham as Attack Coach. Dammers also served as Director of Rugby at Brisbane Boys College.

Malembe Mpofu

South African lock Malembe Mpofu played in Major League Rugby during the 2025 season. He represented the Seattle Seawolves for his entire MLR career.

Mpofu attended The King’s School West Rand in Johannesburg, South Africa before joining the Leopards for the 2021 Currie Cup Premier Division season. Mpofu moved from the Leopards to the Airlink Pumas where he made his Currie Cup debut in Round 1 of the 2022 season, where the Pumas would ultimately win their first Currie Cup title. He returned for the Pumas the following season, helping them return to the Final in 2023 where they finished as runners-up.

The Seattle Seawolves announced the signing of Mpofu on 28th September 2024 ahead of the 2025 season. He was one of the first new signings announced for 2025. Mpofu scored 3 tries in 10 games (all starts) for the Seawolves during his debut MLR season, helping Seattle to squeeze into the postseason, where they fell to the Utah Warriors in a game that Mpofu started. For his efforts, Mpofu was named as the Seattle Seawolves’ Breakthrough Player of the Year for 2025. On 8th July 2025, the Suzuki Griquas in South Africa’s Currie Cup announced the signing of Mpofu for the 2025 season. The following day, the Seattle Seawolves congratulated Mpofu and confirmed that this was a 3-month contract, keeping the possibility open that Mpofu may return to Seattle for the 2026 MLR season.