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.

Gardy Lebon

Active United States Marine Gardy Lebon played in Major League Rugby between 2023-2024. He played with Old Glory DC for his entire MLR career.

Lebon attended the United States Naval Academy from 2014 until his graduation, and was a two-time Collegiate All-American and the rugby team’s vice-captain in 2018. He played for the Collegiate All-Americans against Oxford University in 2017. He plays with the Washington Irish and was signed with Old Glory DC for the 2023 season but did not see regular season action. As mentioned, Lebon is an active US Marine and much of his time is spent with his USMC commitments and deployments.

On 14th December 2023, Old Glory DC announced the return of Gardy Lebon for the 2024. Hopefully his commitments serving his country will allow for him to earn his MLR debut in 2024.

Chris Mickelson

Australian hooker Chris Mickelson played in Major League Rugby during the 2024 MLR season. He represented the San Diego Legion for his entire MLR career.

Mickelson has represented the Brumbies at age grade level, U16 & U19, and played for the Wallabies U20s in 2023. At club level he played with the Uni-Norths Owls in the ACTRU Premier Division. The San Diego Legion announced the siging of Mickelson on 10th December 2023, ahead of the 2024 MLR season.

Lincoln McClutchie

New Zealand fly-half Lincoln McClutchie played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2025. He represented the San Diego Legion for his entire MLR career.

McClutchie is a long-time Hawke’s Bay product, having played in both the U16 & U19 sides. He also played for the Hurricanes U18 side between 2015-2018. He has played for the Hawke’s Bay senior side since 2018 winning the Ranfurly shield in back-to-back years (2020-2021), and was the top points scorer in New Zealand’s NPC competition during the 2023 season. McClutchie has also 2 seasons in Super Rugby, representing the Moana Pasifika between 2022-2023.

The San Diego Legion announced the signing of Lincoln McClutchie on 8th December 2023, ahead of the 2024 MLR season. He finished the 2024 regular season as San Diego’s leading scorer with 81pts in 11 games (8 starts) including 2 tries as the Legion returned to the post-season for the 5th time in club history, but fell to their rivals the Seattle Seawolves in the Western Conference Semifinals. He finished 6th in MLR scoring during the 2024 season.

On 4th July 2024, the Hawke’s Bay Magpies announced that McClutchie would return for their 2024 NPC season but this did not exclude him from MLR, and on November 10th 2024, the Legion confirmed his return for the 2025 season.

achievements

  • 6th in MLR Scoring: 2024 (81pts)
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 3

Domingo Saavedra

Chilean centre Domingo Saavedra played in Major League Rugby during the 2024 season. He represented the NOLA Gold for his entire MLR career.

A Santiago native, Saavedra played his club rugby with the Old Grangonian Club, before playing professionally with Selknam, Chile’s club team in Super Rugby Americas (formerly SLAR). Selknam finished as runners-up in the 2022 season. Saavedra earned his international test debut in 2017, and represented Chile in their first ever Rugby World Cup in 2023 in France.

On 7th December 2023, the NOLA Gold announced the signing of Domingo Saavedra for the 2024 MLR season, but he did not feature in a Major League Rugby game that season due to a delayed visa. Instead, he remained with Selknam in SRA where he has been playing since.

Martin Vaca

Argentinian hooker Martin Vaca played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2025. He represented Old Glory DC for his entire MLR career.

Vaca represented Argentina XV in 2020, and the Pumitas U20 in 2021. He represented the Jaguares XV during their Championship winning 2021 season in SLAR (now Super Rugby Americas), before heading to France to represent Narbonne between 2022-2023, during which time he played with RCN in both the Pro D2 (2022) and the French Nationale (2023). On 7th December 2023, Old Glory DC announced the signing of Martin Vaca for the 2024 MLR season.

In his debut season in MLR, Vaca scored 5 tries in 11 games (9 starts), completing over 110 tackles and running for over 300m gained as Old Glory DC qualified for the post-season before falling 33-29 to the eventual champions, the New England Free Jacks. On December 3rd, 2024, Old Glory DC announced the return of Martin Vaca for their 2025 campaign, where he scored 2 tries in 3 appearances, starting once and gaining just over 50m gained. On September 19th, Old Glory DC announced that Vaca would not be returning for the Flags in 2026. On Christmas Eve 2025, Super Rugby Americas expansion side Capibaras included Martin Vaca on their roster when they announced their full squad for the 2026 SRA season.

achievements

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 2

Nick Grigg

Scottish eligible New Zealander Nick Grigg played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2025. He represented the Miami Sharks (2024), and Old Glory DC (2025).

Born and raised in New Zealand, Grigg is eligible to represent Scotland through his grandfather. He played his club rugby for Petone Rugby Club and represented the Wellington U20 side, as well as the Hurricanes Development XV. After a trial with the Glasgow Warriors in 2015, he signed with the Top 14 side (now the URC) in 2016 and made almost 100 appearances between then and 2021, during which time he also represented the Scotland Sevens side in 2016, and the Scotland 15s in June 2017 and through the 2018 Six Nations. Following his time with Glasgow, Grigg played with the NTT DOCOMO Red Hurricanes Osaka in Japan, and played as injury coverage for Carcassonne in the French Pro D2 in 2023. between 2022-2023 he also played with the Hawke’s Bay Magpies in New Zealand’s NPC, to whom he returned following the 2024 MLR season.

On 7th December 2023, the Miami Sharks announced the signing of Nick Grigg for the 2024 MLR season, where he scored 7 tries in 14 games during the Sharks’ inaugural season, gaining over 700m in possession and completing well over 100 tackles as the Sharks finished with a valiant 6-10 record, finishing 5th in the Eastern Conference. On February 13th, 2025, two days before that year’s MLR season kicked off, Grigg was included on Old Glory DC‘s roster for their 2025 Campaign, and will face his former team in the season opener.

achievements

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 14
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 4
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 16

Cassh Maluia

California native Cassh Maluia played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2026. He represented the Chicago Hounds (2024), the San Diego Legion (2025), and the California Legion (2026).

Former NFL player Maluia played football all through high school as well as for all 4 years at the University of Wyoming between 2016-2019. He was drafted 204th overall (6th Rd) in the 2020 NFL draft by the New England Patriots, and signed a short-term contract with the Tennessee Titans in 2021. Following this, Maluia joined up with the Colorado XO program (formerly Colorado Raptors of MLR, and the American Raptors of SRA) and played with the crossover program until 2023.

On 6th December 2023, the Chicago Hounds announced the signing of Cassh Maluia for the 2024 MLR season, where he earned 2 starts and 7 appearances, scoring 1 try and running for over 150m gained in possession. Maluia was released by the Hounds following the 2024 season, but on February 27th, 2025, the San Diego Legion announced the signing of Maluia for the remainder of the 2025 season, and was included in the matchday 23 for their Rd 3 clash with Old Glory DC. Maluia would enjoy a solid sophomore season in MLR, setting career highs almost across the board. He started 6 of his 9 appearances for the Legion, scoring a 2nd MLR try and gaining a career high 187m with an even 50 tackles completed (doubling his previous career high). Following the merger of the San Diego Legion with Rugby FC LA to form the California Legion, Maluia remained in California, with the Legion announcing his signing on January 27th, 2026 ahead of their inaugural season that year.

achievements
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 5

Guillermo Pujadas

Uruguayan hooker Guillermo Pujadas played in Major League Rugby during the 2024 season. He represented the Chicago Hounds for his entire MLR career.

A Montevideo native, Pujadas represented Los Teros U20s at the Junior World Rugby Trophy in 2016 & 2017, before making his full test debut in 2018 against Fiji. He has earned over 30 test caps since then, representing Los Teros at RWC 2019 in Japan and RWC 2023 in France. At club level, Pujadas represented Peñarol (Uruguay’s entry into SLAR/Super Rugby Americas) between 2020-2023, winning back-to-back championships in the latter 2 years of his stint.

The Chicago Hounds announced the signing of Guillermo Pujadas on 8th December 2023, ahead of the 2024 MLR season. He earned 8 appearances for the Hounds in his debut MLR season, starting twice and completing over 40 tackles. On January 9th, 2025, Pujadas’ old team, Peñarol, included him on their roster for the 2025 Super Rugby Americas season, ruling him out of a second season in MLR in 2025.

Ignacio PĂ©culo

Uruguayan prop Ignacio PĂ©culo played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2026. He represented the Chicago Hounds (2024-2025) and the Seattle Seawolves (2026).

Born in Argentina, PĂ©culo moved to Uruguay and represented Los Teros U20s between 2018-2020. He represented Peñarol, Uruguay’s club in SLAR (now Super Rugby Americas) between 2020-2023, winning back-to-back championships in the latter 2 years. Internationally, PĂ©culo played with Los Teros XV in 2020, earning a full test debut for Uruguay against Spain that same year. He represented Los Teros during the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.

The Chicago Hounds announced the signing of Ignacio PĂ©culo on 4th December 2023, ahead of the 2024 MLR season where he appeared in 14 games (6 starts) and scored 1 try as the Hounds qualified for the MLR playoffs for the first time in team history. PĂ©culo did not appear in their Championship Series games, however. On January 9th, 2025, the Chicago Hounds confirmed the return of Ignacio Peculo for a 2nd season in 2025. In his 2nd season with the Hounds, PĂ©culo earned a career high 17 appearances, featuring in all but 1 of Chicago’s games that season, and passed 150 career tackles in MLR thanks to 93 tackles completed during the 2025 campaign, also adding a 2nd try on 46m gained as a reliable reserve prop for the Chicago Hounds.

Following MLR’s crackdown on foreign players ahead of the 2026 season, Ignacio PĂ©culo wasn’t able to return to the Chicago Hounds for a 3rd season. However, on 3rd February 2026 the Seattle Seawolves announced that they had added the Uruguayan to their squad for 2026.

achievements

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 9
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 6
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 3

Dorian Jones

Welsh fly-half Dorian Jones played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2026. He represented the NOLA Gold (2024-2025), and the Seattle Seawolves (2026).

The son of former Canada head coach Kingsley Jones, Dorian started his professional career in Wales, representing the Newport Gwent Dragons (now just the Dragons) in the Pro 14 (now the URC) between 2013-2018. He spent a brief time with the Worcester Warriors in the English Premiership, before heading to France and playing with Soyaux AngoulĂªme in the Pro D2 until 2021. After a short time at Nice in the French Nationale, Jones moved to Carcassonne where he played between 2021-2023. He makes his move stateside from Agen, where he also played in 2023.

On 1st December 2023, the NOLA Gold announced the signing of Dorian Jones ahead of the 2024 MLR season, where he scored 1 try and 38pts in 5 games (all starts) for NOLA, helping them to finally qualify for a spot in the 2024 MLR Playoffs for the first time in team history. On December 21st, 2024, the NOLA Gold confirmed the return of Dorian Jones for his 2nd MLR season in 2025. In his sophomore MLR season, Jones would add 55pts scored in 7 games (all starts) during a tough year for the NOLA Gold as they missed out on the postseason, taking his career total to 93pts in 12 games (all starts), recording over 50 tackles and gaining over 350m in total.

Following the withdrawal of the NOLA Gold from Major League Rugby during the 2025/26 off-season, Dorian Jones headed northwest and signed with the Seattle Seawolves, who announced his addition to their 2026 squad on 5th February, 2026.

AchievementS

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 9