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.

Sione Mahe

Utah native Sione Mahe played in Major League Rugby between 2023-2025. He represented the Utah Warriors for his entire MLR career.

Born in Provo and sharing the hometown of Herriman with the Utah Warriors, Mahe played with the Canyons during the 2022 Collegiate Rugby Shield, a Utah-based event to identify MLR prospects. The Warriors announced the signing of Sione Mahe shortly into the 2023 season, in March of that year but did appear in a regular MLR game for the Warriors. Following the 2023 season, the Utah Warriors announced the re-signing of SIone Mahe in early November, ahead of the 2024 MLR season where he earned his MLR debut for his hometown team, starting 2 of his 3 appearances and earning 90m gained in posession before suffering an ACL injury that ruled him out for much of the year.

On December 31st, 2024, the Utah Warriors announced the return of Sione Mahe for his 3rd season with the team in 2025.

Ani Mteto

South African fullback Anelisa ‘Ani’ Mteto played in Major League Rugby between 2023-2024. He represented the NOLA Gold (2023) and the Dallas Jackals (2024).

Born and raised in South Africa, Mteto played with the U21 Western Province side before heading stateside, where he attended Iowa Central Community College from 2017-2018 before transferring to rugby powerhouse Lindenwood University from 2018 to his graduation in 2022. Post graduation, he played with the NOLA Gold academy in the fall of 2022, before being signed to a MLR contract in December 2022, ahead of the 2023 season.

He did not appear for the Gold during 2023, and on 1st November 2023, the Dallas Jackals announced that they had signed Mteto for the 2024 MLR season, where he will be hoping to make his debut.

Phil Bradford

Australian hooker Phil Bradford played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2025, representing the Utah Warriors for his entire MLR career.

Bradford represented West Harbour before moving to the Hunter Wildfires since 2020, both in Australia’s Shute Shield competition. He also spent 2019/20 with Ciencias Rugby Sevilla in Spain. Bradford’s signing was announced by the Warriors on 1st November 2023, ahead of the 2024 MLR season.

In his debut season in North America, Bradford scored 3 tries in 12 games (3 starts) for the Utah Warriors and gained just under 250m with ball in hand from the front row. For his efforts in 2024, Bradford was named as the 2024 Utah Warriors Guerilla Squad Player. On December 24th, 2024, the Utah Warriors announced the return of Phil Bradford for a second MLR season in 2025.

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MartĂ­n Sigren

Chilean back row MartĂ­n Sigren played in Major League Rugby during the 2024 season. He represented the New England Free Jacks for his entire MLR career.

Sigren earned his international debut for Chile in 2016 and has earned 31 caps for his country through the end of 2023. He has captained Los CĂ³ndores since 2020, including their World Cup qualification Campaign, and started all 4 games of RWC 2023 in France, against Argentina, England, Japan, and Samoa. Prior to MLR, MartĂ­n Sigren represented Selknam – Chile’s club in SLAR, now Super Rugby Americas – between 2020-2022, before moving to the Doncaster Knights and becoming the first Chilean to play professionally in England, representing the Championship side during the 2022/23 season.

Sigren’s signing was announced by the Free Jacks on 1st November 2023, ahead of the 2024 MLR season where he earned 10 appearances for the Free Jacks (9 starts) and completed over 120 tackles as they qualified for the post season as the 1st seed in the Eastern Conference. Sigren did not feature in the 2024 Championship Series as the Free Jacks successfully defended their title and earned back-to-back MLR Shields, the first of Sigren’s career. Following his lone season in MLR, Sigren returned to Chile to re-join their Super Rugby Americas franchise Selknam, where he has been playing since.

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Jean Droste

South African lock Jean Droste played in Major League Rugby during the 2024 season, representing the Seattle Seawolves.

Droste is an experienced player, with 2024 being his 10th professional season. He has played in the Currie Cup with the Sharks XV (2016-2018) as well as their Super Rugby side from 2017-2018, as well as the Blue Bulls Currie Cup side in 2019, and the Free State Cheetahs in 2021 and 2023. He has also played in Japan, representing the Kubota Spears in 2018-2019, the NEC Green Rockets in 2020, and the Munakata Sanix Blues.

The Seattle Seawolves announced the signing of Droste on 29th October 2023, ahead of the 2024 MLR season. He completed 125 tackles and ran for over 250m gained in his debut MLR season, earning 13 appearances (all starts) as the Seawolves qualified for the post-season with a strong 11-5 record. Seattle saw off the San Diego Legion and the Dallas Jackals before falling 11-20 to the New England Free Jacks in the 2024 Championship Final, which Droste started, completing 12 tackles.

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Mahonri Ngakuru

New Zealand-born Tongan lock Mahonri ‘Moni’ Ngakuru played in Major League Rugby during the 2024 season, representing the Seattle Seawolves.

The Seattle Seawolves announced the signing of then-23yo Mahonri Ngakuru of 29th October 2023, joining from North Harbour in the NPC, where Ngakuru had played since 2021, representing the Tasman Mako (2021-2022) and North Harbour in 2023. He also represented the Moana Pasifika Super Rugby side between 2022-2023.

Piers von Dadelszen

Canadian forward Piers von Dadelszen played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2026. He represented the New England Free Jacks for his entire MLR career.

British Columbia Native von Dadelszen played with the Canadian U18 side, and is a fully capped Canadian international after earning his debut in 2022, and was selected as part of the Canada squad for their November 2023 tests in Spain. He joined the New England Free Jacks from the Oxford University Blues, where he was studying at St Edmunds Hall for his Master’s Degree in Engineering.

The Free Jacks announced the signing of Piers von Dadelszen on 28th October 2023, along with Cameron Nordli-Kelemeti for the 2024 MLR season. He scored 2 tries in 14 games (8 starts) in his debut MLR regular season, completing over 100 successful tackles as the Free Jacks finished atop the Eastern Conference. For his performance in 2024, von Dadelszen was names as Free Jacks Rookie of the Year. Dadelszen started all 3 of the Free Jacks post-season games in 2024 including the Championship game, helping New England triumph over the Seattle Seawolves to lift their 2nd MLR Shield in as many seasons.

On November 13th, 2024, the New England Free Jacks announced the return of Piers von Dadelszen for 2025, again alongside Cam Nordli-Kelemeti, and Tevita Sole. Von Dadelszen started 15 of his 16 appearances for the Free Jacks in 2025, completing just shy of 150 tackles to help New England secure their third (and his 2nd) MLR Shield in a row. His 15 starts and 145 tackles were both career highs. Von Dadelszen was a regular for Canada throughout 2025, starting every single one of their 9 tests that year and while he was touring with the team for their November tests, the New England Free Jacks announced the return of Piers van Dadelszen for his 3rd MLR season in 2026.

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Cameron Nordli-Kelemeti

Fijian-born scrum-half Cameron Nordli-Kelemeti played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2025. He represented the New England Free Jacks for his entire MLR career.

Born in Suva, Nordli-Kelemeti earned a scholarship to a prep school in North Yorkshire, England. He played rugby with the Newcastle Falcons U18 squad before earning a full-time contract with the senior team in the English Premiership in 2018. He played with the Falcons until 2023, when he made the move stateside. He also played for the England U18 squad, and is eligible to represent England, Fiji, and Canada through adoption and so will be classed as a domestic player in MLR.

The New England Free Jacks announced the signing of Cameron Nordli-Kelemeti on 28th October 2023, alongside Canadian international Piers von Dadelszen. Nordli-Kelemeti earned 14 appearances and 8 starts for the Free Jacks during the 2024 regular season, helping them secure a playoff spot. He did not feature in the post-season as the Free Jacks would successfully defend their 2023 Shield, going back-to-back. On November 13th, 2024, New England announced the return of Cam Nordli-Kelemeti for the 2025 season alongside Tevita Sole and again, Piers von Dadelszen. He scored 5 tries in 14 games during the 2025 season, increasing his starts from 8 to 10 and earning two MLR Team of the Week selections to help the Free Jacks secure their third straight MLR Shield, the 2nd of Nordli-Kelemeti’s career.

Following MLR’s shift towards domestic talent for the 2026 season, Cam Nordli-Kelemeti was released by New England after 2 seasons with the Free Jacks. On 4th December it was announced that the scrum-half had joined the Doncaster Knights in the English Championship as short-term injury cover.

achievements
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 16
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 12
  • 2024 MLR Champion: New England Free Jacks

Brock Gallagher

Alberta native Brock Gallagher played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2025. He represented the Dallas Jackals (2024) and the Seattle Seawolves (2025).

Prior to his entry into MLR, Gallagher had represented Canada at U18, U19, and U20 levels, and has played with the Loggerheads in Premier Rugby Sevens between 2022-2023, winning the men’s title both years. He also played with the Cape Town Wild Dogs in the Rugby Tens Series.

On 26th October 2023, the Dallas Jackals announced the signing of Gallagher for the 2024 MLR season. He earned 15 appearances for the Jackals during their remarkable 2024 season, scoring 1 try and helping them qualify for the playoffs for the first time in team history. He came of the bench during their nailbiting Western Conference Final defeat to the Seattle Seawolves. Following the 2024 season, the Dallas Jackals and MLR announced that the team would not participate in the 2025 season. In the subsequent dispersal draft, Gallagher was selected 21st by the Seattle Seawolves, who confirmed his signing on December 4th, 2024.

Prior to his appearance for the Jackals in the 2024 playoffs, Brock Gallagher earned his test debut for Canada when he came off the bench against Scotland in the July tests. He earned his first start for Canada against Romania in the 2024 November tests.

 

Killian Coghlan

Boston-born Irishman Killian Coghlan played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2026. He represented the New England Free Jacks for his entire MLR career.

Deemed a domestic player because he was born in the US, 23yo Coghlan was selected for the USA U20 side in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled all fixtures. He joined the Free Jacks from the University of Cork Constitution in the All-Ireland League, where he had been playing between 2019-2023. Coghlan earned 4 MLR appearances from the bench during the Free Jacks’ successful 2024 season, helping them to go back-to-back and lift his first MLR Shield.

On 6th November 2024, the New England Free Jacks announced the return of Killian Coghlan for the 2025 season where he set career highs across the board. He started more games in 2025 than he played in the season before and earned 9 appearances total, racking up an even 200m gained in possession (20x his total from 2024), and 23 of his 29 total MLR tackles. Coghlan helped the Free Jacks to their 3rd successive MLR shield in 2025, Coghlan’s second. On 24th November 2025 the New England Free Jacks announced the return of Killian Coghlan for his 3rd Major League Rugby season in 2026.

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