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.

Baden Godfrey

Australian back rower Baden Godfrey played in Major League Rugby during the 2026 season. He represented Anthem RC for his entire MLR career.

A native of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Baden Godrey developed in the Brumbies system, representing the U19s and ‘A’s in 2022 & 2023 while also playing with the Tuggeranong Vikings First Grade side for 3 years between 2022-2024. In November 2024 Godfrey was selected for the Australia Sevens squad, and in March of 2025 Godfrey signed with the Norths in the Shute Shield Competition.

On 23rd December 2025, Anthem RC announced the signing of Baden Godfrey for their 2026 Major League Rugby campaign. In his debut MLR season, Godfrey appeared in all 10 games for Anthem RC in 2026, starting 5 times and scoring 3 tries. He completed 112 for an average of 11.2 tackles per game, and made just shy of 300m in possession. He earned a Team of the Week selection in the final week of the regular season. On 26th June 2026, French Pro D2 side Stade Montois announced the signing of Baden Godfrey for their 2026/27 season.

achievements
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 11

NARDB Player #1,652

Jeron Pantor

Trinidadian utility back Jeron Pantor played in Major League Rugby during the 2026 season. He represented Anthem RC for his entire MLR career.

Born in San Fernando, Trinidad, Jeron Pantor was introduced to rugby at a young age and began playing as a teenager. He comes from a rugby family with his sister Captaining the Trinidad & Tobago Women’s Team, his brother represented the Men’s National team, and his father is the Technical Director of the St. Lucia RFU. Pantor played club rugby with the Exiles Youth Rugby Club, and was invited to play with the Mystic River Sevens side following his participation in the international Rugby Sevens tournament held in Tobago. From there, Pantor enrolled at Life University and represented the Running Eagles from 2020-2024.

Following his graduation from Life University, Jeron Pantor declared for the 2024 MLR Draft where he was selected in the 1st Round, 5th overall by Anthem RC, although he did not feature at MLR level during the 2025 season due to a knee injury that ruled him out for the entire season. Instead, Pantor focused on earning his Masters Degree and on 23rd December 2025, Anthem RC announced the return of Jeron Pantor for the 2026 MLR season.

NARDB Player #1,651

Kienan Higgins

New Zealand centre/fullback Kienan Higgins played in Major League Rugby during the 2026 season. He represented the New England Free Jacks for his entire MLR career.

A native of Upper Hutt, Kienan Higgins attended St. Patrick’s College in Silverstream, representing the 1st XV before moving up to Waikato and playing with Nothern United where he scored 18 tries in 32 games including a Jubilee Cup title in 2019. Staying on New Zealand’s North Island, Higgins joined Hawke’s Bay for their 2021 NPC season, and has represented the Magpies for their last 5 NPC campaigns, starting 13 of his 21 appearances and scoring 4 tries. 12 of these starts came in the 2024 & 2025 seasons.

On 22nd December 2025, the New England Free Jacks announced the signing of Kienan Higgins for their 2026 title defence. Prior to linking up with the Free Jacks, the Scottish-qualified Higgins signed a short-term deal with Edinburgh Rugby in the URC.

achievements
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 9
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 2

NARDB Player #1,650

Max Lehmann

US-eligible Australian winger Max Lehmann played in Major League Rugby during the 2026 season. He represented the New England Free Jacks for his entire MLR career.

Born in San Francisco, Max Lehmann mvoed to Australia at a young age and grew up playing rugby league, and first played professionally in the NSW Cup for the Parramatta Eels in 2022 where he scored 2 tries in 4 appearances. He moved from the Eels to the Brisbane Tigers the following season, playing in the Queensland Cup and scoring 16 tries in 22 games before making the move to England in June 2024, signing with the Bradford Bulls. Playing in the 2nd tier of English rugby league, Lehmann scored 6 tries in 12 games during the 2024 Championship season, where the Bulls lost in the Semifinals. Following a season in England, Lehmann returned to Australia and joined the South Sydney Rabbitohs, playing in the NSW Cup once again and scoring 6 tries in 8 games in 2025 before trialling with the Wests Tigers ahead of the 2026 Super Rugby season.

On 22nd December 2025, the New England Free Jacks announced the signing of Max Lehmann for their title defence in 2026. Although he did play with the junior Waratahs, this will be Lehmann’s first dip into professional rugby union.

NARDB Player #1,649

Remy Thomson

English scrum-half Remy Thomson played in Major League Rugby during the 2026 season. He represented the New England Free Jacks for his entire MLR career.

A native of Oxford in England, Remy Thomson played rugby for Hartpury College in the UK before making the move stateside. He enrolled at Notre Dame College in Ohio and captained the team to a NCR National Championship in 2023. With Notre Dame College shutting up shop, Thomson moved to Walsh University with the rest of the team where he continued to captain the rugby side and was selected as a NCR All American in 2024. Following his graduation, Remy Thomson declared for the 2025 MLR Collegiate Draft where he was selected by the New England Free Jacks with the final pick of the draft, 26th Overall.

On 15th December, the New England Free Jacks officially announced the signing of Remy Thompson for their 2026 title defence.

achievements

NARDB Player #1,648

Filimone Manu

New Zealander Filimone Manu played in Major League Rugby during the 2026 season. He represented the New England Free Jacks for his entire MLR career.

A native of Hamilton, NZ, Filimone went to high school in the US and is US-eligible on residency. He enrolled with American International College in 2023, helping the Yellow Jackets to back-to-back Liberty Rugby Conference postseason appearances. He was named an NCR All-American in back-to-back seasons while playing with AIC. In 2025, Manu was named to the Collegiate Rugby All-Stars Men’s National Shield Challenge where AIC excelled. Following his graduation from AIC, Manu toured Scotland with the New England Independents and although he was a member of the Free Jacks system, he was selected 15th overall by the Utah Warriors in the 2025 MLR Collegiate Draft.

Days after his drafting to the Utah Warriors, Filimone Manu was named to the USA Falcons squad for the famous Rugbytown 7s in Colorado, before returning to New England to play with the Independents at the New York 7s. Following the news in November 2025 that the Utah Warriors were withdrawing from Major League Rugby, the New England Free Jacks announced the signing of Filimone Manu on 15th December, 2025.

achievements

NARDB Player #1,647

Tevita Mapa

California born flanker Tevita Mapa played in Major League Rugby during the 2026 season. He represented the New England Free Jacks for his entire MLR career.

Born in Oakland, CA and raised in New Zealand with Tongan heritage, Tevita Mapa first started playing rugby in Australia with the Melbourne Rebels youth sides before playing with the Queensland Reds junior sides for both 15s and 7s. He played for the St. Joseph’s Nudgee College 1st XV outside of Brisbane and following his graduation he played with the University of Queensland Elite Mens 7s, also making his Premier Grade debut with Brothers in 2023. Later that year he enrolled at Life University, helping the Running Eagles to the 2023 ARP title. He graduated from Life U in 2025 and declared for the 2025 MLR Draft where he was selected with the first pick of the 2nd Round, 10th Overall, by the New England Free Jacks.

On 15th December 2025, the New England Free Jacks announced the signing of Tevita Mapa for their 2026 title defence.

Achievements

NARDB Player #1,646

Elias Garza

Texas native Elias Garza played in Major League Rugby during the 2026 season. He represented Anthem RC for his entire MLR career.

Although a native of Weslaco, TX, Elias Garza went to high school at Mauldin HS in South Carolina. He enrolled at Life University where he played rugby with the Running Eagles from 2020-2025, earning a National Championship appearance in 2025 where the Running Eagles fell to the UC Berkeley Golden Bears. The prop’s performances with Life U earned him a spot on the USA U23s tour to South Africa in the summer of 2025 playing under Anthem RC head coach Agustin Cavalieri, shortly before he was selected in the 1st Round, 6th overall by the Chicago Hounds in the 2025 MLR Collegiate Draft. Garza spent the fall of 2025 with the Hounds Senior Academy, facing the likes of the Midwest Thunderbirds and Canada’s Pacific Pride.

On 15th December 2025, Anthem RC announced that they had acquired Elias Garza for the 2026 Major League Rugby season on loan from the Chicago Hounds. It is unknown what the return for this loan was for the Hounds, as MLR has removed the Trade Wire from their site.

Achievements

NARDB Player #1,645

Ollie Aylmer

US-eligible Australian Ollie Aylmer played in Major League Rugby during the 2026 season. He represented the New England Free Jacks for his entire MLR career.

Born in New York, Ollie Aylmer moved to Sydney, Australia at a young age. He attended St Pius X College and played club rugby with Roseville Juniors and Shute Shield side Gordon, before playing with the Brumbies U19s in the Australian Super Rugby development championship. Aylmer studied at McKendree University in Illinois, captaining the rugby side there before returning to Australia where he was selected to play with the Australia U20 side in the U20 Rugby Championship and World Rugby U20 Championship in 2025. He was named to the Brumbies wider training squad for 2025 season.

On 12th December 2025, the New England Free Jacks announced the signing of lock Ollie Aylmer for their 2026 title defence.

NARDB Player #1,644

Alex Mackenzie

Seattle native Alex Mackenzie played in Major League Rugby during the 2026 season. He represented the New England Free Jacks for his entire MLR career.

Born in Japan but raised in Seattle, Crossover athlete Alex Mackenzie grew up playing gridiron football all through high school, playing both linebacker and running back. His first introduction to rugby was in his senior year, and he quickly fell in love with the sport as a back row. Mackenzie enrolled at Central Washington University and represented the Wildcats for 5 seasons, becoming an All-American in 2019. He graduated from CWU in 2021 and was clearly an impressive player, as he was invited to try out for a number of Japanese clubs.

Alex Mackenzie signed with the Urayasu D-Rocks in the Japanese Rugby League One in 2022 and represented them for 3 seasons, playing in both JRLO D1 and D2 leaving the club in June of 2025. On 12th December 2025, the New England Free Jacks announced the addition of Alex Mackenzie for their 2026 title defence.

NARDB Player #1,643