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.

Christian Alvarez

California native Christian Alvarez played in Major League Rugby during the 2022 MLR season. He represented the NOLA Gold for his entire MLR career.

Alvarez moved from California to New Zealand at the age of 10 playing with Counties Manukau’s u18 side in 2016, the same year that he moved back to the US and enrolled at Penn State Berk’s. Alvarez declared for the 2021 MLR Collegiate Draft and was selected  in the 2nd Round, 22nd overall by NOLA Gold, who then signed him in January of 2022.

Alvarez appeared in 2 MLR games during his rookie season, earning his debut in a 53-36 away loss against the Toronto Arrows. Following the season in August of 2022, the NOLA Gold traded Alvarez to the Austin Gilgronis in exchange for 2023 Cap Considerations (undisclosed). The Gilgronis had been disqualified from the 2022 season prior to the Championship Series, and although it would not be the last move they made, Alvarez would be the last player acquired by Austin.

In October of 2022, MLR announced that Austin (along with LA) had been expelled from Major League Rugby, and the team subsequently folded. To date, Alvarez has not returned to MLR. He has been playing club rugby with the Austin Huns, and has represented Mexico at both 7s and 15s test level.

Achievements:
  • MLR Draftee: 2021 – 2nd Round (22nd overall) – NOLA Gold

Taris Schramm

Utah native Taris Schramm played in the 2022 season of Major League Rugby. He represented his local team, the Utah Warriors.

Schramm played with the Utah Selects in the Warriors’ pathway in the fall of 2021, leading to a call up to the ‘big club’ in January 2022 ahead of the 2022 MLR season. Schramm earned his MLR debut in Round 11 of 2022, a narrow 22-21 away loss to Old Glory DC.

 

Rohan O’Regan

Australian Back row Rohan O’Regan played in Major League Rugby during the 2022 season. He represented the San Diego Legion.

O’Regan joined the Legion in December 2021 from Sydney University, where the then-27yo had captained their 1st side since 2018. He earned his MLR debut off the bench in Round 6 of the 2022 MLR season, as the Legion were narrowly defeated by Rugby New York, 26-23.

Achievements:

Joe Walsh

New Zealander Joe Walsh played in the 2022 Major League Rugby season. He represented the San Diego Legion.

Walsh’s signing was announced in January of 2022, joining on a 1 year deal from the Southland Stags in New Zealand’s NPC competition, where he has played since 2016. He made his MLR debut off the bench in Round 6 of the 2022 season in the Legion’s away clash with Rugby New York, that they ultimately lost 26-23 after a late penalty cost the Legion the draw.

Achievements:

 

 

Johnathan Grzeszczyk

Connecticut native Jonathan Grzeszczyk played with Rugby New York (now the Rugby New York Ironworkers) during the 2022 Major league Rugby season.

The 6’2 flanker has yet to make his MLR debut, but was first named in a match day 23 in Round 6 of 2022 as NY took on the San Diego Legion.

Dillon Shotwell

Texas native Dillon Shotwell played in Major League Rugby during the 2022 season. He represented the San Diego Legion for his entire MLR career.

The Sam Houston State hooker is a MLR draftee, selected in the 3rd Round (28th overall) by the Houston SaberCats in the 2021 MLR Collegiate Draft. Shotwell spent the fall of 2021 with Rugby HTX, the SaberCats’ academy side, before Houston traded Shotwell to the San Diego Legion in January 2022 along with 2022 Salary Cap Considerations (details unknown) in exchange for Aaron Mitchell.

Shotwell’s only time at MLR level came during his rookie season, when he was named on the bench of the Legion’s Round 5 clash with Old Glory DC, but did not feature.

Achievements:

Ayemere Oiyemhonlan

California native Ayemere Oiyemhonlan participated in Major League Rugby between 2021 & 2022. He played with Old Glory DC in 2021 before signing with the Dallas Jackals for the 2022 season.

On March 5th 2022, 5 weeks into the 2022 season, it was announced that the San Diego Legion had acquired Oiyemhonlan from Dallas. It is unknown if this was a trade and what (if anything) went the other way. Oiyemhonlan earned his MLR debut for the Legion the following day, in a 24-12 victory over Old Glory DC, his former team.

Oiyemhonlan also featured on the Locals roster for the Premier Rugby Sevens pilot event in October 2021.

Coleson Warner

Idaho native Coleson Warner played in Major League Rugby between 2022-2023. He represented the Utah Warriors for his entire MLR caeer.

A native of Pocatello, ID, Lindenwood alum Coleson Warner was drafted in the 2nd Round (25th overall) by Rugby ATL in the 2021 MLR Collegiate Draft. Shortly before the start of the MLR season in February 2022, Rugby ATL traded Warner to the Utah Warriors in exchange for 2022 Salary Cap Considerations (undisclosed) and Rugby New York‘s 3rd Round pick in 2022 (acquired by Utah in January 2022 in exchange for John Powers). This draft pick was subsequently flipped by ATL to the Houston SaberCats as part of a deal that saw Kian Meadon head to Atlanta on short term loan along with a 2022 1st Rd Pick (10th overall, used to select Matt Gelhaus), and Marno Redelinghuys head to Houston. This pick was eventually used by Houston to draft Brandon Karnes with the last pick of the 2022 Draft, 39th overall.

Despite being traded for a pick that no-one seemed to want, Warner earned his MLR debut with the Warriors in Round 5 of the 2022 MLR season, a record-setting victory over the Dallas Jackals that saw him become the 100th player to represent the Warriors in a MLR game (Warrior #100). He scored his only (to-date) MLR try on his debut, and earned 3 appearances for the Warriors that year as a reserve. Following the MLR season, Warner played with the Headliners in the PR7s competition, returning to the Warriors for the 2023 campaign, but he did not feature at MLR level. Warner spent a second summer playing with the Headlinders in the PR7s in 2023, and has played club rugby with Kansas City RFC since 2024.

Achievements:

  • MLR Draftee: 2021 – 2nd Round (25th Overall) – Rugby ATL

Darell Williams

California native Darell Williams played in Major League Rugby during the 2022 season. He represented the Seattle Seawolves for his entire MLR career.

Originally from San Francisco, winger Darell Williams attended San Francisco Community College before transferring to Life University in 2019, where he represented the Running Eagles. He declared for the 2021 MLR Collegiate Draft and was selected in the 2nd Round (16th overall) by the Seattle Seawolves. The Seawolves signed Williams for the 2022 season shortly after the draft, and he earned his MLR debut as a replacement for late in their Round 4 clash with the Austin Gilgronis. To date, this is Williams’ only MLR appearance.

Darell Williams has had a successful career in Sevens however, playing at RugbyTown 7s and earning an invite to USA Rugby development sides in Fiji and was eventually named to the USA roster during the 2023 PanAm Games in Santiago, Chile following a solid PR7s season with the Experts that year. Williams also played as part of a PR7s All-Stars team in Portland in November 2024, shortly before he was brought into the USA National Team residency in 2024 and earned his SVNS series debut in Dubai of that year.

Achievements:

Setefano Funaki

Tongan forward Setefano Funaki played in Major League Rugby during the 2022 season, representing the Seattle Seawolves.

The Seawolves announced Funaki’s signing in February 2022, a couple of weeks into the season. Funaki joined from Northland in New Zealand’s NPC competition, where he had played since 2019.

In his debut MLR season, Funaki earned 8 caps for the Seawolves (7 starts). Funaki was nor re-signed by the Seawolves for 2023, and has not played in MLR since 2022.

Achievements: