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.

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Steveni Lombard

Hawaiian-raised Tongan hooker Steveni Lombard represented the Chicago Hounds during the 2023 Major League Rugby season.

Lombard has had a fascinating career so far. He attended Kahuku High School in Hawaii and played American Football alongside rugby. He had a trial with the Dragons in Wales before spending a couple of years as a religious missionary. He returned to the British Isles to play rugby for the Athlone Buccaneers in the All-Ireland League, becoming the 2nd player from Kahuku High School (after Roman Salanoa who plays with Munster) to play his rugby in Ireland.

On 24th April 2023, the Chicago Hounds announced the signing of Lombard for the remainder of the 2023 MLR season. He first appeared in a matchday 23 in Week 17, as the Hounds travelled to face Utah at Zion’s Bank Stadium.

2023 – RD 17: Houston SaberCats v Old Glory DC

The Houston SaberCats host Old Glory DC at SaberCats Stadium in the Lone Star State during Round 17 of the 2023 season.

Coming into this game, the SaberCats were still fighting with Utah for the 3rd Playoff spot in the Western Conference. Old Glory DC had already clinched a playoff spot but not home advantage, but chose a vastly different lineup for this game which included blooding two of their rookies, KoiKoi Nelligan & Mike Weir, who both made their MLR debuts in this game. The DC starting lineup was also the first time ever that Danny Tusitala did not start a game for DC, although he did appear off the bench in the 2nd half.

A BP win would give Houston the best chance at a playoff spot, and put the most pressure on the Utah Warriors, and that is exactly what they got. A convincing 31-7 victory over the visitors which they led for almost the entire 80 minutes thanks to two early tries from USA Eagle Christian Dyer.

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Mike Weir

Northern Irish born, Pennsylvania raised fly-half Mike Weir played in Major League Rugby between 2023-2024. He represented Old Glory DC for his entire MLR Career.

Mike Weir was introduced to rugby at an early age. He played at club level with the Doylestown RFC U13s right through High School and was identified as a talent early on, featuring for the Eagles Impact Rugby Academy (EIRA) U16s, U17s, and U18s and was named a High School All-American in 2017. Following High School, Weir enrolled at Dartmouth College where he continued his rugby journey, winning a D1AA title in 2019 and multiple Ivy League Championships at both 15s and 7s. In 2022, he featured for the USA U23 side and captained the Dartmouth Men’s team in his senior year, and was a nominee for the Rudy Scholz award that same year. Upon his graduatio, Weir declared for the 2022 MLR Collegiate Draft and was selected in the 3rd Round, 28th overall by Old Glory DC.

The Dartmouth grad made his first appearance in a matchday 23 for DC in Week 17 of his rookie 2023 season, when they travelled down to Houston to face the SaberCats. This would be the only MLR cap in Weir’s rookie season, but Old Glory DC announced the re-signing of Mike Weir on 22nd December 2023, ahead of the 2024 season. Weir remained with the Flags through the 2024 MLR season but did not appear at MLR level. In August 2024, he joined a business consulting firm in the DC area.

achievements
  • 2022 MLR Draftee – 3rd Round (28th Overall) – Old Glory DC

2023 – RD 16: Seattle Seawolves v Utah Warriors

The Seattle Seawolves host the Utah Warriors in a Western Conference clash at Starfire Stadium during Round 16 of the 2023 season.

With both teams fighting for the playoffs, it was bound to be an entertaining contest that did not disappoint. The Seawolves emerged as 27-20 victors, but not before Utah’s Joe Mano scored his 13th & 14th tries of the 2023 season to give him the lead in the try scoring race with 2 games to go!

Even though they were denied the 4 try bonus point, Seattle still clinched their spot in the playoffs, and are the only team left challenging the San Diego Legion for the #1 spot in the West and that bye to the Conference Finals! The Warriors did pick up a valuable losing bonus point, but now need to win both their remaining games to give themselves the best spot at the post-season, and hope that Houston slip up.

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2023 – RD 16: Rugby New York Ironworkers v Dallas Jackals

The Rugby New York Ironworkers host the Dallas Jackals at Mount Vernon Memorial Stadium in Round 16 of MLR 2023.

While Dallas has nothing to lose, the reigning champs are fighting to secure the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. This fight was greatly aided by a dominant 7 try, 43-14 victory for the hosts that saw them pick up all 5 points in the standings, putting the pressure on Rugby ATL and NOLA to win their next game to keep their chances alive.

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2023 – RD 16: NOLA Gold v Old Glory DC

Old Glory DC travel to Louisiana to take on NOLA Gold at the Gold Mine, with both teams fighting for a playoff spot in the 2023 Post-Season.

With a bonus point try scored by deadline acquisition and former NOLA Gold lock, Kyle Baillie. A convincing 15-28 scoreline, the visitors take all 5 points clinching a playoff spot for the first time in club history! For NOLA there is still a chance, but it’s become that much more difficult. They could well be extending their playoff drought into 2024.

It is unknown at this point whether OGDC will be the #2 or #3 seed in the east, however.

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KoiKoi Nelligan

Washington DC Native KoiKoi Nelligan played in Major League Rugby between 2023-2026. He represented Old Glory DC for his entire MLR career.

A native of Bethesda, MD, KoiKoi Nelligan swam and captained both the lacrosse and football teams at Severn School, winning MVP honours in both Lacrosse and Football. Nelligan enrolled at Army West Point and turned his athleticism towards rugby, playing with the Army team. Following his graduation from West Point, Nelligan declared for the 2022 MLR Collegiate Draft where he was selected in the 3rd Round, 34th overall by the San Diego Legion. On 7th December 2022 before he had a chance to suit up for the Legion, Nelligan was traded to his hometown Old Glory DC in exchange for DC’s 1st Round Draft pick in 2023 (10th overall, used to select James Rivers).

Having been signed by Old Glory DC ahead of the 2023 season, Nelligan earned his MLR debut and first MLR start for the Flags during the 2023 season, earning a pair of appearances in his rookie season. On 12th December 2023, Old Glory DC announced the return of Koikoi Nelligan for the 2024 MLR season and although he didn’t start a game in 2024, he earned 13 appearances for Old Glory DC and scored his first two MLR tries that year to help the Flags back to the postseason.

On December 2nd, 2024, Old Glory DC announced the return of Koi Koi Nelligan for his 3rd MLR season in 2025 where he took another step forward. In 2025, Nelligan scored 3 tries and started 5 of his 16 appearances to help the Flags back to the postseason for the 3rd year in a row. He completed over 100 tackles for the first time in his career (114) and gained 127m in possession, setting career highs across the board and earning a pair of MLR Team of the Week nominations for his performances. On 2nd December 2025, Old Glory DC announced the return of KoiKoi Nelligan for the 2026 season, his 4th in the competition

achievements
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 5
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 4
  • 2022 MLR Draftee: 3rd Round (34th Overall) – San Diego Legion