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.

Finn Kearns

Australian back row Finn Kearns played in Major League Rugby between 2023-2024. He represented the San Diego Legion for his entire MLR career.

Kearns played with the famous Randwick Galloping Green between 2018-2022, including for the Premier side during 2022. He was supposed to play with the Legion for the 2022 MLR season but was unable to do so due to visa delays. Kearns made it stateside for 2023, earning 4 MLR caps for the Legion in their record-breaking 2023 campaign in which they advanced to the Championship Final, falling 24-25 to the New England Free Jacks.

On 23rd December 2023, the San Diego Legion announced the return of Finn Kearns for the 2024 MLR season.

achievements

  • MLR Runner-Up: 2023 (San Diego Legion)
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Round 13
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2023 – Rd 9: Toronto Arrows v New England Free Jacks

The New England Free Jacks completely dominate the Arrows in Toronto, setting new records in a trio of big categories.

With a total of 80pts scored, this sets a new record for points scored by a side in a single game, surpassing the previous record of 74 set by Seattle Seawolves in 2022. Their total of 12 tries also surpasses Seattle’s record of 11 to become the most tries scored by a side in a single MLR game. With the Toronto Arrows only scoring 5pts themselves, this game also sets a new record for the largest winning margin in a MLR game at 75, breaking the previous record of 67 also set by Seattle when they beat the Dallas Jackals 74-7 in 2022.

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Isaia Lotawa

Seattle native Isaia Lotawa played in Major League Rugby between 2023-2025. He represented the Seattle Seawolves for his entire MLR career.

Lotawa attended St. Mary’s College in California between 2018-2020, playing D1A rugby for the Gaels while there. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Lotawa travelled to Natotawa in Fiji to live with his family, playing with the Fiji U23 side while there. He returned to Washington state in 2022 and enrolled at Bellevue College while also playing for local club side, Seattle RFC.

Lotawa was added to the Seattle Seawolves MLR squad as a development player in 2023, and has represented the MLR team 9 times across 2 seasons from 2023-2024. He was a part of the Seawolves side that finished as MLR Runners-Up in 2024, falling 11-20 to the New England Free Jacks in San Diego.

On 8th October 2024, RGC 1404 in Super Rygbi Cymru announced the addition of Lotawa as a part of a player exchange program. Former RGC player Huw Taylor also represented the Seawolves in 2024, and it is believe he helped to orchestrate the exchange. Lotawa’s return to the Seattle Seawolves was confirmed when he was included on their full 2025 roster on Jaunary 14th, 2025

achievements

Monate Akuei

Kenyan back row Monate Akuei played in Major League Rugby between 2023-2024. He represented the Rugby New York Ironworkers (2023) and the Seattle Seawolves (2024).

Born in South Sudan, Akuei moved to Kenya as a refugee at a young age. He began playing Rugby for a U13 side in Kenya where he worked through to the senior side and played 3 years of both 15s and 7s. Akuei has 2 caps with the Shujaa, Kenya’s National Sevens side, and 6 caps with the Simbas, the national 15s side. He moved to the United States in 2020 and played with New York’s Old Blue in the ARP since 2021.

In April 2023, the Rugby New York Ironworkers announced the addition of Akuei at the signing deadline for the remainder of the 2023 season. He earned 6 starts and 8 caps during the back half of the season, completing almost 100 tackles and gaining over 250m as a real impact player for the Ironworkers. Following the announcement in December 2023 that the Ironworkers would not compete in the 2024 MLR season, Akuei found himself out of contract and travelled to Texas to play with the Austin Blacks, before returning to Captain NY Old Blue in early 2024.

On 23rd May 2024, ARN’s Bryan Ray announced that the Seattle Seawolves had signed Akuei prior to the 2024 signing deadline (May 16th) for the remainder of the 2024 season to prop up the Seawolves‘ ailing back row. He joined a large contingent of ex-Ironworkers including Sam Windsor, Kara Pryor, and DaQuan Perry. Akuei scored 2 tries in 5 games for the Seawolves (all starts), earning 2 MLR Team of the Week selections and racking up over 150m gained and completing over 65 tackles to help the Seawolves lock down a playoffs spot. Akuei did not feature in the MLR post-season in 2024 as Seattle advanced to the Championship game, finishing as runners-up.

achievements

  • 2024 MLR Runner-Up: Seattle Seawolves
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 18
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 13