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.

Connor McLeod

New Zealand scrum-half Connor McLeod played in Major League Rugby during the 2023 season. He represented the Utah Warriors for his entire MLR career.

McLeod represented the Hawke’s Bay Magpies in New Zealand’s NPC for 3 seasons before heading stateside, and was a member of the Hurricanes’ Super Rugby Development Squad from 2020-2021. McLeod appeared in all 16 regular season games for the Warriors in his inaugural MLR season including 13 starts, and scored 5 tries.

Connor McLeod recorded a hattrick in the Warriors’ 26-36 road win over Dallas in Week 13 of the 2023 season. He dotted down 3 times within the first 19 minutes of the game to set a new record for the fastest hattrick to start a game in league history! His 3 tries in a 13 minute span (6th, 8th, and 19th mintues) is also the 2nd shortest 3-try span in league history, follow a James Malcolm hattrick in a 9 minute span for the Seattle Seawolves in 2021.

On July 10, 2023 McLeod was included in an updated Hawke’s Bay squad for their 2023 NPC season, and he did not return to MLR for 2024.

Achievements:
  • Fastest hattrick to start a MLR game – 19 minutes
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Week 13
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Week 8
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Week 7

Kevin Morgan

NY-native Kevin Morgan appeared in the 2023 MLR season after signing with the expansion Chicago Hounds on 9th February, 2023 from New York Athletics Club Rugby. The Winger earned 2 MLR caps for the hounds in a depth role before being traded to the Dallas Jackals on March 27th, 2023 in exchange for 2023 Salary Cap Considerations and the Dallas Jackals’ 2nd Round Draft Pick in 2023.

Duke Krishnan

Malaysian lock Dinesvaran ‘Duke’ Krishnan played in MLR during the 2024 season. He represented the Chicago Hounds for his entire MLR career.

Raised in Sengai Petani, Krishnan moved south to the city of Penang for secondary school. He discovered rugby here and represented his school & district before switching to play soccer and volleyball during high school. He returned to rugby following his graduation in 2007, playing with the Bukit Mertajam Rhinos before being called up to play with the Malaysia U20 side at an Asia RFU U20 Tournament in Brunei. The following year, Krishnan moved from the Rhinos to the Combined Old Boys Rugby Association (COBRA) where he played on and off between 2008-2015. During his time with COBRA, Krishnan also played for the Malaysia National Sevens team in China, Thailand, and Brunei, as well as the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. In addition to the Sevens side, Krishnan earned 12 test caps for Malaysia at fifteens level.

In 2013, Krishnan spent 2 months training with the Blue Bulls in South Africa, before moving to Japan to play with the Yamaha JĂºbilo (now the Shizuoka Blue Revs) in Japan’s Top League (now League One) which he did between 2013-2018. In 2018, he was teammates with fellow MLR-er Gerrie Labuschagne (Houston SaberCats). For 2019, he moved on from the Blue Revs to the Hino Red Dolphins, where he played between 2019-2023.

In January 2023, the Chicago Hounds announced the signing of Duke Krishnan for their inaugural MLR season in 2023. He earned 10 MLR appearances for the Hounds, starting 6 times and scoring 1 try. On 22nd January 2024, Krishnan announced on Instagram that he was hanging up his boots and retiring from playing professional rugby. He established Duke Performance Empire (DPE), focusing on grassroots rugby in Malaysia.

achievements

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Round 17
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Round 3
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2023 – RD 1: Rugby ATL v Toronto Arrows

The 2023 Major League Rugby season kicked off with the Toronto Arrows visiting the newly rebranded Rugby ATL to contest the Fire & Ice Cup!

Rugby ATL have never relinquished the trophy and this game was no different. Both teams shaking off offseason rust, but ATL taking their opportunities better against a pretty solid Toronto defence. The Arrows attack was lack ing for the majority of this game, but they did manage to salvage a losing BP from this game, scoring all 10 of their points within the last 5 minutes.

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Luke Campbell

New Zealand Scrum-half Luke Campbell played in Major League Rugby between 2023-2025. He represented the NOLA Gold for his entire MLR career.

Not to be confused with Canadian international forward Luke Campbell who announced his retirement in December 2022, Campbell’s move to MLR was announced relatively early in the offseason with the NOLA Gold announcing the addition in September 2022. He joined from Manawatu in New Zealand’s NPC Competition having also earned a dozen appearances for Super Rugby’s Hurricanes in 2021, before signing with Narbonne in France on a 1-year deal.

Campbell’s debut MLR season saw the then-27yo earn 13 MLR caps for the NOLA Gold including 10 starts, scoring 4 tries for the Gold in their up-and-down 2023 season. He gained 331m which is relatively high for a scrum-half. On July 26th, 2023, Campbell was included in the Manawatu squad for their 2023 NPC season, but returned to MLR with the Gold for their 2024 season in which they qualified for the playoffs for the first time in club history. In that season, he scored 3 tries and 19pts in 14 games (all starts), racking up a personal best of 352m gained. Campbell started NOLA’s first ever MLR Playoff game against the Chicago Hounds, a 21-45 home defeat where the score line does not really reflect how tight the game was.

Campbell rejoined the Manawatu Turbos during the MLR offseason. The Turbos announced this on 19th June 2024. On December 21st, 2024, the NOLA Gold announced the return of Luke Campbell for his 3rd MLR season in 2025, having spent the offseason with Manawatū.

achievements

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 8
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 6

Jordan Jackson-Hope

Australian Centre/Fly-half Jordan Jackson-Hope played in Major League Rugby between 2023-2024, and again in 2026. He represented the NOLA Gold (2023-2024) and Old Glory DC (2026).

Jackson-Hope represented the Wallabies during the 2016 Junior World Championship, and made his Super Rugby debut with the Brumbies that same year, representing them between 2016-2019. He moved to Japan in 2019, representing the Toyko Shokki Shuttles in Division 2 of the Japanese Top League (now League One) before returning to Super Rugby in 2020 with the Sunwolves. He stayed in Japan until 2022, representing Tokyo Gas between 2020-2022. He joined the Gold via the Eastern Suburbs in Australia’s Shute Shield competition.

Jackson-Hope earned 12 MLR caps with the Gold in his debut season in North America (all starts), scoring 2 tries and 16pts (2/3 from the tee) and racking up over 800m gained with ball in hand while completing 126 successful tackles. He earned a MLR Team of the Week selection during Round 3. For his standout performance through the 2023 season, he was named both the Back of the Year and Player of the Year at NOLA Gold’s end of season awards. On 11th December 2023, NOLA Gold announced that they had extended their contract with Jordan Jackson-Hope through the 2025 MLR season. In his sophomore MLR season he scored 6 tries in 13 games including a stunning try in NOLA Gold’s first ever playoff game, a 21-45 loss to the Chicago Hounds. For his efforts in 2024, he was named as the NOLA Gold MVP for that season and earned a spot on the All-MLR First XV team.

Following the 2024 MLR season Jackson-Hope seems to have stepped away from rugby to focus on training and coaching. However, after a year away from Major League Rugby in 2025, he returned to North America for the 2026 season, signing with Old Glory DC on 10th February, 2026.

Achievements
  • 2024 All-MLR First XV
  • 2024 NOLA Gold Player of the Year
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 17
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 12
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 11
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 3
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 1
  • 2023 NOLA Gold Player of the Year
  • 2023 NOLA Gold Back of the Year
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 3

Rodney Iona

Australian born Samoan fly-half Rodney Esekia Iona played in Major League Rugby between 2023-2025. He represented the NOLA Gold (2023-2024) and the Seattle Seawolves (2025).

Rodney Iona played rugby all through high school and played with the Tuggeranong Vikings between 2011-2016, while also a member of the Brumbies Academy system, with whom he won the World Club Sevens Championship and attended the World Club Tens in 2013. Iona earned 15 appearances with the Canberra Vikings in Australia’s NRC competition, earning a Super Rugby debut for the Brumbies in 2014, and signing with them for the 2015 Super Rugby season. Following his time in Super Rugby, Iona headed to France to play in the Pro D2 with BĂ©ziers, earning 22 appearances but suffering a neck injury during the 2016/17 season. Upon his recovery he spent a few years in Spain with UE Santboiana in the DivisiĂ³n de Honor de Rugby. Iona then checked England off his list, spending the 2019/20 Championship season with the Jersey Reds before returning to Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic, playing with the Melbourne Rising and rejoining the Brumbies.

Iona is a capped Samoan international, earning his debut against Fiji in 2018 and earning 7 caps to date.

Rodney Iona was initially signed by the Utah Warriors ahead of the 2021 MLR season, but instead opted to play with the Brumbies in Super Rugby. He finally joined MLR with the NOLA Gold ahead of the 2022 season, in which Iona scored 3 tries in 12 games (all starts), and 80 pts total to finish 7th in MLR scoring. He returned with the Gold for the 2024 season, adding another 10 appearances (also all starts) and 2 tries with 42pts total as the Gold finally qualified for the post-season on their 7th attempt. Iona started NOLA’s first ever MLR Playoff game against the Chicago Hounds, adding 6pts in a 21-45 home defeat that was a much tighter game than the scoreline may suggest.

On 7th October, the NOLA Gold announced the departure of Iona ahead of the 2025 MLR season amongst a swathe of departures. However on October 23rd, the Seattle Seawolves announced the signing of Iona for their 2025 season, where he signed as a free agent.

achievements

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 17
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 10
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 6
  • 7th in MLR Scoring: 2023 (80pts)