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.

Calvin Whiting

South African centre Calvin Whiting played in Major League Rugby between 2020-2023. Whiting represented the Utah Warriors for the entirety of his MLR career.

Whiting is a capped USA Eagle, qualifying for the US through residency after he moved from South Africa to Utah in high school. Whiting attended Brigham Young University in Utah between 2015-2019 as a Management major, earning his International debut for the USA in February 2017, against Chile in the Americas Rugby Championship.

The Utah Warriors announced the signing of Calvin Whiting in February of 2019 ahead of the 2019 season, but he didn’t earn his MLR debut until the 2020 season where he started all 5 games of the COVID-19 shortened season, scoring his first MLR try. From the 2020, Whiting was a regular in the Warriors lineup, earning 49 MLR caps between 2020-2023, starting 43 times. He scored a total of 4 tries and 115pts, with a personal best of 58pts in 2022 and a total success rate of 75.47% from the tee (40/53). As of the conclusion of the 2023 MLR season, he was one of only 5 players to have scored over 100pts for the Warriors. He earned a total of 6 MLR Team of the Week selections, 3 of these coming in the 2023 season where he gained over 700m and made 131 successful tackles.

On 26th September, 2023, Whiting announced his retirement from professional rugby at the age of 27.

Achievements:

MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Round 15
MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Round 14
MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Round 12
MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Round 16
10th in MLR Tackling: 2021 (183)
MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Round 15
MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Round 11

Bailey Wilson

Australian born USA-eligible flanker Bailey Wilson played in Major League Rugby between 2020-2026. He has represented the Utah Warriors (2020-2025), and the New England Free Jacks (2026).

Originally from Sydney, Wilson attended high school in Utah and played with United Rugby Club, earning USA High School All-American honors. He captained the USA U19 team at Rising Junior All-American Winter Camp, and the USA U20s against Canada in 2019. He is US Eligible through residency and earned his full test debut for the USA at the Vila International Rugby Cup in 2023, playing against hosts Spain as Eagle #570.

Wilson signed with the Utah Warriors ahead of the 2020 MLR season, and started all 5 games before the season was cancelled due to COVID-19. He finished 6th league-wide for tackles. He returned in 2021 to Captain the Warriors, and has earned 66 caps for Utah (59 starts) across his 5 seasons with the team to date, amassing over 2000m gained with ball in hand and over 650 tackles including an impressive 201 in the 2022 season when he finished T-8th in MLR. He has captained the Warriors on the field in each season from 2021-2023. On November 13th, 2024, the Utah Warriors announced the return of Bailey Wilson for their 2025 campaign where he started 9 of his 14 appearances and recorded 100+ tackles for the 5th season in a row. Wilson now sits on 782 tackles in his 80 game MLR career, along with 7 tries scored and just shy of 2,200m gained.

Following the withdrawal of the Utah Warriors from Major League Rugby in November 2025, Bailey Wilson headed east and signed with the New England Free Jacks on 23rd December, 2025. Wilson joins his brother Mitch in New England, who returns to the Free Jacks for the 2026 season after a season with Anthem RC.

achievements

T-8th in MLR Tackling: 2022 (201)
T-6th in MLR Tackling: 2020 (66)

Vatemo Ravouvou

Tuvere Vugakoto

Fijian hooker Ratu Veremalua Taukanoa ‘Tuvere’ Vugakoto played in Major League Rugby between 2020-2025. He represented the Utah Warriors for his entire MLR career.

Vugakoto captained the Fijian U20 side and has earned 10 test caps for his country since June 2018 against Samoa. Prior to MLR he represented the Fijian Drua in Super Rugby, and the Fijian Latui in the short-lived Global Rapid Rugby competition.

Vugakoto’s move stateside was initially announced by the Utah Warriors in November 2019, ahead of the 2020 MLR season, where he started all 5 games before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the season. Since making his debut in MLR, Vugakoto has been a regular in the Warriors lineup, earning 47 caps for the Warriors (26 starts) through his first 4 seasons in Major League Rugby, scoring 7 tries total including a high of 3 in 2022. On 21st November 2023, the Utah Warriors announced the return of the then-25yo Tuvere Vugakoto for the 2024 MLR season, where he scored 1 try in 3 appearances to earn his 50th appearance in MLR, all for the Warriors. On January 15th, 2025, the Utah Warriors confirmed the return of Tuvere Vugakoto for his 6th season in the competition in 2025.