January has flown by and February has arrived and with it, Major League Rugby training camps! Players are heading to their teams and cities for 2026, and Training Camp will open in the next few weeks! One would hope that each team has announced their entire 2026 roster by then, but with MLR that’s never a sure thing. Welcome back to NARDB’s Player Moves Summary series, covering all the Player Moves around the league last week, January 26th to February 1st, 2026!
As regular readers are well aware, these weekly articles aim to keep fans up to date on every single player announcement to, from, and all around Major League Rugby ahead of the 2026 season. This week’s article kicks off as they all do, with the summary graphic for Player Moves announced between January 26th and February 1st, 2026, followed by last week’s re-signings:
Re-Signings
The Chicago Hounds kicked off last week’s Player Moves on January 26th by confirming that Premiership Rugby and Champions Cup winner Ollie Devoto would be returning for a 2nd season with the Hounds and in Major League Rugby in 2026! The English centre earned his Premiership debut with Bath at the age of 18 due to an injury crisis at the club, and would earn over 70 appearances between 2012-2016 as well as representing the England U20s and England Saxons (England A), and earning his test debut for England during their 2016 Summer Tests. The following year, Devoto signed with the Exeter Chiefs and would go on to earn over 100 appearances for the club between the Premiership, Premiership Rugby Cup, and Champions Cup between 2016-2024. His impressive list of achievements with the Chiefs includes 3x Premiership Runner-Up (2017/18, 2018/19, 2020/21), 2x Anglo-Welsh/Premiership Cup Titles (2017/18, 2022/23), 2x Premiership Champion (2016/17, 2019/20), and to top it off, a Champions Cup winner (2019/20). Devoto headed across the pond following his departure from Exeter, signing with the Chicago Hounds ahead of the 2025 MLR season, but this wasn’t just a holiday prior to retirement. Devoto started all 16 of his appearances for the Hounds in 2025 (of the 18 that the team played) and scored 3 tries on over 450m gained, also completing an impressive 154 tackles in total including 30 in the playoffs alone as the Hounds advanced to the Western Conference Final, where they fell to the New England Free Jacks in a heartbreaker. Although he didn’t lift the Shield, Devoto’s stellar debut MLR season didn’t go unnoticed. He was named the Chicago Hounds Back of the Year for 2025, as well as an All-MLR Second XV selection for his performance. Devoto will join the likes of USA Eagle Mark O’Keeffe and new acquisitions Tiaan Loots & Tavite Lopeti in the Chicago midfield.
The Seattle Seawolves made some noise with their first move of the week on 28th January, announcing the return of fan-favourite Seawolves veteran Lauina Futi for his 6th season with the team in 2026! Born in American Samoa, Futi grew up playing football as a running back, recording two undefeated seasons and back-to-back championships at Tafuna High School. He continued his football career after moving to California in 2014, playing with Allan Hancock College between 2014-2015 before moving to moving to Idaho and picking up rugby, then moving to Seattle in 2018 and joining Seattle RFC. He entered Major League Rugby with the Seattle Seawolves in 2021, and has proven an electric presence on the wing across his 5 seasons of competition so far. He has gained over 500m each season of his career, including a career high of 1,495m in 2023 when he finished 2nd league-wide and scored a career high 9 tries. On the subject of tries, Futi sits on 27 tries scored in 66 games (53 starts) after adding 6 in 13 games during the 2025 season, and is currently T-9th all-time in MLR tries scored with Mika Kruse, his 2025 teammate. 2x MLR runner-up Futi has recorded 3 hat tricks for the Seawolves in his career, one of only 2 players to record a ‘hat trick of hat tricks’ along with former Utah Warriors speedster Joe Mano. The fan favourie American Samoan is almost guaranteed to increase his try tally in the 2026 season, and re-joins the likes of Divan Rossouw in the Seawolves back three for 2026, with another signing announced shortly after…
The following day, the Seattle Seawolves announced their second returning back-three player of the week in South African fullback Duncan Matthews, who will join Divan Rossouw and Ina Futi in the back three for his 5th Major League Rugby campaign for the Seawolves in 2026. A native of Atlantis on the Western Cape, the former Springboks U20s man represented the Blue Bulls and Golden Lions in the Currie Cup before making the move to the US and joining the Seattle Seawolves for the 2022 MLR season. Matthews exploded in his debut season, with 7 tries in 16 games (all starts), and a massive 1,489m gained which led the entire league that year and remains his career high today. Matthews gained over 200m in his 2 playoff games for the Seawolves but played no part in the 2022 Championship Final, in which the Seawolves fell to Rugby New York. He was named to the All-MLR First XV for his efforts in his debut season. Over the next 2 years from 2023-2024, Matthews added another 4 tries in 18 games and over 1,600m gained as a reliable, effective runner for the Seattle Seawolves and featuring as a starter in the 2024 Championship Final where the Seawolves fell to the New England Free Jacks. His 4th year with the team in 2025 was another stand-out season for Matthews, adding 6 tries and recording over 1000m gained for the 2nd time in his career, finishing with 1,152m to lead the entire league for the 2nd time in his career and earning his 2nd All-MLR selection with a Second XV nod, as well as Seattle Seawolves Back of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year honours.. In his first 4 seasons with the Seattle Seawolves, 2x MLR Runner-Up and 2x All-MLR player Duncan Matthews has started every single one of his 47 appearances, scoring 17 tries and 89pts for the team on over 4,200m gained with over 150 tackles completed.
Intra-League Signings
Old Glory DC kicked off the week’s intra-league signings on 26th January when they announced that they had signed former Dallas Jackals and Anthem RC hooker Connor Robinson for 2026. A Massachusetts native, Robinson developed in the New England Free Jacks system as well as with Mystic River RFC, but an injury crisis for the Dallas Jackals catapulted him into Major League Rugby during the 2022 season. Although he would only earn 1 appearance for the Jackals that year (his pro debut!), he would return for a second season in Dallas in 2023, earning a further 9 appearances off the bench and scoring his first MLR try. Following 2 seasons in Texas, Robinson joined the newly created Anthem RC franchise ahead of their inaugural season in 2024, and was the regular first-choice hooker there. Robinson started 20 of his 25 games for Anthem RC across 2 seasons, 11 of which came in 2025 when he scored a career high 4 tries. He recorded over 100 tackles in both seasons with the Rising Stars, taking his career total to 281 completed and just shy of 400m gained in 35 appearances (20 starts), with 7 tries scored in total. Connor Robinson has a decent chance of getting solid game time with the Flags, joining Welsh international and fellow new arrival Kirby Myhill, as well as existing DC hooker KoiKoi Nelligan in competing for the 2 jersey. It’s possible that Nelligan and Robinson compete for the starting places, with 33yo veteran Myhill serving as backup.
The Flags would follow up the addition of Connor Robinson with their second front row signing of the week, adding Australian loosehead prop Liam Fletcher to their squad for 2026. The Brisbane native developed his game with both the Souths and Brothers clubs in the Queensland Premier Rugby competition, helping the latter to back-to-back Hospital cups between 2023-2024 before heading to the States to join the Chicago Hounds for the 2025 Major League Rugby season. In his debut season in North America, Fletcher would feature in 12 of the Chicago Hounds’ 18 games including both of their playoff matches, and completed 12 of his 60 tackles that year as a reserve in the Hounds’ heartbreaking Eastern Conference Final defeat to the New England Free Jacks. Fletcher scored his first MLR try for the Hounds and recorded over 100m gained (not bad for a prop), and now heads to the nation’s capital for his 2nd year in the competition. Although Fletcher will take up a valuable foreign player slot on the Flags’ gameday roster, the 26yo prop has proven himself a reliable and effective reserve front row. Will he transition into a starter with Old Glory DC in 2026? Who knows. Fletcher is the 6th prop announced by the Flags for 2026 along with fellow looseheads Bart Vermeulen and Canadian international Cali Martinez, and tightheads Paul Mullen, Patrick Beattie, and 2025 MLR Draftee Connor Devos. One would expect Martinez to be DC’s go-to loosehead, but even though it’s shorter than previous years, it’s still a long season.
The California Legion would make a splash with their first announcement of the week, also on the 26th January. The newly formed Legion confirmed the return of Los Pumas veteran scrum-half and 2025 MLR Back of the Year Gonzalo Bertranou for his 2nd season in Major League Rugby after representing Rugby FC LA in 2025. A true rugby veteran who signed with RFCLA to rekindle his international career for Los Pumas (which worked!), Bertranou earned his test debut for Argentina back in 2016, years before MLR had played a single game. He has racked up over 60 test caps to date and has represented his country at two Rugby World Cups, Japan in 2019 and France in 2023 when Argentina finished 4th. below international level, Bertranou is a veteran of both the URC and Super Rugby, playing with the Jaguares for their entire Super Rugby tenure from 2016-2020 before heading to the URC (Pro14 at the time), first with Benetton then the Dragons from 2021-2024. He was a standout in his debut season in MLR in 2025, appearing in 16 of RFCLA’s 17 games that season, and starting 15 times. A true general in control far more often than not, Bertranou could change games or serve as the catalyst for someone else to do the same with spectacular game management. He racked up nearly 700m gained (as a scrum-half!) and scored 6 tries, along with consistently flawless kicking and solid defence when required with 59 tackles made. For his outstanding season, Bertranou was deservingly named 2025 MLR Back of the Year, and selected as a part of the 2025 All-MLR First XV. He is the first scrum-half announced by the California Legion so far, and the 6th player in total.
Not done there, the very next day the California Legion followed-up the signing of the 2025 MLR Back of the Year with the signing of a 2020 NFL draftee for his 3rd season in Major League Rugby in 2026. Selected in the 6th round of the NFL draft, New England Patriots draftee and former Titans player Cassh Maluia has joined the California Legion for the 2026 Major League Rugby season, his 3rd year in the competition. Following his time in the NFL, Maluia joined the Colorado XOs crossover program (formerly MLR’s Colorado Raptors, later the American Raptors) developing his game in Glendale, CO until 2023. He entered Major League Rugby with the Chicago Hounds in 2024, earning his MLR debut and 2 starts in 7 games during his debut season, scoring a first MLR try and over 150m gained in a depth role for the Hounds. His performance for the Hounds earned the California native a spot with the San Diego Legion for the 2025 season, where he recorded career highs almost across the board with 6 starts in 9 games, adding a 2nd MLR try on 187m gained, and doubling his 25 tackles from 2024 to 50 in 2025. Maluia has started 8 of his 16 MLR appearances over 2 seasons, scoring 2 tries on over 300m gained with 75 tackles completed, proving himself as a reliable, domestic qualified depth option in the midfield. With San Diego now morphing into the California Legion along with Rugby FC LA, Maluia remains in his home state of California representing the Legion’s new iteration in his 3rd MLR season in 2026, and is the first of two centres announced by the California Legion last week.
The third announcement of the week for the California Legion and the second of the two centres announced was a big one. On 28th January, the new look Legion announced the addition of 2021 Champion and 2x Major League Rugby Back of the Year Billy Meakes for his 6th season in the competition in 2026. The former Gloucester and London Irish centre entered MLR with the LA Giltinis for their inaugural season in 2021, starting all 12 of his games en route to the 2021 Shield. He represented the Giltinis for their entire short tenure in MLR, recording 5 tries in 27 games (all starts) over 2 seasons, recording a massive 2,466m gained and over 250 tackles made to earn back-to-back MLR Back of the Year awards, the only player in league history to do so. Following the disqualification and subsequent folding of the LA Giltinis, the Chicago Hounds selected Meakes in the dispersal draft and signed the Australian for their inaugural season in 2023. Meakes would represent the Hounds for 2 years from 2023-2024, recording over 1000m gained each season (and 3 seasons in a row from 2022-2024) and recording another 180 tackles in 30 games for the Hounds, starting every time. Following his time in Chicago, Meakes returned to Los Angeles where he owns a coffee shop (Boulevard Neighborhood Coffee), signing with Rugby FC LA for their 2025 season. Meakes scored a career high 6 tries in 16 games (15 starts) for RFCLA, recording over 130 tackles made for the 4th successive season, and gaining over 600m. Through his first 5 seasons in MLR, Billy Meakes scored 13 tries and 73pts in 73 games (72 starts) across 3 teams, earning an All-MLR selection in every season he’s played in for an incredible FIVE selections in total as well as a MLR Shield in 2021 and a pair of MLR Back of the Year awards. He has completed 690 tackles to sit 5th in MLR history among backs, and is one of only 5 players in league history to have recorded over 5,000m gained, sitting 4th all-time with 5,346m. The level of talent and experience that the 35yo Meakes will bring to the team will be invaluable for the California Legion in their inaugural season as their new iteration, and it’s great that Legion fans will be able to see the veteran centre representing their team and the state of California in 2026.
Leaving their announcements so late means that the California Legion are inundating us with Player Moves, for their 4th signing of last week on 30th January they mixed things up a bit, announcing the signing of a forward to follow the 3 backs already announced. The Legion confirmed that they had added English flanker Ed Timpson to their squad for 2026 after he spent his debut Major League Rugby season with Rugby FC LA in 2025. Timpson attended the University of Nottingham, playing in the English University league, BUCS, during his time there as well as representing England Universities. Following his graduation, Timpson headed up to Scotland to play with Stirling in the Super 6 competition, before heading to Australia to join the Northern Suburbs in Sydney’s Shute Shield competition where he was named the team’s Player of the Season as they finished 2nd in the competition. After a season in Australia, Timpson returned to England after signing a short-term contract with the Bristol Bears until early 2025, whom he represented in the Premiership Rugby Cup before heading stateside to join Rugby FC LA for their 2025 MLR campaign, reuniting with his university teammate, Ben Sugars. The back rower enjoyed a solid debut season in MLR for RFCLA, scoring 7 tries in 15 appearances and helping the team to their first (and as it turns out, last) playoff appearance, the Western Conference Semifinal in which Timpson recorded a full 80 minute performance. Timpson scored his 7 tries on 379m gained, and recorded an impressive 164 tackles completed, earning the 2025 RFCLA Forward of the Year award. 24yo Ed Timpson now joins the likes of USA Eagles Christian Poidevin and RFCLA teammate Jason Damm in the California Legion back row, and like many former LA players, will already be very familiar with the coaching team for 2026.
Departures
Last week saw a pair of 2025 Major League Rugby Champions bid farewell to the club and explore other opportunities to play professional rugby overseas. On 26th January, Valley RFC in Hong Kong announced that they had signed former New England Free Jacks scrum-half Emanuel Lai for their 2026 season. The Hong-Kong qualified Connecticut native was drafted 36th overall out of Santa Clara University by the Free Jacks in the 2024 MLR Collegiate Draft, and was signed to a short-term MLR contract during their successful threepeat bid in 2025. Lai earned his pro debut off the bench in the Free Jacks’ Round 12 victory over the Houston SaberCats which was his only involvement at MLR level for New England during their threepeat season in 2025. He will likely enjoy more game time playing in the HKRU Premiership which will be crucial for the development of the 23yo. Lai is the 2nd player to leave MLR for Hong Kong this offseason, after San Diego Legion’s James Rivers signed with the Hong Kong Scottish back in December.
The second Free Jacks player heading overseas is Major League Rugby veteran and capped Canadian International, Cole Keith. His agency JP Sports Collective announced on 26th January that the prop had signed with the Doncaster Knights in the English Championship. The New Brunswick native entered MLR with the Toronto Arrows ahead of their inaugural season in 2019, also representing his country at the Rugby World Cup in Japan that same year. Keith represented the Arrows for 4 seasons from 2019-2022, starting 29 of his 46 appearances for the team and enjoying a superb 2022 season with over 400m gained and 142 tackles made in 16 games (13 starts), scoring all 3 of his career MLR tries. Following this career year, the Arrows traded Cole Keith to the New England Free Jacks in exchange for cap considerations. Cole Keith spent 3 seasons with the Free Jacks, starting 18 of his 33 games and helping the club to each of their 3 consecutive MLR Shields from 2023-2025. Across his 7 seasons in Major League Rugby, 3x Champion Cole Keith started 47 of his 79 appearances, recording over 1,100m gained and completing 517 tackles. Both relatively high for a prop forward. Keith continues to be a regular part of the Canadian national team lineup, helping the Maple Leafs qualify for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in 2025, and NARDB wishes him the very best of luck with the Doncaster Knights, currently sat 11th in the English Championship.
These two former Free Jacks weren’t the only confirmed departures from MLR announced last week. Back in September of last year, Old Glory DC announced the departure of dual capped US/Italian centre Tommaso Boni from the club after 20 appearances (16 starts) over the last two seasons with the Flags. Last week, Boni’s next destination was revealed and it was not in Major League Rugby. On 28th January, Mogliano Veneto Rugby in the Italian Serie A Élite announced the return of Tommaso Boni on a short-term contract until the end of June. USA Eagle #557 Boni previously represented Mogliano during his developmental years, and played with the senior team for 3 seasons from 2012-2015 before joining Zebre in the Pro12 (now the URC). It is somewhat surprising that a domestic-qualified USA Eagle could not find a spot on a MLR roster for 2026, even with significantly fewer roster spots available around the league. It’s possible that the 33yo born and raised Italian simply wanted to return home. Regardless, NARDB wishes him the very best of luck back in Italy after 2 seasons in Major League Rugby with Old Glory DC.
Wrapping Up
We enter February on the back of another busy week of Player Moves around Major League Rugby, thanks in part to the 4 new additions announced by the California Legion including TWO MLR backs of the year, as well as two intra-league signings for Old Glory DC and a trio of re-signings including a pair of veterans returning for the Seattle Seawolves! Additionally, three MLR names are heading overseas including capped USA Eagle Tommaso Boni, and Capped Canadian and 3x MLR Champion Cole Keith!
Thank you, as always, for reading this week’s Player Moves Article! A full 1-page summary confirms that Player Moves are still going strong into February, with no doubt more on the way this week. Be sure to check back here next Monday (9th February) to find out more about all of this week’s news. If there are any Player Moves that you notice, or just to say what you think about these articles or the site in general,, you can let NARDB/James know on social media: @MLRStats on Instagram/Threads, JamDelay & @NARugbyDB on Twitter/X, and @JamDelay & @NARDB on Bluesky! Alternatively, you can reach out to NARDB via the ‘Contact’ tab on this site.
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