Eric Howard

Canadian hooker Eric Howard played in Major League Rugby between 2018-2023. He represented the NOLA Gold for his entire MLR career.

Internationally capped hooker Eric Howard was a stalwart of the NOLA Gold pack through the first 5 seasons of MLR. He was the 41st player in MLR history to reach 50 caps in the league, on 15th April 2023, and scored 15 tries in 55 MLR matches total, including 39 starts.

Howard had a standout season in 2019, scoring 9 tries in 14 games to finish as the league’s 4th highest try scorer. He also completed over 160 tackles and earned an All-MLR Second XV selection for his efforts.

Derrek van Klein

Bobby Johns

Michael Baska

Kansas native Michael Baska played in Major League Rugby between 2018-2021, and again between 2023-2026. He represented the NOLA Gold (2018-2019), the Utah Warriors (2020-2021), and the Chicago Hounds (2023-2026).

Baska played gridiron football through highschool, before attending Arkansas State University from 2012 to 2015, when he transferred to Lindenwood University which he attended until 2017, playing rugby throughout his university career. Baska signed with the NOLA Gold for MLR’s inaugural season in 2018. He earned 7 appearanced for the Gold in 2018 (6 starts), scoring his first MLR try and 9pts total (2/3 from the tee). Baska would represent the Gold for 2 seasons, earning 19 appearances in total (6 starts), before signing with the Utah Warriors ahead of the 2020 season. He appeared in 4 games in the truncated 2020 season before the season was shut down after 5 rounds due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the league returned in 2021, Baska earned 13 caps for the Warriors (all starts) and scored a career high 4 tries in a standout season which earned him his first MLR Team of the Week selection in Round 6.

Following the 2021 MLR season, Baska earned his test debut for the USA as well as a contract in France with Rouen Normandie in the Pro D2. After 2 years in France, he returned stateside ahead of the 2023 MLR season, signing with the Chicago Hounds for their inaugural MLR season. Baska earned a career high 16 appearances in 2023, appearing in every game for the Hounds, and starting 9 of them. He scored another try, racking up 224m gained with ball in hand and completed 83 tackles. On 2nd January 2024, the Chicago Hounds announced the return of Michael Baska for the 2024 MLR season, where he added 1 start and 6 appearances for the Hounds, taking his metres gained total over 900 (948m) and his tackle total over 200 (213). On December 31st, 2024, the Chicago Hounds announced the return of Michael Baska for his 7th MLR season in 2025, his 3rd with Chicago.

In 2025, He earned 2 starts in 12 appearances as the 3rd and later 2nd choice scrumhalf for the Hounds, passing both 250 tackles and 1000m gained in his career to help the Hounds to an 11-5 record, falling by the narrowest of margins to the New England Free Jacks in the Eastern Conference Final. On October 27th, 2025, the Chicago Hounds announced the return of Michael Baska for an 8th MLR season, and 4th with the Hounds.

Achievements

MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Round 6

Cam Falcon

Moni Tonga’uiha

California native Tesimoni ‘Moni’ Tonga’uiha played in Major League Rugby between 2018-2025. He has represented the NOLA Gold (2018-2025) and Anthem RC (2026).

A native of Oakland, CA, Tonga’uiha played football while at Fremont High School, and played club rugby with the Oakland Warthogs before joining the Santa Barbara Rugby Academy. he joined Life West in 2017 and played at centre before signing with the NOLA Gold ahead of MLR’s inaugural season in 2018. Moni Tonga’uiha has been a stalwart of the NOLA Gold, having played in 88 games (70 starts) for the team between 2018-2024.

Internationally, Moni Tonga’uiha earned his test debut as USA Eagle #545 against Uruguay in October 2021. He has earned 10 test caps for the USA through 2025.

Tonga’uiha was the 5th most capped player in MLR history as of the conclusion of the 2024 season, and by far the most capped Gold player. He has 11 career MLR tries, and started all 17 games for the NOLA Gold in 2024 when they qualified for the post-season for the first time in their history. With over 4,150m gained and close to 800 tackles completed, Tonga’uiha is easily in the MLRs Top Ten in both those categories, and will return to the Gold for an 8th season in 2025 on the final year of a 3yr contract signed in 2022. His return was confirmed by the team on 8th January, 2025. During a forgettable year for the NOLA Gold, Moni Tonga’uiha captained the side and scored a career high 5 tries in 14 games (11 starts) and recording over 120 tackles for the 5th season in a row to pass 900 in his career. Tonga’uiha is currently sat as MLR’s 7th highest tackler and one of only 4 players to pass 100 MLR appearances through 2025, earning all 102 of his appearances with the NOLA Gold.

Following the announcement in August 2025 that the NOLA Gold would be withdrawing from Major League Rugby, Moni Tonga’uiha became a free agent. On 3rd December 2025, Anthem RC announced the addition of the NOLA Gold veteran and capped USA Eagle for the 2026 season, his first away from New Orleans.