Eddie Fouché

South African utility back Edouard ‘Eddie’ Fouché played in Major League Rugby during the 2025 season. He represented the Seattle Seawolves for his entire MLR career.

A veteran of South African rugby, Mpumalanga native Fouché came through the Lions system, playing with the Golden Lions in the SuperSport Rugby Challenge between 2016-2019. He graduated to the Golden Lions Currie Cup side for the 2019/20 season before moving to the Pumas, where he played from 2020-2022. He helped the Pumas to win their first ever Currie Cup title in 2022, while also playing a handful of games for the Lions in the URC from 2022-2023. Following his Currie Cup winning season in 2022, Fouché joined the Griquas for the 2022/23 Currie Cup season. It is unclear if Fouché played pro rugby for the 2023/24 season.

On December 9th, 2024, the Seattle Seawolves announced the signing of Eddie Fouché for their 2025 MLR campaign. Fouché will join former Pumas teammates Malembe Mpofu and Njabulo Gumede in the PNW.

NARDB Player #1,340

Mikaea Wynyard

California native Mikaea Wynyard played in Major League Rugby in 2022, and again in 2025. He represented the New England Free Jacks (2022), and Rugby FC LA (2025).

A native of San Jose, Wynyard picked up rugby at the age of 6 with the Silicon Valley Youth Rugby Club, continuing to play through his time at Leigh High School along with volleyball and football as both an offensive and defensive tackle. He also played with the San Francisco Golden Gate high school where he was named a High School All-American and was selected for the North America Four team to face the top teams in Canada at Chula Vista in 2019. In the Fall of 2021, Wynyard was selected for a 9-week high performance pathways camp in Colorado and in December of that year, was signed by the New England Free Jacks as a development player through the 2022 MLR season, although he did not feature for the MLR side.

Following the 2022 season, Wynyard headed across the pond, signing with La Rochelle in the French Top 14 where he was mentored by Australian 2023 Rugby World Cup Captain Will Skelton while playing for the Espoirs side. On 4th December 2024, Rugby FC LA announced the signing of Mikaea Wynyard for the 2025 MLR season.

Tim Anstee

Australian back rower Tim Anstee played in Major League Rugby during the 2025 season. He represented Rugby FC LA for his entire MLR career.

Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, Anstee came into his own on the Sevens circuit, representing the national Sevens team at 24 tournaments between 2016-2020, when he switched from sevens to 15s, joining the Western Force for the Super Rugby AU season. Anstee earned 45 Super Rugby appearances for Western Force between 2021-2024, and represented the Australia A side in the Pacific Nations Cup in 2022. Anstee also played with Eastwood in the Shute Shield.

On December 1st, 2024, Rugby FC LA announced the signing of Tim Anstee on a 2yr contract through the 2026 season. RFCLA DoR Stephen Hoiles previous coached Anstee while he was with the national sevens program in Australia. Anstee had a great 2025 season, scoring 5 tries and starting 15 of his 16 appearances to help RFCLA qualify for the postseason for the first time in club history. He completed over 150 tackles and ran for over 400m gained in possession, and was unlucky to miss out on an All-MLR selection during his debut season in MLR.

Although he signed a 2yr contract with RFCLA through the 2026 season, in May 2025 (while the MLR season was in full swing), the Worcester Warriors announced the addition of Tim Anstee for their 2025/236 Champ rugby campaign. Once LA merged with the San Diego Legion to form the California Legion, Anstee’s contract was voided regardless, however.

achievements:

MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 16
MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 15

NARDB Player #1,338

Tyler Matchem

Canadian prop Tyler Matchem played in Major League Rugby during the 2025 season. He represented the NOLA Gold for his entire MLR career.

A native of Pictou, Nova Scotia, Tyler Matchem began playing rugby with local club Pictou County RFC. He joined Canada’s high performance team, the Pacific Pride, and played for the Canada U20 side in 2022. He continued to play for the Pacific Pride and was included in a Canada Selects squad that faced the Seattle Seawolves in a pre-season match in February 2024, before being included in Canada’s Pacific Nations Cup squad for 2024. He earned his test debut as #510 against Tonga.

On November 30th, 2024, the NOLA Gold announced the signing of Tyler Matchem for the 2025 MLR season, adding to a growing Canadian contingent in New Orleans.

NARDB Player #1,337

Xavier Mignot

French winger Xavier Mignot played in Major League Rugby during the 2025 season. He represented the NOLA Gold for his entire MLR career.

Born in Bourgoin-Jallieu in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in France, Mignot was raised with rugby as his father was a coach. He played with his local club, CS Bourgoin-Jallieu, in the French Pro D2 for the 2013/14 season, before signing with Grenoble and playing in the Top 14 between 2014-2017. While with Grenoble, Mignot was selected for the French national team for their 2016 tour of Argentina. He earned his only international cap on this tour, starting the first test.

Following 3 seasons with Grenoble, Mignot made the move to fellow Top 14 side Lyon (LOU) in 2017, where he was a regular right up to the 2024/25 season. He earned over 120 Top 14 appearances for Lyon alone, scoring 30 tries while also representing the club in the European Challenge and Champions Cups.

On November 26th, 2024, the NOLA Gold announced the signing of Xavier Mignot for the 2025 MLR season. He scored 6 tries through his first 6 games with his new side, including a hat trick in their Round 9 clash with Old Glory DC, for which he was selected for the Team of the Week.

Achievements

MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 9

NARDB Player #1,334

Ben Sugars

English hooker Ben Sugars played in Major League Rugby between 2025-2026. He represented Rugby FC LA (2025) and the California Legion (2026).

Born and raised in England where he played as a back row growing up, Sugars moved to hooker and played rugby while attending the University of Nottingham, While there, he also played in the English Championship, representing the Yorkshire Carnegie (now the Leeds Tykes) and Nottingham between 2019-2022. He moved to Australia in 2023 and joined the famous Randwick Galloping Green in the Shute Shield competition, defeating the Northern Suburbs to win the Shield that season. His performances with Randwick put him on the radar of Super Rugby sides, and injuries at the NSW Waratahs gifted Sugars an opportunity to play in Super Rugby. He debuted in Round 12 of the 2024 Super Rugby season.

On November 26th, 2024, Rugby FC LA announced the signing of 23yo Ben Sugars for the 2025 MLR season. This marks Sugars’ first full-time pro rugby contract, and he reunites with RFCLA DoR Stephen Hoiles, who coached Sugars at Randwick, as well as University of Nottingham teammate Ed Timpson. In his debut season in North America, Sugars scored a pair of tries and started 11 of his 15 appearances for RFCLA, recording over 225m gained and completing 135 tackles in total, earning two MLR Team of the Week selections. As well as helping RFCLA to a playoff spot, Sugars started what would be the team’s first and last postseason appearance, a hard-fought 27-21 defeat to the Houston SaberCats in the Western Conference Semifinal.

Following the merger of RFCLA with San Diego to form the California Legion, Sugars remained on the west coast with the new-look Legion, who announced his signing on 2nd February, 2026.

achievements

MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 15
MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 11

NARDB Player #1,333

Njabulo Gumede

South African prop Njabulo Gumede played in Major League Rugby during the 2025 season. He represented the Seattle Seawolves for his entire MLR career.

A native of Eshowe in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal in the east of South Africa, ‘Juice’ Gumede developed in the Bulls system, playing with the Blue Bulls between 2015-2017 before moving to represent the Valke in the Currie Cup between 2018-2020. Following his first stint with Valke, Gumede moved to France, playing with Club Hyères Carqueiranne La Crau and Olympique Marcquois Rugby for two seasons in the French fourth tier, the Fédérale 1. He returned to Valke in 2022 and split that Currie Cup season between Valke and the Pumas. Gumede stayed with the Pumas for the 2023 Currie Cup season before representing the Griquas in 2024.

On November 24th, 2024, the Seattle Seawolves announced the signing of Njabulo Gumede for the 2025 MLR season. Gumede earned 5 appearances in his debut MLR season, and was named as the Seattle Seawolves Community Impact Player for 2025 for his work off the field. Following the decision by MLR to slash the number of foreign players in the league, on 27th October 2025, Lokomotiv Penza in the Russian Rugby Championship announced the signing of Gumede on a 2yr contract through the 2027 season. An unusual move, but there are a number of South Africans plying their trade in Russia.

achievements

Seattle Seawolves 2025 Community Impact Player

NARDB Player #1,332

Isaac Te Tamaki

New Zealand centre Isaac Te Tamaki played in Major League Rugby during the 2025 season. He represented the NOLA Gold for his entire MLR career.

A native of Waikato, Te Tamaki attended the famous Hamilton Boys’ High School before going on to play with the All Blacks Sevens team in 2015. Te Tamaki struggled to find game time at 15s level in Waikato, so moved south to join the Southland Stags from the 2018 Mitre 10 (now the Bunnings NPC) season. Te Tamaki represented the Stags between 2018-2022 before heading to France to play with Valence Romans Drôme Rugby in the Pro D2. He spent 1 season in France before returning to New Zealand and the Stags, earning his 50th NPC appearance during the 2024 season.

On November 23rd, 2024, the NOLA Gold announced the signing of Isaac Te Tamaki for the 2025 MLR season.

achievements

MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 11

NARDB Player #1,331

Rhian Stowers

Australian cross-codes fullback Rhian Stowers played in Major League Rugby during the 2025 season. He represented the San Diego Legion for his entire MLR career.

Stowers was born & raised on the Gold Coast in Australia, and has played almost every code of rugby imagineable. He has represented the Tweeds Gulls rugby league side, the AIM All Starts in the RL Nines Premier League, played rugby 7s for Queensland at the Next Gen 7s in 2023, and played for Eastwood and his university side while attending Bond University, among others. While at Bond, Stowers was names the 2023 Alec Evans Medallist, and the 2024 Slipper trophy.

On November 15th, 2024, the San Diego Legion announced the signing of Rhian Stowers for their 2025 MLR season. He earned his first MLR Team of the Week selection on his first MLR start, in Round 6 of the 2025 season. Stowers had a meaningful impact on the San Diego Legion in 2025, scoring 3 tries and starting 6 of his 10 appearances that season as the Legion would miss out on the postseason by a single point. Following the 2025 season and news emerging of the San Diego Legion and Rugby FC LA joining forces into the California Legion, Stowers signed with Tokyo Gas in the Japanese 4th tier. It is unknown if he will return to MLR.

Achievements

MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 6

NARDB Player #1,330

Nikolai Foliaki

New Zealand born Tongan centre Nikolai Foliaki played in Major League Rugby during the 2025 season. He represented the NOLA Gold for his entire MLR career.

Born and raised on Aotearoa, Foliaki played his club rugby with Karaka RFC just outside Papakura to the south of Auckland. He was first named to the Counties Manukau squad for the 2019 Mitre 10 season (now the NPC), and has represented them since. Foliaki spent the 2023 Super Rugby pre-season in the Western Force camp, and earned his debut in Round 3 of the 2023 Super Rugby season against Moana Pasifika.

Internationally, Foliaki earned his test debut for Tonga in 2021 as #669 against New Zealand, and also represented the ʻIkale Tahi during the 2024 Pacific Nations Cup.

On November 15th, 2024, the NOLA Gold announced the addition of Nikolai Foliaki for their 2025 MLR campaign.

NARDB Player #1,329