Connal McInerney

Australian hooker Connal McInerney played in Major League Rugby during the 2025 season. He represented the New England Free Jacks for his entire MLR career.

A Canberra native, McInerney played in the Australian National Rugby Championship (NRC) competition between 2014-2010, representing the Canberra Vikings with a stint with the NSW Country Eagles in 2017. He progressed through the ACT Brumbies system, earning his Super Rugby Debut in March 2018 and earned over 50 Super Rugby appearances for the Brumbies through 2024, helping them to a Super Rugby AU title in 2020 and finishing runners up in the same competition in 2021.

Internationally, McInerney was on the fringes of the Wallabies for much of 2021, finally earning his test debut as Wallaby #947 in the end of year tests against Japan, where he scored a try on his debut. He has 2 international caps to date.

On November 14th, 2024, the New England Free Jacks announced the signing of Connal McInerney for the 2025 MLR season.

NARDB Player #1,328

Nick Jooste

Australian utility back Nick Jooste played in Major League Rugby during the 2025 season. He represented the San Diego Legion for his entire MLR season.

Born and raised in Perth, Western Australia, Jooste played rugby during his time at Hale School. He represented the Australian Schoolboys in 2015, becoming just the 6th Australian to earn a Super Rugby contract while still in high school later that year. His contract was with the Western Force and he represented their NRC side the Perth Spirit in 2015 & 2017, sandwiching a season in the Brumbies system playing with the Canberra Vikings between 2016-2017 when he earned his debut for the Australian U20 side. He didn’t crack the Brumbies team and played with the Queensland Reds in 2018, and re-joined the Western Force in 2019 where he earned his Super Rugby debut in 2019 before moving to Japan to play with the Kamaishi Seawaves.

Jooste returned to Australia in 2021 and played in the Shute Shield with the Eastern Suburbs before signing with the Melbourne Rebels for the 2022 Super Rugby Season. Jooste played with the Rebels for 3 seasons between 2022-2024, when the team was dissolved. On November 12th 2024, the San Diego Legion announced the signing of Nick Jooste for their 2025 MLR campaign.

NARDB Player #1,327

Inoke Waqavesi

California native Inoke Waqavesi played in Major League Rugby during the 2025 season. He represented the San Diego Legion for his entire MLR career.

Waqavesi played rugby with CK McClatchy Rugby and became a Junior Olympian when he captained the USA in Rugby 7s at the Junior Olmpics in 2018. He attended St. Mary’s College and became a D1A Champion and D1A All-American as part of the SMC Gaels leadership group along with 2024 1st overall pick Erich Storti. Waqavesi was invited to take part in the MLR Rising, a combine of 50 of the top college players in the US to give MLR teams a better look into potential draftees. He was unfortunately unavailable to attend, but was drafted 7th overall by the San Diego Legion in 2024 MLR Collegiate Draft.

The San Diego Legion confirmed the signing of Inoke Waqavesi for the 2025 MLR season on November 10th, 2024.

NARDB Player #1,326

Aidan Konja

California native Aidan Konja played in Major League Rugby during the 2025 season. He represented the San Diego Legion for his entire MLR career.

A San Diego local, Konja played rugby through his time at St. Augustine High School, before attending San Diego State University where he continued his rugby journey. While at SDSU, Konja entered the San Diego Legion system, progressing through the academy sides before earning a homegrown contract for the 2025 MLR season.

The San Diego Legion announced the addition of Aidan Konja on November 10th, 2024.

NARDB Player #1,325

Jimmy Hokafonu

Australian back row Jimmy Hokafonu played in Major League Rugby during the 2025 season. He represented the San Diego Legion for his entire MLR career.

Hokafonu has played with the Sydney-based Eastwood Rugby Club in the Australian Shute Shield competition since 2022, earning his debut for the first grade team in April 2023. He’s since been named as the Easts Player of the Week in the 2024 season.

On November 8th 2024, the San Diego Legion announced the signing of Jimmy Hokafonu for their 2025 campaign. He scored 1 try in his debut MLR season, starting 12 of his 13 appearances and completing 123 tackles while gaining 355m in possession. For his efforts, Jimmy Hokafonu was named as the San Diego Legion Newcomer of the Year for 2025.

achievements

2025 San Diego Legion Newcomer of the Year

NARDB Player #1,324

Cooper Coats

Canadian fullback/fly-half Cooper Coats played in Major League Rugby during the 2025 season. He represented the NOLA Gold for his entire MLR career.

A native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Coats was introduced to rugby while attending Citadel High School, and he had originally started playing soccer. Coats seemed to be a natural with a rugby ball, representing the Canada U18 team in 2014, within 6 months of picking up the sport. He represented the Canada U20 team in 2015 before attending Acadia University on a soccer scholarship. He continued to play club rugby with the Halifax Tars however, and has represented them on and off since 2016. Coats represented the Atlantic Rock in the 2017 Canadian Rugby Championship, before joining the Ontario Arrows in their exhibition season in 2018. The Arrows would then enter MLR in 2019 as the Toronto Arrows, but Coats did not join them as he was playing for the Canadian Sevens team, with whom he had made his debut in Cape Town in 2018.

Coats has represented the Canadian Sevens team in over a dozen World Sevens Series tournaments since 2018, and earned his test debut for the 15s team against Wales in 2021, scoring a try on his debut. Coats has earned 15 caps in red including during the 2024 Pacific Nations Cup, and was included in the Canada squad for their 2024 November tests.

On November 8th, 2024, the NOLA Gold announced the signing of Cooper Coats for the 2025 MLR season.

achievements

MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 2

NARDB Player #1,323

Noah Flesch

Canadian centre Noah Flesch played in Major League Rugby during the 2025 season. He represented the Chicago Hounds for his entire MLR career.

The brother of Canadian international and fellow MLR-er Mason Flesch, the Cobourg, Ontario native grew up playing with the Cobourg Saxons before moving to British Columbia and joining the Pacific Pride, the Canadian national team’s high performance development pathway. Flesch played with the Pacific Pride for 4 years before being included in Canada’s wider training squad for the 2024 Pacific Nations Cup. Although he didn’t feature in the PNC, Flesch earned his test debut in Canada’s Autumn test against Chile at the age of 21, starting at 12 with his brother Mason at 5.

On November 7th, 2024, the Chicago Hounds announced the signing of Noah Flesch for the 2025 MLR season, where played alongside his brother, Mason. Noah earned 3 starts in 12 appearances for the Hounds during his debut season in MLR, scoring a try on just under 100m gained, and completing 36 tackles. Unfortunately, with MLR considering Canadian players as non-domestic from 2026 onwards, Noah Flesch was unable to return to MLR for a 2nd season. Instead, he headed to Uruguay and joined the reigning Super Rugby Americas Champions Peñarol, along with former Free Jacks and fellow Canadians Foster DeWitt and Ethan Fryer.

achievements:

MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 15

NARDB Player #1,322

Brad Wilkin

Australian flanker Brad Wilkin played in Major League Rugby during the 2025 season. He represented the San Diego Legion for his entire MLR career.

Wilkin represented the Australia U20 side in 2015 while playing with Brisbane City in the NRC, and also earned his debut with the Australian Men’s Sevens on the World Sevens Series circuit that same year. He attended Sydney University in 2016 and signed a contract with the NSW Waratahs in Super Rugby in 2017, representing them between 2017-2018 and earning his Super Rugby debut in 2018. Following 2 years with the Waratahs, Wilkin signed with the Melbourne Rebels, representing them from 2019-2024 and becoming a regular in the squad from 2022 until the team disbanded in 2024.

On November 7th 2024, the San Diego Legion announced the signing of Brad Wilkin for the 2025 season. Wilkin was a standout in his debut MLR season, Captaining the Legion and scoring 11 tries in 14 games, starting 13 times and completing 224 tackles, finishing T-4th League-wide with New England Free Jacks Captain Joe Johnston. He recorded a hat trick in the Legion’s Round 17 victory over Old Glory DC, and was named to the MLR Team of the Week 5 times as well as being named the MLR Player of the Week for that Round 17 performance, despite the San Diego Legion missing out on the playoffs by a single point. For his efforts, he was named as the San Diego Legion’s 2025 Player of the Year and was also selected in the 2025 All-MLR 1st XV.

Achievements

2025 All-MLR First XV Selection
T-4th in MLR Tackling: 2025 (224)
2025 San Diego Legion Player of the Year
Hat trick: 2025 – Rd 17
MLR Player of the Week: 2025 – Rd 17
MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 17
MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 11
MLR Player of the Week: 2025 – Rd 3
MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 3
MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 1

NARDB Player #1,321

Kerron van Vuuren

South African hooker Kerron van Vuuren played in Major League Rugby during the 2025 season. He represented the Seattle Seawolves for his entire MLR career.

A native of Durban in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal, van Vuuren attended the Glenwood High School and the University of KwaZulu-Natal, playing rugby throughout. He came up through the Sharks system, and has played with the Sharks Currie Cup side since 2017. Van Vuuren earned his Super Rugby Debut in 2019, and has represented the Sharks in the URC since they entered the European league in 2020, to 2024. Van Vuuren also helped the Sharks to their first European Trophy, winning the Challenge Cup in 2024.

On November 6th 2024, the Seattle Seawolves announced the signing of van Vuuren for the 2025 season, while wishing farewell to 2024 hooker and capped USA Eagle Joe Taufete’e. In his lone season in Major League Rugby, van Vuuren scored 2 tries in 11 games (9 starts) and completed an even 100 tackles in defence to help the Seawolves squeeze into the postseason. On 25th November 2025, Pro D2 side US Carcassonne announced the addition of Kerron van Vuuren as a medical joker during the 2025/26 season.

NARDB Player #1,320

Ben Pollack

US-eligible Australian utility back Ben Pollack played in Major League Rugby during the 2025 season. He represented the Chicago Hounds for his entire MLR career.

Following his performance for the New South Wales Junior Rugby U18 squad, Pollack was selected for the Australia U19 squad at the Under-19s United Rugby Championship. In 2021 he joined the Gordon Highlanders in Australia’s Shute Shield competition and earned his 50th First Grade appearance for Gordon in 2024. The same year he joined Gordon, Pollack was selected for the Australia U20 side, as well as two selections for the Australian 7s Development Squad.

On 6th November 2024, the Chicago Hounds announced the signing of Pollack for the 2025 MLR season.

NARDB Player #1,319