Palema Roberts

Hawaiian native Palema ‘Nikey’ Roberts played in Major League Rugby between 2022-2024. He represented Old Glory DC for his entire MLR career.

Roberts played football through high school in Kentucky, playing rugby for the Clarksville Highlanders Rugby Club before attending Life University between 2016-2020. With the Life University Running Eagles, Roberts won two D1A National Championships in 2018 & 2019 and declared for the 2021 MLR Collegiate Draft following his graduation. Roberts was selected in the 2^nd Round, 19^th overall by Old Glory DC in 2021 and signed with the Flags for the 2022 season. He played against the Toronto Arrows in a pre-season game ahead of the MLR season, but did not appear in the regular season due to injury.

This long-term knee injury sidelined Roberts for most of 2022-2023, but on 29^th January 2024 Old Glory DC included Palema Roberts in their greater training squad for the 2024 MLR season where he was finally able to make his MLR debut, earning 2 appearances for Old Glory DC in reserve.

Achievements

MLR Draftee: 2021 – 2nd Round (19th Overall) – Old Glory DC

Declan O’Loughlin

Irish utility back Declan O’Loughlin played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2025. He represented Old Glory DC for his entire MLR career.

A county Galway native, O’Loughlin played rugby through high school in County Donegal, as well as Gaelic football. He played with the Connacht U18s and Connacht Eagles in 2019, and the Connacht Academy in 2021. In 2023, O’Loughlin played with Rochdale RUFC in England before moving to the US to play for Mount St Mary’s, and represented Rocky Gorge RFC for the 2023/24 season as well as Young Glory’s Senior Academy.

On 29^th January 2024, Declan O’Loughlin was included in Old Glory DC’s greater training squad for the 2024 MLR season, and spent the season playing with the academy team while traiing with the senior squad. Clearly he impressed in camp, as on 9th December 2024 Old Glory DC announced the return of Declan O’Loughlin for the 2025 season on his first full-time contract.

Tristan Cole

Maryland native Tristan Cole played in Major League Rugby during the 2024 season. He represented Old Glory DC for his entire MLR career.

Cole played gridiron football and wrestled during high school and played his club rugby at Rocky Gorge RFC. The hooker captained the Young Glory U23 side against the New York Foundry in 2022, and played for the Young Glory Senior Academy in 2023, as well as the USA Hawks (now Anthem RC) during their tour of South America. On 29^th January 2024, Old Glory DC included Tristan Cole on a list of players to join the senior side as their greater training squad for the 2024 MLR season.

Jesse Mackail

New Zealand hooker Jesse Mackail played in Major League Rugby during the 2024 season. He represented the Seattle Seawolves for his entire MLR career.

Born in Palmerston, NZ, Mackail began playing rugby at the age of 3. He represented New Zealand Schools and the New Zealand U20s. He played for the Manawatu Turbos in the National Provincial Championship (NPC) as well as the Turbos 7s squad. In 2017 he attended a training camp for the New Zealand 7s and was included in the Western Force training squad the year after. Although only 27, Mackail already has some experience in coaching, having run 7s clinics in both New Zealand and Fiji and coached age-grade teams in the NPC (formerly known as the ITM Cup).

Mackail moved to Canada in 2019 and began playing for the Bayside Sharks in the BC Division 1. He has remained in Canada since 2019, playing with the BC Bears and University of British Columbia Old Boys (UBCOB) Ravens. On 27^th January 2024, the Seattle Seawolves announced the signing of Jesse Mackail for their 2024 MLR campaign. He appeared in a pre-season game for the Seawolves but did not feature during the 2024 season. On 6th November 2024, the Seattle Seawolves announced the return of Jesse Mackail for the 2025 campaign.

Reid Davis

British Columbia native Reid Watson Davis played in Major League Rugby during the 2024 season. He represented the Seattle Seawolves for his entire MLR career.

Versatile forward Davis represented the Canada U20 side in both 2019 & 2020 and played with Canada’s Pacific Pride Development Academy for several years. He was named as the Pacific Pride’s Most Valuable Player in 2023, and on 27^th January 2024, the Seattle Seawolves announced the signing of Reid Watson Davis for their 2024 MLR campaign. Davis started 4 of his 9 appearances in the 2024 season, including one in the post season as the Seawolves advanced to the 2024 MLR Championship final, where they fell to the New England Free Jacks.

Shortly before the 2025 season began, the Seattle Seawolves traded Reid Davis to the Utah Warriors in exchange for 2025 Salary Cap Considerations (Unknown). Davis appeared on the bench for the Warriors for their Round 4 match against the Houston SaberCats.

Isaia Kruse

California native Isaia Kruse played in Major League Rugby during the 2024 season. He represented the Utah Warriors for his entire MLR career.

Kruse attended Fresno State University between 2018-2023, playing rugby throughout his time there, winning the D1AA National Championship in 2022. He was nominated for the Rudy Scholz award in 2023, recognizing the best collegiate men’s rugby player in the United States. Later that year, he played with the Locals in the Premier Rugby Sevens, and in the 2023 Collegiate Rugby Shield. Following his graduation from Fresno State, Kruse declared for the 2023 MLR Collegiate Draft, where he was selected in the 3^rd Rd (33^rd Overall) by the Utah Warriors.

On 21^st January 2024, the Utah Warriors confirmed the signing of Isaia Kruse for their 2024 MLR Campaign, where he played alongside his brother, Utah Warriors stalwart Mika Kruse. Kruse started 5 of his 6 appearances for the Warriors in his rookie season, scoring 1 try and gaining over 300m in possession. Following the 2024 season, the Utah Warriors announced that 17 players would not be returning for the team in 2025, including both Isaia Kruse and his brother Mika. While Mika remained in MLR with the Seattle Seawolves, Isaia Kruse returned to Fresno, CA and played club rugby with Golden Dogs Rugby Club.

achievements

2023 MLR Draftee: 3rd Round (33rd Overall) – Utah Warriors

Franco Palillo

Argentinian hooker Franco Palillo played in Major League Rugby during the 2024 MLR season. He represented the Dallas Jackals for his entire MLR career.

The Rosario native played school and club rugby with Gimnasia y Esgrima Rosario (GER) in the Torneo del Litoral and represented the American Raptors during the 2023 Super Rugby Americas season.

On 19^th January 2024, the Dallas Jackals announced the signing of Franco Palillo for their 2024 MLR campaign.

Sam Tuifua

New Zealand back row Sam Tuifua played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2025. He represented the Dallas Jackals (2024) and the Houston SaberCats (2025).

Tuitua has played professional rugby since the age of 20, representing the Counties Manukau in NZ’s National Provincial Championship (NPC) between 2022-2023.

On 19^th January 2024, the Dallas Jackals announced the signing of then-22yo Sam Tuifua for their 2024 MLR season, where he scored 6 tries in 10 games (all starts) and set a new Dallas Jackals single-season record with 957m gained with ball in hand. The Jackals qualified for the MLR playoffs in 2024 and stunned the Houston SaberCats (the best team in the regular season) in the Conference Semifinals before falling to the Seattle Seawolves in the final minutes of the Western Conference Final, a game in which Tuifua was set to start but was injured in warm up.

For his excellent performance in 2024, Tuifua was named as the Dallas Jackals Player of the Year and was selected as part of the All-MLR Second XV. Following the Dallas Jackals’ withdrawal from MLR in September 2024, Tuifua declared for the dispersal draft and was selected 8th by the Houston SaberCats. The ‘Cats then confirmed this on November 11th, 2024 when they announced the signing of Sam Tuifua for the 2025 MLR season.

In his 2nd season in MLR, Tuifua scored 3 tries and started 10 of his career high 11 appearances for the Houston SaberCats in the regular season. He gained over 500m in possession and was in the Top 10 league wide for most of the first half of the season. He earned four Team of the Week selections as a key part of the SaberCats side that finished 2nd in the Western Conference. On June 13th 2025, before Houston’s playoff campaign began, French Pro D2 side Stade Montois announced the signing of Sam Tuifua through 2027, ruling him out of a return to MLR in 2026.

Achievements

MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 10
MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 7
MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 4
MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 2
2024 All-MLR Second XV
2024 Dallas Jackals Player of the Year
MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 17
MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 9
MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 5

Ethan Parkins

English/American flanker Ethan Parkins played in Major League Rugby during the 2024 season. He represented the Chicago Hounds for his entire MLR career.

Parkins, who was raised in the UK but holds a US passport, attended the Sports-specialty Loughborough University between 2021-2024. He played rugby while at Loughborough and earned a Premiership Rugby Cup debut for the Worcester Warriors in September 2022. Parkins played with the USA Hawks Development Pathway side (which would later become Anthem RC) in 2023, before joining the Chicago Hounds Academy, captaining the side in 2 of their 3 fall 2023 games against San Diego and Toronto (in which may have been the final game played under the Toronto Arrows name), and was named the 2023 Chicago Hounds Academy Player of the Year.

On 16^th January 2024, the Chicago Hounds announced the signing of Ethan Parkins to a MLR contract, making him the first player to graduate from the Hounds academy to the MLR side.

André Warner

South African scrum-half André Warner played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2026. He represented the Houston SaberCats (2024-25) and the Seattle Seawolves (2026).

Cape Town native Warner played rugby through his time at Tyderberg high School, before playing for the Western Province U18 in the 2011 Craven Week and the U21s in the Provincial Championship in 2012 after which he played for the Blue Bulls U21 until 2014. Warner attended the University of Pretoria between 2013-2016, playing with the Tuks in the Varsity Cup. While playing with the UP Tuks he was also a member of the Blue Bulls system, playing in that system between 2015-2019 for the Currie Cup and Super Rugby sides, with a gap for the 2018/19 season where he played in France for Stade Français. Warner moved to the Lions between 2020-2023, playing in both the Currie Cup and URC before moving back to France to play with Agen in the Pro D2 for the 2023/24 season.

On 14^th January 2024, the Houston SaberCats announced the signing of the then-30yo Warner for their 2024 MLR campaign, where he led the ‘Cats with 8 tries scored (T-9th in MLR) in 15 games (all starts) as Houston finished as the best team in the regular season with a record of 14-2, before being stunned by the Dallas Jackals in the Western Conference Semifinal. For his performances in 2024, Warner was named to the All-MLR First XV, the only SaberCats player to be featured in the First XV that season. On November 12th, 2024, the Houston Sabercats announced the return of Andre Warner for the 2025 season, where he followed up a very good 2024 season with a solid 2nd year in MLR. Warner scored 4 tries in 12 games (11 starts) to help the SaberCats to their first playoff victory and advancing to the 2025 Championship Game, a 28-22 defeat which Warner started. With the Houston SaberCats’ surprise withdrawal from MLR in the 2025/26 offseason, Warner became a Free Agent and on 2nd January 2026, the Seattle Seawolves announced that they had added him to their roster for 2026.