Joaquin Horcada

Argentinian front row Joaquin Horcada played in Major League Rugby between 2023-2024. He represented the Dallas Jackals for his entire MLR career.

Horcada is an Age-Grade international, having played with the Argentina U18, U19, and U20 sides between 2017-2018. He played with Rugby de Gimnasia y Esgrima de Rosario (Club GER) in the Argentinian Torneo del Litoral prior to his move north to the US. Horcada was under contract with the Dallas Jackals during the 2023 season, but did not see MLR action. On 11th January 2024, the Dallas Jackals announced the return of Joaquin Horcada for their 2024 MLR campaign.

Horcada had a fantastic 2024 season, earning his MLR debut in one of 15 appearances (7 starts) for the Jackals as they qualified for the MLR Playoffs for the first time in their history. Horcada started their first ever playoff game, a stunning 22-34 victory over the Houston SaberCats, the best team of the regular season, before being brought in as a late addition in the Western Conference Final following an injury in warm up to Sam Tuifua. The Jackals would lose that game to the Seattle Seawolves in the final few minutes.

achievements

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 9
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 6

Josh McAdam

South African centre Josh McAdam played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2025 season. He represented the Miami Sharks for his entire MLR career.

McAdam attended the University of Johannesburg between 2015-2016, playing rugby throughout before moving stateside to attend Davenport University between 2018-2021, also playing rugby for the Davenport Panthers. Following his graduation, McAdam played with the Chicago Griffins before training with the Chicago Hounds in 2023. Later that year he also played with the USA Hawks Development Academy.

On 7th January 2024, the Miami Sharks expansion side announced the signing of Josh McAdam for their inaugural MLR season in 2024, where he earned 4 appearances for the Sharks off the bench during their respectable inaugural season. On December 5th, 2024, the Sharks confirmed the return of Josh McAdam for their sophomore season in 2025.

Damian Morley

New York native Damian Morley played in Major League Rugby during the 2024 season. He represented the Miami Sharks for his entire MLR career.

Morley played with the Eagle Impact Rugby Academy, touring Ontario and Ireland with the U16 side in 2016 & 2017 respectively. Morley’s talent earned him a spot at the famous Stellenbosch Academy of Sport in South Africa, through the Graham Downes Development and Pathways to Excellence Funds High Performance Grant. Following this, Morley moved to France with his brother to play with Stade Toulousain Espoirs between 2021-2023, using the French he learned at bilingual school. In his latter year in France, he also played with Blagnac Rugby Club in the French Nationale.

On 5th January 2024, the Miami Sharks announced the signing of Damian Morley ahead of their inaugural season in 2024. In his debut season, Morley earned 7 MLR appearances off the bench as the Sharks recorded a competitive inaugural season. On December 9th, 2024, the Miami Sharks confirmed the return of Damian Morley for their, and his, sophomore season in 2025.

 

Nicolas Elewaut

Argentinian winger Nicolas Elewaut played in Major League Rugby during the 2024 season. He represented the Miami Sharks for his entire MLR career.

Elewaut joined the Sharks from the Club Universitario de Buenos Aires (also known as CUBA) in the Argentinian URBA Top 13 competition, ahead of their inaugural season in 2024. His signing was announced by the Miami Sharks on 5th January 2024.

Callum Botchar

Ontario born BC native Callum Botchar played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2026. He represented the NOLA Gold (2024-2025) and the Seattle Seawolves (2026).

Botchar attended the University of British Columbia, playing for the Thunderbirds while majoring in Psychology. He joined the Pacific Pride, Rugby Canada’s development academy, and represented the national U20 side. Botchar is already a test capped Canadian, earning his international debut against the Netherlands in November 2022. He was selected for a test against Tonga in the summer of 2023 but was a late scratch. That year, Botchar also travelled to New Zealand to play with the Taranaki Men’s Development system, as well as the New Plymouth Old Boys in the Taranaki Premier Division. Botchar has also dipped his toe into Rugby League, representing the restarted Toronto Wolfpack in their 2021 Canada Cup victory against DC Cavalry.

Although it was never made public, Botchar was signed with the Toronto Arrows for the 2024 MLR season, but with the Arrows announcing that they would not compete in the 2024 MLR season in late November 2023, he opted in to the subsequent Dispersal Draft for Toronto and NY players (the Ironworkers also announced that they would not compete in the 2024 season a week after the Arrows) and was selected 16th overall by the NOLA Gold.

On 4th January 2024, the NOLA Gold confirmed the signing of Callum Botchar for the 2024 MLR season when he scored 2 tries in 16 appearances (9 starts), and completed over 100 tackles. He was named as the recipient of the 2024 NOLA Gold Shawn Riley ‘Heart of Gold’ Award. On December 26th, 2024, the NOLA Gold announced the return of Callum Botchar for his 2nd MLR season in 2025. Botchar added 7 appearances (3 starts) for the NOLA Gold in 2025, passing 200m gained in his career and adding another 39 tackles to his total. With the withdrawal of the NOLA Gold from Major League Rugby during the 2025/26 offseason Botchar became a free agent, and on 22nd January 2026, the Seattle Seawolves announced that they had added the Canadian international to their squad for 2026.

achievements

Sam Mace

English-born Canadian front row Sam Mace played in Major League Rugby between 2022-2023. He represented the Toronto Arrows for his entire MLR career.

Mace grew up playing Rugby and soccer, as well as practicing judo, before his family emigrated to Canada in 2010 when Mace was 11. He played rugby with the Bytown Blues in Ottawa and attended the University of Ottawa, playing with the Gee-Gees between 2017-2022, declaring for the MLR Collegiate Draft in 2021. Mace was drafted in the 3rd Round (35th Overall) by the Toronto Arrows, who confirmed his signing in December 2021 prior to him returning to the Gee-Gees.

Mace played with the Arrows Senior Academy in 2022 before signing with the Leeds Tykes in the English National 1 competition for the 2022/23 season. While playing in Leeds, Mace was also the coach for Leeds Backett University Women’s Team. He returned to Canada in time to Captain the Toronto Arrows Senior Academy at the Coast-To-Coast Cup in the summer of 2023, facing the likes of the Atlantic Selects and BC Bears to win the competition.

Following the announcement that the Toronto Arrows would not be competing in the 2024 MLR season in late November 2023, Mace was picked up by Curry Hitchborn for a new Canadian professional side, the Vancouver Highlanders, and was signed as VH#2, ahead of their season in the Rugby Players’ Challenge. While playing for the Highlanders, Mace suffered 3 concussions in a 5 month span, and was forced to retire. He has since turned to coaching, and started his own brand: SMPerformance

achievements

Juan Dee Oliver

South African scrum-half Juan Dee Oliver played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2025. He represented the Dallas Jackals (2024) and the Houston SaberCats (2025).

Oliver attended Grey College in Bloemfontein, playing cricket and rugby. He represented the college at the famous Craven Week before joining the Cheetahs system where he represented the U20 and U21 side. On 4th January 2024, the Dallas Jackals announced the signing of then-21yo Juan Dee Oliver ahead of the 2024 MLR season. Oliver would score 5 tries in 13 games (all starts) for the Jackals in his debut MLR season, gaining over 250m in possession as a scrum-half, and scoring 55pts total after taking over kicking duties late in the season. The Jackals qualified for the post-season for the first time that season, and Oliver was a standout as they shocked the Houston SaberCats before falling to the Seattle Seawolves in the Western Conference Final. For his performances throughout the 2024 season, Oliver was named to the All-MLR Second XV.

Following the news in August 2024 that the Dallas Jackals were withdrawing from MLR, Oliver declared for the dispersal draft and was selected 30th by the Houston SaberCats. He was the final played selected in the dispersal draft. On November 18th, 2024, the SaberCats confirmed the signing of Juan-Dee Oliver for the 2025 MLR season. Primarily playing on the wing for the SaberCats, Oliver started 6 of his 10 appearances in 2025, scoring 4 tries to help Houston finish 2nd in the Western Conference. Oliver played no part in the postseason as the SaberCats advanced to the Championship Game, where they fell to the New England Free Jacks.

On 2nd July, 2025, the agency representing Juan Dee Oliver, Khaos Sport, announced that the half-Italian back had signed with Rovigo, the Reigning Champions of the Italian domestic league, the Serie A Élite.

achievements

  • 2025 MLR Runner-Up – Houston SaberCats
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 14
  • 2024 All-MLR Second XV
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 15

Seth Smith

Texas native Seth Smith played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2026. He represented the Houston SaberCats (2024-2025) and Anthem RC (2026).

Smith played football, wrestled, and played rugby through high school, the latter of which he was introduced to by his father. He was a USA Rugby All-American and was selected for the USA U20s. He signed a professional contract with the Houston SaberCats on 6th June 2023 when he was 17, becoming the youngest player in history to sign a Major League Rugby contract. He played with the SaberCats U18 side as well as the SaberCats 2 (Rugby HTX at the time) that year, and was announced as a member of the SaberCats MLR roster on 3rd January 2024 as the first graduate of their academy system.

Smith attended a USA Rugby U20 High Performance Camp over the Christmas period in 2023 before jumping in to the 2024 season with the SaberCats, where he scored 2 tries in 6 appearances (1 start) before returning to the USA U20s for the annual World Rugby U20s Trophy North American qualifier series against Canada. Smith earned a MLR Team of the Week selection for his performance in Round 9. On December 13th, 2024, the Houston SaberCats confirmed the return of Seth Smith for his sophomore season in MLR in 2025 where he set career highs across the board, starting 7 of his 13 appearances for the SaberCats and scoring 5 tries, earning another two MLR Team of the Week selections. He recorded 137m gained and 89 tackles, more than doubling his career totals in both.

Following the surprise news in September 2025 that the Houston SaberCats were withdrawing from Major League Rugby, Seth Smith became a free agent and on 22nd November, Anthem RC announced the addition of Smith for the 2026 season, a few days after his agency broke the news.

achievements

  • 2025 Western Conference Champion: Houston SaberCats
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 14
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 6
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 10
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 9

Sam Buckley

English prop Sam Buckley played in Major League Rugby between 2023-2024. He played with the Utah Warriors (2023), the NOLA Gold (2024), and Rugby FC LA on Loan (2024).

Northampton native Buckley played with the Northampton Saints Academy before moving stateside to attend Lindenwood University between 2018-2022, playing rugby throughout in a very well-regarded system. He competed in the 2022 Collegiate Rugby Shield for the Canyons at Zion’s Bank Stadium, the home of the Utah Warriors. The Warriors must have liked what they saw, as they selected him in the 3rd Round (30th Overall) of the 2022 MLR Collegiate Draft.

Buckley spent the 2023 season with the Warriors but did not appear in an MLR game. Following the 2023 season, the Utah Warriors traded Buckley to the NOLA Gold in exchange for 2024 Salary Cap Considerations (unknown). He played with the NOLA Gold Academy during the fall American Rugby Premiership season. On 3rd January 2024, the Gold confirmed the signing of Sam Buckley for the 2024 MLR season, which he spent with the MLR team but did not feature at MLR level. Mid way through the MLR season n April 2024, the NOLA Gold traded Sam Buckley to Rugby FC LA on a 4 week loan in exchange for 2024 Salary Cap Considerations (unknown), where he finally earned his MLR debut and 4 appearances off the bench for LA. The NOLA Gold’s loan of Buckley to LA included an option for RFCLA to keep him, but NARDB does not know if this option was exercised and Buckley did not feature for either team in 2025. Following the Gold’s withdrawal from MLR in August 2025, and RFCLA’s merger with the San Diego Legion to form the California Legion, Buckley’s future in MLR is unknown.

In mid-September 2025, Sam Buckley was included in the Chicago Hounds ‘Autumn Performance Squad’ for their fall season.

achievements

Reinaldo Piussi

Uruguayan prop Reinaldo Piussi Mendoza played in Major League Rugby during the 2024 season. He represented the Miami Sharks for his entire MLR career.

He represented Oyonnax in the French Pro D2 between 2018-2020, before returning to Uruguay and joining the Uruguayan High Performance system. He made his full test debut for Los Teros against Tonga in 2022, before playing with Peñarol in Super Rugby Americas in 2023, winning the competition. Following the SRA season he was selected to represent Uruguay at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, playing against the host nation as well as Namibia.

On 30th December 2023, the Miami Sharks announced the signing of Reinaldo Piussi for their inaugural MLR season in 2024. At 285lbs, Piussi is one of the heaviest players to ever play in MLR. He scored 1 try in his 8 MLR appearances (7 starts) for the Sharks during their admirable inaugural season, and on November 14th, 2024, the Miami Sharks announced the return of Reinaldo Piussi for the 2025 Campaign.