AJ Alatimu

Samoan Fly-half AJ Alatimu played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2025. He represented the Seattle Seawolves (2021-2023) and the Houston SaberCats (2024-2025).

Born in Samoa, Alatimu has played much of his rugby in Australia, winning the 2016 National Rugby Championship with Perth Spirit before joining Brisbane City for 2017, and the Western Force between 2018-2020. At international level, Alatimu has represented the Samoa U20 side between 2012-2013, and made his full test debut for Samoa against Scotland in November of 2017. He represented his nation at the 2019 Pacific Nations Cup as well as the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Alatimu joined the Seawolves ahead of the 2021 season from Western Force, who had been competing in the NRC and Global Rapid Rugby competitions (they rejoined Super Rugby in 2021). He quickly established himself as a lethal goal kicker, and to date he still maintains an 80% accuracy rating from the tee across all his MLR games. He has scored over 100pts in 2 of his 3 MLR seasons including 2023 when he shared the 10 jersey with a very impressive Jordan Chait, and finished 4th in MLR with an even 100pts. At the conclusion of the 2023 MLR season, Alatimu is the highest scoring player in Seawolves history, having scored 321pts for the club. He is one of only 5 players to have scored over 300pts in the competition, and currently sits 4th on the all-time MLR points scorers list. In addition to this, he is also MLR’s all-time leading playoff point scorer, with 55pts in Championship Series games.

On 17th July, 2023, Counties Manukau announced Alatimu as part of their roster for the 2023 NPC competition in New Zealand. This competition is popular among MLR players as there is no crossover, allowing many to play professional rugby year-round. In September 2023, the Seattle Seawolves announced a trade with the Houston SaberCats that sent Alatimu to Texas in exchange for USA Eagle Joe Taufete’e. Alatimu returned to MLR with the SaberCats for the 2024 season, earning his 50th MLR cap and scoring 78pts while splitting kicking duties with Davy Coetzer as the SaberCats recorded their best season to date, securing their spot in the playoffs for the 3rd consecutive year and finishing the regular season with a record of 14-2, the top team in MLR for the regular season.

On November 13th, 2024, the Houston SaberCats announced the return of AJ Alatimu for his 5th season in MLR in 2025. He began the season as part of a tandem with Davy Coetzer once again, however Coetzer’s 2025 was plagued with injury so the MLR veteran Alatimu stepped up to take over the Houston #10 jersey. The playmaker started 10 of his 18 appearances in 2025, scoring his first 3 tries that season and helped the SaberCats to their first postseason victory. Alatimu started all three of Houston’s playoff games in 2025 as they defeated playoff Rugby FC LA and the Utah Warriors to claim the Western Conference title for the first time in club history, and earning the right to fight for the 2025 Shield against the reigning Champion New England Free Jacks, where they fell 28-22 in Rhode Island on June 28th, 2025. Alatimu kicked 7pts in the Championship game to take his career total to 504, becoming just the 2nd player in MLR history to pass 500pts scored in the competition.

Achievements
  • 2nd Player to Pass 500pts Scored in MLR
  • 2025 MLR Runner-Up – Houston SaberCats
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 11
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 3
  • 5th in MLR Scoring: 2024 (85pts)
  • All-Time Leading MLR Playoff Point Scorer (89)
  • Seattle Seawolves All-Time Leading Points Scorer (321)
  • 4th in MLR Scoring: 2023 (100pts)
  • 1st in MLR Scoring: 2022 (166pts)
  • 2022 MLR Runner-Up – Seattle Seawolves
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Rd 17
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Rd 8

Tommy Clark

Samoa born US-eligible forward Tommy Clark played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2022. He represented the Seattle Seawolves for his entire MLR career.

Born in Apia, Clark attended the American International College and was one of MLR’s first ever draftees. He was selected 9th overall by the Dallas Jackals in the inaugural MLR Collegiate Draft in 2020. Although he was selected by the Jackals in the draft, Clark instead opted to sign with the Seattle Seawolves as a free agent, and scored 2 tries in 11 appearances (3 starts) for his local MLR side during his rookie season, completing over 70 tackles and running for just shy of 150m gained. Clark returned to the Seawolves for the 2022 season, earning another start and a career high 12 appearances, completing over 50 tackles once again with just under 100m gained.

Achievements
  • MLR Draftee: 2020 – 1st Round (9th Overall) – Dallas Jackals

James Malcolm

Scottish hooker James Malcolm played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2023. He represented the Seattle Seawolves for his entire MLR career.

A Glasgow native, Malcolm began playing rugby at age 9 at Hutcheson’s Grammar School. He represented Scotland at U17, U18, and U20 levels and played with Ayr RFC in the Scottish Premiership from 2013-2017 and again in the 2018/19 season. While with Ayr he was part of the Glasgow Warriors Elite Development Program in 2014/15, graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering while a part of the Elite Athlete program at the University of Strathclyde. He signed a pro contract with the Glasgow Warriors and earned his PRO 12 debut (later PRO 14 & now URC) in March 2016 and ha earned 25 apperances for the Warriors. He was a member of Scotland’s wider Six nations squad in 2018 and was loaned to the Doncaster Knights for the 2018/19 Championship season in England, before joining London Scottish for the 2019/20 Championship Season.

Malcolm initially signed with the Dallas Jackals for the 2021 MLR season, but when they postponed their entry to the following year, he signed with the Seattle Seawolves. He scored 8 tries in 12 games (11 starts) in his debut MLR season, including a hat trick from the bench in a span of only 9 minutes! The following year he appeared in all 18 of Seattle‘s games as they advanced to the Championship Final, falling 30-15 to Rugby New York. Malcolm completed 229 tackles that season, finishing 6th league-wide. Through his 3 seasons with the Seawolves, Malcolm scored 14 tries in 46 appearances (32 starts), carrying for 1193m and completing over 400 tackles as a front row.

Despite being signed with Seattle through the 2024 season, Malcolm returned to his native Scotland following the 2023 season, and has been playing with Ayr RFC once more, winning the FOSROC Super Series Sprint in 2024.

achievements:

Rhyno Herbst

South African lock Rhyno Herbst played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2026. He represented the Seattle Seawolves for his entire MLR career.

A Gauteng native, Rhyno Herbst played rugby through high school in Roodepoort, and played age-grade rugby with the Golden Lions between 2012-2017. In 2016, while playing for the Lions U21s, he was also a member of the Junior Boks Training Squad. In 2017 he got a chance with the Golden Lions Currie Cup side, and in 2018 he progressed to the Lions Super Rugby side, playing between the Super Rugby and Currie Cup sides until 2020.

Herbst travelled stateside ahead of the 2021 MLR season, signing with the Seattle Seawolves. He has represented the Seawolves for 4 MLR seasons, scoring 5 tries in 58 appearances (57 starts) for Seattle, earning his 50th MLR cap on May 11th, 2024. Across those 4 MLR seasons, Herbst has racked up over 1,700m gained in possession and has completed exactly 500 tackles, including a high of 165 in 2024. He has featured for the Seawolves in two MLR Championship games, in 2022 (a 30-15 defeat to Rugby New York) and again in 2024 (a 11-20 defeat to the New England Free Jacks), and his 2024 performances earned him an All-MLR First XV selection. On January 14th, 2025, the Rhyno Herbst was included on the Seattle Seawolves’ full roster for the 2025 season, marking his 5th season for the team. During the 2025 season, Herbst started all 15 of his appearances for the Seawolves to take his career total to 72 starts in 73 games. He added a 6th career try with over 150m gained and recorded his 4th 100+ tackles season, with 143 completed to take his career totals to 1,861m gained and 643 tackles made through the 2025 season.

On 6th January, 2026, the Seattle Seawolves confirmed that Rhyno Herbst would return for his 6th season with the team in 2026.

achievements

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 14
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 1
  • 2024 MLR Runner-Up: Seattle Seawolves
  • 2024 All-MLR First XV Selection: Seattle Seawolves
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 17
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 8
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 5
  • 2022 MLR Runner-Up: Seattle Seawolves

Kieran Joyce

English-born Irish back Kieran Joyce played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2023. He represented the Seattle Seawolves from 2021-2022, earning 20 MLR caps and scoring 49pts including 1 try.

On 28th April, 2023, Rugby New York Ironworkers announced that they had signed Joyce for the remainer of the 2023 season.