Position: Number 8

Dylan Nel

South African back row Dylan Nel played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2025. He represented the Utah Warriors for his entire MLR career.

Nel moved from South Africa to New Zealand in 2015. He represented Canterbury in NZ’s NPC competition between 2016-2017, also serving as injury cover for the Crusaders in the 2017 Super Rugby season. He represented Otago between 2018-2021, as well as the Chiefs in the 2019 Super Rugby season. Between 2021-2023, Nel played with the Mitsubishi Dynaboars in Japan’s League One, before returning to the NPC for the 2023 season with Southland.

The son-in-law of Utah Head Coach Greg Cooper, The Utah Warriors announced the signing of Dylan Nel on 15th November 2023 for the 2024 MLR season, and with 128 tackles in 11 games (all starts), was a standout for the Warriors during a tough season. He also racked up over 750m with ball in hand, 4th in MLR amongst forwards. Nel was named as the 2024 Utah Warriors Forward of the Year.

On 30th June 2024, the Southland Stags announced that Nel would be returning for their 2024 NPC campaign during the MLR off-season, and on December 20th 2024 the Utah Warriors confirmed the return of Dylan Nel, Warrior #120 for the 2025 MLR season. In his sophomore season in North America, Dylan Nel set career highs almost across the board. He scored 4 tries and started 15 of his 16 appearances for the Warriors (all career highs), helping the Warriors finish as MLR’s top regular season team and earn their first postseason victory ever before falling to the Houston SaberCats in the Western Conference Final. Nel also recorded his first 200+ tackle season, finishing 3rd in MLR with 234. With Greg Cooper stepping down as Utah Warriors head coach following the 2025 season and joining the NEC Green Rockets Tokatsu in Japan’s Rugby League One, Nel followed his father-in-law, signing with the Green Rockets on 31st July, 2025.

achievements

  • 3rd in MLR Tackling: 2025 (234)
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 6
  • 2024 Utah Warriors Forward of the Year
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 6
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 3

OJ Noa

New Zealand born Samoan back row Olajuwon ‘OJ’ Noa played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2025. He represented the NOLA Gold (2024) and the Seattle Seawolves (2025).

Noa began his pro career with the Melbourne Rising in Australia’s National Rugby Championship (NRC) between 2014-15, before moving to the Canberra Vikings between 2016-17. He played in Spain for Silverstorm El Salvador between 2018-19 before returning to Australia with the Hunter Wildfires in the Shute Shield between 2020-21. OJ Noa joined the Gold from Aviron Bayonnais in the French Top 14, having previously played with the Sharks in both the URC and Currie Cup between 2021-22. He earned his first test caps for Manu Samoa between 2021-22, making 5 appearances.

The NOLA Gold announced the signing of OJ Noa on 3rd November 2023, ahead of the 2024 MLR season. He earned 9 MLR appearances for the Gold (all starts) and gained over 500m with ball in hand as the Gold finally ended their playoff drought, falling to the Chicago Hounds in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. On 10th October 2024, the NOLA Gold announced the departure of Noa from the team, and on November 21st, the Seattle Seawolves announced the signing of OJ Noa for the 2025 season, joining his NOLA teammate Rodney Iona. His agency, BSMI Rugby, later confirmed that Noa had signed a 2yr contract through the 2026 season.

achievements
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 1

Martín Sigren

Chilean back row Martín Sigren played in Major League Rugby during the 2024 season. He represented the New England Free Jacks for his entire MLR career.

Sigren earned his international debut for Chile in 2016 and has earned 31 caps for his country through the end of 2023. He has captained Los Cóndores since 2020, including their World Cup qualification Campaign, and started all 4 games of RWC 2023 in France, against Argentina, England, Japan, and Samoa. Prior to MLR, Martín Sigren represented Selknam – Chile’s club in SLAR, now Super Rugby Americas – between 2020-2022, before moving to the Doncaster Knights and becoming the first Chilean to play professionally in England, representing the Championship side during the 2022/23 season.

Sigren’s signing was announced by the Free Jacks on 1st November 2023, ahead of the 2024 MLR season where he earned 10 appearances for the Free Jacks (9 starts) and completed over 120 tackles as they qualified for the post season as the 1st seed in the Eastern Conference. Sigren did not feature in the 2024 Championship Series as the Free Jacks successfully defended their title and earned back-to-back MLR Shields, the first of Sigren’s career. Following his lone season in MLR, Sigren returned to Chile to re-join their Super Rugby Americas franchise Selknam, where he has been playing since.

achievements

Piers von Dadelszen

Canadian forward Piers von Dadelszen played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2026. He represented the New England Free Jacks for his entire MLR career.

British Columbia Native von Dadelszen played with the Canadian U18 side, and is a fully capped Canadian international after earning his debut in 2022, and was selected as part of the Canada squad for their November 2023 tests in Spain. He joined the New England Free Jacks from the Oxford University Blues, where he was studying at St Edmunds Hall for his Master’s Degree in Engineering.

The Free Jacks announced the signing of Piers von Dadelszen on 28th October 2023, along with Cameron Nordli-Kelemeti for the 2024 MLR season. He scored 2 tries in 14 games (8 starts) in his debut MLR regular season, completing over 100 successful tackles as the Free Jacks finished atop the Eastern Conference. For his performance in 2024, von Dadelszen was names as Free Jacks Rookie of the Year. Dadelszen started all 3 of the Free Jacks post-season games in 2024 including the Championship game, helping New England triumph over the Seattle Seawolves to lift their 2nd MLR Shield in as many seasons.

On November 13th, 2024, the New England Free Jacks announced the return of Piers von Dadelszen for 2025, again alongside Cam Nordli-Kelemeti, and Tevita Sole. Von Dadelszen started 15 of his 16 appearances for the Free Jacks in 2025, completing just shy of 150 tackles to help New England secure their third (and his 2nd) MLR Shield in a row. His 15 starts and 145 tackles were both career highs. Von Dadelszen was a regular for Canada throughout 2025, starting every single one of their 9 tests that year and while he was touring with the team for their November tests, the New England Free Jacks announced the return of Piers van Dadelszen for his 3rd MLR season in 2026.

achievements:

Taris Schramm

Utah native Taris Schramm played in the 2022 season of Major League Rugby. He represented his local team, the Utah Warriors.

Schramm played with the Utah Selects in the Warriors’ pathway in the fall of 2021, leading to a call up to the ‘big club’ in January 2022 ahead of the 2022 MLR season. Schramm earned his MLR debut in Round 11 of 2022, a narrow 22-21 away loss to Old Glory DC.

 

Rohan O’Regan

Australian Back row Rohan O’Regan played in Major League Rugby during the 2022 season. He represented the San Diego Legion.

O’Regan joined the Legion in December 2021 from Sydney University, where the then-27yo had captained their 1st side since 2018. He earned his MLR debut off the bench in Round 6 of the 2022 MLR season, as the Legion were narrowly defeated by Rugby New York, 26-23.

Achievements:

Setefano Funaki

Tongan forward Setefano Funaki played in Major League Rugby during the 2022 season, representing the Seattle Seawolves.

The Seawolves announced Funaki’s signing in February 2022, a couple of weeks into the season. Funaki joined from Northland in New Zealand’s NPC competition, where he had played since 2019.

In his debut MLR season, Funaki earned 8 caps for the Seawolves (7 starts). Funaki was nor re-signed by the Seawolves for 2023, and has not played in MLR since 2022.

Achievements:

 

Chase Schor-Haskin

Florida native Chase Schor-Haskin played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2025. He represented the NOLA Gold (2022), Rugby ATL (2023), and the Miami Sharks (2024-2025).

Schor-Haskin played both Rugby Sevens and Fifteens through his time at Life University between 2017-2021, and was drafted in the first round, 6th overall, by Rugby United New York in the 2021 MLR Collegiate Draft. On 7th October 2021, Rugby United New York traded Schor-Haskin, along with their 2nd Rd Draft pick in 2022, 26th overall (NOLA Traded this pick to Old Glory DC, along with their 1st Rd pick (3rd overall, used to select Cali Martinez) in exchange for the 2nd overall pick in 2022, used to select Sebastiano Villani) in exchange for NOLA’s 3rd Rd pick in 2022 (used to select Bill Whiteside) and an International Player Slot for 2022.

Schor-Haskin earned his MLR debut for the NOLA Gold but only appeared in the 1 game. He instead focused on his Sevens career with the USA National team, earning 2 tournament appearances in 2022. Schor-Haskin started the 2023 MLR season still under contract with the NOLA Gold, but was traded to Rugby ATL on 22nd March 2023 in exchange for 2023 Salary Cap Considerations (unknown). He continued to play for the USA Sevens team and did not appear during the 2023 MLR season. On 21st September 2023, Schor-Haskin was traded for a third time, from Rugby ATL to the Miami Sharks expansion side in exchange for 2024 Salary Cap Considerations, and on 3rd January 2024 the Sharks confirmed the signing of the Florida native for their inaugural season in 2024.

In his debut season with the Sharks, Schor-Haskin earned 10 appearances off the bench as the Sharks put in a competitive inaugural season. On December 2nd, 2024, the Miami Sharks confirmed the return of Chase Schor-Haskin for the 2025 season. That year, Schor-Haskin added another 7 appearances to his resume as well as his first MLR start after 4 seasons, as well as his first MLR try for the Sharks. As of the conclusion of the 2025 campaign Chase Schor-Haskin has 1 start in 18 appearances, 1 try, 100m gained in possession and 49 tackles completed. With the Miami Sharks’ withdrawal from the league in August 2025, Schor-Haskin became a free agent and it remains to be seen if he will be back for 2026.

achievements

Manuel Ardao

Uruguayan back row forward Manuel Ardao played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2025. He represented the Miami Sharks for their inaugural MLR season in 2024, and for his entire MLR career.

A capped international with Uruguay, Ardao is a veteran of 2 Rugby World Cups with Los Teros, representing them in both 2019 and most recently in 2023, where he was a standout. Ardao won 6 turnovers for Uruguay in their World Cup game against Italy, equalling a RWC record. He is a Uruguay regular, representing them in their 2025 July tests.

A then-24yo Manuel Ardao’s signing was announced by the Miami Sharks on 20th August 2023, 1 day before he was announced as a part of the Uruguay squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France. Ardao was the 7th player in Sharks history to be announced, and would join the Florida team from Peñarol in the Super Rugby Americas competition, where the Uruguayan club had just won their 2nd title in a row. Ardao had an excellent 2024 season, scoring 5 tries in 12 games (all starts) for the Sharks, completing over 115 tackles and gaining over 550m from the back row as the Miami Sharks recorded an admirable inaugural season that included a victory over the reigning champion New England Free Jacks.

On November 9th, 2024, the Miami Sharks announced the return of Manu Ardao for the 2025 MLR season, where he continued to be a standout. He scored another 5 tries and started 13 of his 14 appearances for the Sharks (both career highs). He helped the Miami Sharks to their first ever postseason appearance in 2025, facing the New England Free Jacks in the Eastern Conference Semifinal. Ardao was dynamic in possession, gaining 500m while also completing over 150 tackles on defence and was a menace at the breakdown, leading the league in turnovers won with 27. He was named to the All-MLR 1st XV for his performance in 2025.

Following the withdrawal of the Miami Sharks from Major League Rugby during the 2025/26 offseason, Manu Ardao returned to Uruguay and Super Rugby Americas Champions Peñarol for their 2026 title defence.

Achievements:

  • 2025 All-MLR First XV Selection
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 16
  • MLR Player of the Week: 2025 – Rd 13
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 13
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 2
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 4

Tomas Casares

Argentinian back row Tomas Casares has played in Major League Rugby between 2023-2026. He represented the New England Free Jacks (2023), the Miami Sharks (2024-2025), and the Chicago Hounds (2026).

A Thomas More alum, the Buenos Aires born Casares was drafted in the 2nd Round (17th overall) of the 2022 MLR Collegiate Draft by the New England Free Jacks. He spent the 2023 MLR season with the Free Jacks during their first Championship-winning campaign, but did not appear in a MLR game.

Casares was selected by the Miami Sharks during the 2023 expansion draft and the team announced that Casares had signed with the Argentine-owned Sharks ahead of their inaugural 2024 season, where he earned his MLR debut. On May 25th 2024 during Round 13, Casares scored an auto-7pt try with the clock in the red to secure a Sharks victory over the New England Free Jacks, the team that drafted him, in front of an elated home crowd in Fort Lauderdale.

Following the 2024 season, Casares was included in the USA squad for their November tour against Portugal, Tonga, and Spain. He became Eagle #583 when he earned his test debut off the bench in a hard-fought 21-17 victory over Portugal on November 9th. He earned a 2nd cap the following week in a 36-17 victory over Tonga. On November 20th, the Miami Sharks announced the return of Tomas Casares for the 2025 MLR season. He took another step forward with the Sharks in their sophomore season in 2025, starting 12 of his 14 appearances for Miami and completing 139 tackles to help the team earn their first ever playoff spot.

Following the 2025 MLR season, the Miami Sharks announced that they were withdrawing from Major League Rugby. This left Casares as a free agent ahead of the 2026 season, and on 22nd January 2026, the Chicago Hounds announced that they had added the back rower for the 2026 season.

Achievements: