Position: Number 8

Connor Cook

Colorado native Connor Cook played in Major League Rugby from 2018-2022. He represented the Colorado/Glendale Raptors from 2018-2020, and Rugby ATL from 2021-2022.

Cook was the 23rd player in MLR history to reach 50 caps in the competition, doing so on 11th June, 2022. Cook finished with exactly 50 caps in MLR, 33 of which were starts and scored 6 tries in this time. 4 of these tries came in 2022 for Rugby ATL.

In the 2022 season, Cook made 144 tackles with a success rate of 83.24%.

On 7th July 2022, Cook announced the end of his rugby career via an instagram post.

MLR Honours:

  • 2018 MLR Runner-up – Colorado/Glendale Raptors

Luke White

US-eligible Australian Luke White played in Major League Rugby between 2018-2026. He represented the Glendale (later Colorado) Raptors (2018-2020), the LA Giltinis (2021-2022), and the Chicago Hounds (2023-2026).

White hails from Sydney, where his rugby journey started at Saint Ignatius College, Riverview, a leading rugby school in Australia. He joined the Manly Marlins for the 2010/11 Shute Shield before attending the Australian College of Physical Education between 2012-2015, before moving to the United States and settling in Glendale, Colorado. White joined the Raptors that year, playing there until joining the Denver Stampede for the short-lived PRO Rugby competition (the spiritual predecessor to MLR) before returning to the Raptors. He proved to be a versatile forward, able to play in all 3 rows of the pack. White represented the Raptors during the early years of Major League Rugby, appearing in all 10 games during the league’s inaugural season which saw the Raptors advance to the Championship Final only to fall to the Seattle Seawolves 19-23. In 2019 White recorded over 1,200m gained and finished 6th in the league. He earned a total of 31 MLR caps for the Raptors through 3 seasons, including the truncated 2020 season where he started all 5 games before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following this, the Raptors withdrew from MLR and would eventually join the South American Super Rugby Americas as the American Raptors.

Following the withdrawal of the Raptors and the return of MLR, White signed with the Australian-heavy LA Giltinis for their inaugural season in 2021. He earned 7 appearances for the Giltinis, starting 5 and scoring 1 try as LA advanced to White’s 2nd Championship Final, this time finishing on the winning side as the Giltinis defeated Rugby ATL 31-17 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. White returned with the Giltinis in 2022, doubling his appearances to 14 with 11 starts in the regular season before the LA Giltinis (along with their sister team, the Austin Gilgronis) were disqualified from the season due to alleged salary cap breaches. Both teams subsequently folded in the 2022 offseason. In the subsequent Expansion/Dispersal draft, White was selected 14th overall by the Chicago Hounds expansion side, and signed a multi-year contract ahead of their inaugural season in 2023. For the Hounds, White tied his career high in tries scored (3), doing so in 12 appearances (all starts) while racking up 680m gained with ball in hand and delivering over 100 successful tackles. Following a strong season with the Hounds, Luke White earned his test debut as USA Eagle #561 in August 2023, and has earned 5 test caps to date.

The Hounds confirmed the return of Luke White for the 2024 season on January 3rd, 2024 where he scored another try in 15 games (10 starts) as the Hounds qualified for the MLR post-season, but White did not feature. Through his first 7 seasons in MLR, Luke White earned 80 MLR caps (64 starts), scoring 9 tries. He was the 13th player in MLR history to reach 50 caps in the competition, on 8th May, 2022. White earned his first test caps for the USA following the 2023 MLR season, playing No. 8 during the USA’s RWC qualifying campaign, as well as the La Vila cup in Spain in the fall.

On October 16th, 2024, the Chicago Hounds confirmed the return of Luke White for the 2025 MLR season, along with Bryce Campbell and Noah Brown. White appeared in all 18 games for the Chicago Hounds during the 2025 season, scoring his 10th MLR try and taking his career total to 98 MLR appearances (66 starts). He recorded 98 tackles to take his career total to just under 750, and sits on 3,904m gained in possession. With the Chicago Hounds announcing the return of Luke White for his 9th season in 2026, he is almost guaranteed to pass 4000m gained as well as earn his 100th Major League Rugby appearance.

achievements

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 16
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 1
  • 13th Player in MLR History to Reach 50 Caps
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Rd 16
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Rd 11
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Rd 9
  • MLR Champion: 2021 (LA Giltinis)
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Rd 2
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 15
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 9
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 6
  • MLR Runner-Up: 2018 (Glendale Raptors)
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2018 – Rd 9

Ronan Murphy

California native Ronan Murphy played in Major League Rugby during the 2022 season, and again between 2024-2026. He represented the Austin Gilgronis (2022), the Houston SaberCats (2024-2025), and the California Legion (2026).

A former USA U20 player and Rudy Scholz Award nominee, Murphy joined the Austin Gilgronis organisation after playing at Trinity College in Dublin. He earned 3 MLR caps (all starts) with the AGs in 2022 before the team was disqualified from the 2022 MLR season and ceased operations shortly after the season’s conclusion. Murphy signed with the American Raptors crossover team during their Fall season, and toured with the USA Falcons to Uruguay. He stayed with the Raptors for their inaugural season in Super Rugby Americas in 2023, earning a number of SRA Team of the Week selections.

On 5th October 2023, the Houston SaberCats announced the signing of Ronan Murphy for the 2024 MLR season, where he appeared in all 17 SaberCats games, starting 15 of them and scoring 6 tries, as well as gaining over 400m in possession and finishing T-8th in MLR Tackling, with 172 completed. The SaberCats finished as the top MLR team during the regular season with a record of 14-2, but were stunned by the Dallas Jackals in the Western Conference Semifinal, falling 22-34 to their Texas rivals. On November 15th, 2024, the Houston SaberCats announced the return of Ronan Murphy for their 2025 campaign where he scored a 7th MLR try and started 2 of his 6 games in an injury-affected season, helping the Houston SaberCats to a 14-2 regular season record, and finishing the year as a MLR Runner-up with the ‘Cats.

With the surprise withdrawal of the Houston SaberCats from MLR during the 2025/26 off-season, Murphy returned to his native California to sign with the California Legion ahead of their inaugural season in 2026. The team announced the addition of Ronan Murphy on 9th February, 2026.

Achievements:

  • 2025 MLR Runner-Up: Houston SaberCats
  • T-8th in MLR Tackling: 2024 (172)
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 1

Maclean Jones

Australian back row Maclean Jones played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2026. He represented the Austin Gilgronis (2021-2022) and the Chicago Hounds (2023-2026).

Jones played Rugby Union, Rugby League, and cricket through school, focusing on Rugby Union from 2013 when he toured the UK & Ireland with the Australian Schoolboys. He played with the Australia U20s at the u20 World Cup in Manchester in 2016, and captained the side at the Oceania Tournament in Brisbane, earning a rugby scholarship to the University of Queensland, and played with the Warringah Rats in the 2017 Shute Shield. Jones earned his Super Rugby debut with the Waratahs in 2019, while also playing with the NSW Country Eagles in the NRC.

Maclean Jones had signed with the Austin Gilgronis ahead of the 2020 MLR season, but visa delays meant that he was unable to travel stateside before the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the season after only 5 rounds. Jones made it over to join the Gilgronis for the 2021 season, earning 13 appearances (all starts) for the AGs and scoring 2 tries. He earned another 9 caps (7 starts) in the 2022 regular season, before the Austin Gilgronis were disqualified (along with sister team the LA Giltinis) from the 2022 season for alleged cap salary breaches prior to the 2022 Championship Series. In the subsequent Expansion/Dispersal draft, Maclean Jones was selected 22nd overall by the Chicago Hounds expension side, with whom he signed a multi-year contract ahead of their inaugural season in 2023. Jones earned a career high 15 appearances (all starts) for the Hounds in 2023, scoring 3 tries and completing 188 successful tackles, putting him 8th league-wide in that category.

On 3rd July 2024, the Chicago Hounds announced that they had re-signed Mac Jones on a 2yr deal through the 2026 MLR season. Jones would enjoy a stellar season in 2024, setting a new personal best in tackles made with 199, finishing 3rd in MLR. He appeared in all 18 of Chicago’s games, starting 15 times and scoring 4 tries as they qualified for the playoffs for the first time in team history, where they defeated the NOLA Gold on the road to advance to the Eastern Conference Final, where the Hounds fell 23-17 to the eventual champions, the New England Free Jacks. For his performance in 2024, Jones was named to the All-MLR Second XV and named as the Chicago Hounds Forward of the Year.

On January 9th, 2025, the Chicago Hounds confirmed the return of Maclean Jones for the 2025 season, the first of his new 2yr deal with the team. That season, Jones continued his stellar performances for the Hounds. He scored 9 tries, more than double his previous career high of 4, and started all 16 of his appearances that season as the Hounds advanced to the Eastern Conference Final for the 2nd year in a row, falling to the New England Free Jacks by a single point. He completed well over 200 tackles for the first time in his career, finishing 6th League-wide with 222 taking his career total to 885, and gained over 200m in possession. For his substantial efforts, Jones was named both Chicago Hounds Player of the Year, and Players’ Player of the Year at the team’s 2025 End of Season awards and was named to the All-MLR Second XV. On 30th October 2025, the Chicago Hounds announced the return of Mac Jones for their 2026 season, his 6th in MLR and 4th with the Hounds.

achievements