Job: Assistant Coach

Brendan O’Meara

California native Brendan O’Meara coach in Major League Rugby between 2021-2023, and between 2024-2026. He served as Assistant Coach for the Austin Gilgronis (2022), Utah Warriors (2024-2025), and Anthem RC (2026)

After earning both his Undergraduate and Master’s degrees from Saint Mary’s College in California, Brendan O’Meara began his coaching journey with his alma mater in 2014. He serves as an Assistant Coach for the SMC Gaels from 2014-2021, also serving as an Assistant Coach of the USA U20s side in their preparation for the Junior World Trophy Qualification matches in 2018. In late 2021, O’Meara earned his first coaching role in Major League Rugby as an Assistant Coach for the Austin Gilgronis during their 2022 season where they finished 1st in the Western Conference, also heading the AGs Academy as Head Coach.

Following the disqualification and subsequent withdrawal of the Gilgronis from MLR in 2022, O’Meara headed to Colorado to join the American Raptors as Assistant Coach – Attack & Backs for their Super Rugby Americas season in 2023 before joining the Utah Warriors under Greg Cooper, serving as Attack Coach from 2023-2025. He helped coach the Warriors to a franchise best 11-5 record in 2025, finishing the regular season as the best team in MLR and advancing to the Western Conference Final that year. With the Utah Warriors withdrawing in late 2025 (marking the 3rd team to fold with O’Meara coaching), O’Meara headed to the east coast to join Anthem RC as Assistant Coach – Attack & Backs for their 2026 campaign.

Matthew Wagner

American coach Matthew Wagner coached in Major League Rugby during the 2026 season. He served as an Assistant Coach for the Chicago Hounds.

Matthew Wagner is a staple of the rugby scene in and around Chicago. He led the Purdue University 7s program from 2014-2018 and was named as Big 10 7s Coach of the Year in 2015. Following his time with Purdue, Wagner joined the Illinois Women’s College All-Star team as an Assistant, before joining the Chicago Lions in the same role in 2019. Later that same year he took over as Head Coach of the Lions’ 7s program, guiding the team to a 7s National Championship in 2021 and 5th place the following year.

Wagner first joined the Chicago Hounds as Team Manager ahead of their inaugural season in 2023, spending 2 years in the role whilst also serving as the Hounds’ Senior Academy Head Coach. He earned his spot as an Assistant Coach for the Hounds’ MLR squad ahead of their 2026 campaign and was announced by the team on 5th February, 2026.

Dave Clancy

Irishman Dave Clancy coached in Major League Rugby between 2023-2026. He served as an Assistant Coach with the Chicago Hounds (2023-2024), the San Diego Legion (2025), and the California Legion (2026).

A career coach, Dave Clancy got his first taste of coaching with the Munster Academy in Ireland while he completed his studies, and turned this into a role with the Strength & Conditioning department of the Samoan national team in 2011. From there, Clancy spent a short time as Head Coach of the Cayman Islands, before moving to the United States in 2016 and signed as the Director of Rugby with the Chicago Lions. He served as DoR for the Lions for 4 years, before taking the Head Coach role at UCLA from 2020-2022, during which time he weas also the head of the LA Giltinis academy side, his first foray into Major League Rugby.

Following the disqualification and subsequent withdrawal of the Giltinis, Dave Clancy moved back to Chicago and joined MLR expansion side the Chicago Hounds as an Assistant Coach responsible for the backs and attack. He served with the Hounds from 2023-2024, at which time he headed back to California to join the San Diego Legion coaching team as an Assistant Coach for their 2025 season. With the San Diego Legion merging with Rugby FC LA to create the California Legion during the 2025/26 MLR offseason, Clancy was named as Assistant Coach – Backs then the team announced their coaching staff in January 2026, ahead of their inaugural season.

Josh Larsen

Canadian born New Zealand lock Josh Larsen coached in Major League Rugby during the 2026 season. He served as an Assistant Coach for the New England Free Jacks.

A capped Canadian international and Free Jacks legend who will forever be Free Jack #1, Josh Larsen enjoyed a stellar playing career in Major League Rugby that included 3 MLR Shields and 78 games across 7 MLR seasons. A full record of his MLR playing career can be found at his NARDB Player Profile, here. Having hung up his boots following the 2025 season with the Free Jacks, 2026 will be Larsen’s first year of coaching a professional team, although he has spent countless hours investing in the game at a grassroots level around the organisation, and has coached with the Free Jacks academy at both youth and high school levels.

The New England Free Jacks announced Josh Larsen’s transition from player to Assistant Coach (Defence) in November, 2025.

Pingi Tala’apitaga

Samoan former player Pingi Tala’apitaga coached in Major League Rugby during the 2026 season. He served as Assistant Coach for the New England Free Jacks.

Born and raised in Apia, Samoa, Pingi Tala’apitaga’s professional career started in New Zealand’s NPC in 2010, representing the Bay of Plenty Steamers. A tighthead prop, Tala’apitaga represented the Steamers from 2010-2016, earning close to 50 NPC appearances for Bay of Plenty. Alongside playing with the Steamers, Tala’apitaga also played in Super Rugby with the Highlanders in 2015, helping the team secure their first ever Super Rugby title. In 2016, Tala’apitaga took his talents to France and spent 3 seasons in the Pro D2, representing RC Narbonne (2016/17) and Soyaux Angoulême XV Charente (2017/18 & 2018/19) before calling time on his professional career.

Tala’apitaga has turned his talents to coaching since having up his boots, coaching at almost all levels of the game in New Zealand. He has coached with the then-World Champion Black Ferns, as well as the Bay of Plenty Steamers who finished 3rd in the 2025 NPC. In October 2025, the New England Free Jacks announced the addition of Pingi Tala’apitaga to their 2026 Coaching Staff as Assistant Coach (Forwards)

Steve Brett

New Zealand former player Steve Brett coached in Major League Rugby from 2020-2026. He was an Assistant Coach for the Colorado Raptors (2020), Rugby ATL (2021), and the Seattle Seawolves (2026), and Head Coach for Rugby ATL (2022-2023) and Rugby FC LA (2024).

A fly-half during his playing career that included representing the Junior All Blacks and Maori All Blacks as well as the Crusaders and the Blues in Super Rugby as well as two years in Japan and 5 more years in France with Bayonne, Lyon, Narbonne, and Clermont Auvergne, Steve Brett called time on his professional playing career in 2018, just as Major League Rugby was starting out in the United States. Brett first entered MLR as Assistant Coach with the Colorado Raptors during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. When the world began to open up again he had moved to an Assistant Coach role (Attack & Backs) with both Rugby ATL as well as USA Rugby, serving in both roles until 2022 when he was promoted to Head Coach following Scott Lawrence’s sudden resignation. Brett led the RATLers from 2022-2023, holding a 16-1-16 record including a 11-5 record in 2022. Brett followed the team to Los Angeles following Rugby ATL’s sale and relocation to the West Coast, and served as the first Head Coach of the rebranded Rugby FC LA, recording a 5-1-10 record in their inaugural season before being released by the team at the end of the 2024 season.

Steve Brett took a year out of Major League Rugby in 2025, instead re-joining the USA Rugby setup as Attack and Skills Coach under Scott Lawrence similar to his position under Lawrence at Rugby ATL. On December 29th, 2025, the Seattle Seawolves announced that Brett was joining their coaching team as Assistant Coach (Attack & Backs) for the 2026 season.

Head Coach Record

Overall: 21-2-27
Rugby ATL (2022-2023): 16-1-17
Rugby FC LA (2025): 5-1-10

Ian Watson

English-born Welsh Rugby League international Ian Watson coached in Major League Rugby during the 2025 season. He serves as the Assistant Coach of the Seattle Seawolves, in charge of the backs and defence.

The role of Assistant Coach is Watson’s first step into Rugby Union at any level, having played and coached rugby league for his entire career prior to MLR. He represented his local side the Salford Red Devils and Leigh Centurions (now the Leigh Leopards), both in the top tier of British & French rugby league, the Betfred Super League (which also featured the short-lived Toronto Wolfpack during the 2020 season). Watson also represented Wales at international level, winning 30 caps to tie the national team record until that was surpassed by Rhys Williams in 2022. Watson also earned over 200 apperances for the Swinton Lions in the RFL Championship across three stints, from 1998-2000, 2005-2006, and 2010-2014.

As a coach, Watson guided his former team, the Salford Red Devils, to the 2019 Super League Grand Final and 2020 Challenge Cup Final. He also coached the Huddersfield Giants, another Super League side.

Dave Dennis

Australian ex-player Dave Dennis coached in Major League Rugby betwee 2025-2026. He was a Senior Assistant Coach for Rugby FC LA (2025), and the California Legion (2026).

Following an impressive playing career that saw 18 Wallabies caps, over 100 Super Rugby Caps, a Super Rugby title in 2014 (Waratahs), two Premiership Titles in 2016/17 & 2019/20 (Exeter Chiefs) and a European Champions Cup title in 2019/20 (also Exeter Chiefs), Dennis joined the LA Giltinis ahead of their inaugural season, and served as captain between 2021-2022, adding the 2021 MLR Shield to his trophy cabinet before retiring as a player following the disqualification and subsquent folding of the LA Giltinis in 2022. For information on Dennis’ playing career, click here.

After a few years away from Major League Rugby, Dennis returned to the league, once again in LA but this time on the sidelines and for a different franchise. He was announced as Senior Assistant Coach for Rugby FC LA on 8th October 2024, where he would serve under his former Giltinis Head Coach Steve Hoiles, RFCLA‘s Director of Rugby. In 2025, Dennis helped RFCLA to a 8-1-7 regular season record to finish 3rd in the Western Conference and qualify for the postseason for the first (and only) time in team history, where they were eliminated in the Western Conference Semi-final by the Houston SaberCats.

Immediately following the 2025 season, Rugby FC LA and the San Diego Legion announced that they would be merging to form the California Legion, and when this new team announced their coaching staff in January of 2026, Dave Dennis was included as Assistant Coach – Defence.

Sam Harris

New Zealand born, Australian former player Sam Harris coached in Major League Rugby between 2020-2025. He served as Head Coach of the Austin Gilgronis (2020-2022) and the Chicago Hounds (2023-2024) before being let go towards the end of the 2024 season. Harris then joined Rugby FC LA as Attack Coach for their 2025 season.

Harris began his pro playing career with the NSW Waratahs in Super Rugby in 2001. He represented the Tahs from 2001-2008, sandwiching a stint in the NRL between 2003-2006 when he played with the Manly Sea Eagles and Wests Tigers. Following his time with the Waratahs, Harris moved to Japan to play with the Honda Heat for their 2008/9 season, before returning to Australia to play with the Western Force in 2010.

Following his retirement, Harris turned to coaching. He began his career on the sidelined with the Warringah Rats in 2011 before accepting an Assistant role at his former team, the Honda heat in Japan. Harris spent 7 years as an Assistant in Japan between the Heat and Ricoh Black Rams, before accepting his first Head Coach position with the Austin Gilgronis ahead of the 2021 season. Harris held a strong 21-0-11 record with the AGs, and looked the favourite to lift the Shield in 2022 before they were disqualified and subsequently folded during the ‘Gilly-Gate’ fiasco. With Austin folding, Harris accepted a role as Head Coach of the Chicago Hounds expansion side for 2023, leading the Hounds through their inaugural season and the majority of the 2024 season before being let go in June. Harris held a record of 8-1-20 as Head Coach of the Hounds for a career record of 29-1-31 as a MLR Head Coach.

On October 10th, 2024, Rugby FC LA announced the addition of Harris as Attack Coach for their 2025 MLR season.