Season: MLR 2026

The 9th season of Major League Rugby saw the merging of the San Diego Legion and Rugby FC LA to form the California Legion, as well as the withdrawal of multiple teams to take the league from 11 sides in 2025, to 6 in 2026.

Alejandro Martinez Tapia

Ohio native Alejandro Martinez ‘Alex’ Tapia played in Major League Rugby between 2025-2026. He represented Anthem RC for his entire MLR career.

A native of Hilliard, OH, Tapia attended Davidson High School where he first started playing rugby before attending rugby powerhouse Lindenwood University between 2020-2024. He was invited to a USA Sevens team camp in 2023, and earned First Team All-American honours in 2024. He plays his club rugby with Charlotte Rugby Club’s ARP side, and was signed by Anthem RC on a homegrown player contract. Tapia was included when Anthem revealed their full roster for the 2025 season on January 21st, 2025. In his debut MLR season, Martinez Tapia started 9 of his 12 appearances for the Rising Stars, completing 90 tackles and running for 178m gained in possession.

On November 29th, 2025, Anthem RC announced the return of Alejandro Martinez Tapia for the 2026 season, along with EJ Freeman.

NARDB Player #1,372

Erich Storti

Californian centre Erich Storti played in Major League Rugby between 2025-2026. He represented Anthem RC for his entire MLR career.

A native of Concord, CA, Storti was a stand-out at high school level at De La Salle HS, and followed in the footsteps of his father Marty by attending St. Mary’s College. Storti played rugby for the Gaels and helped them to a D1A National Championship in the spring of 2024, earning MVP honours in the final. Storti has already had a sniff with the USA National Team when he was called up to the squad in the summer of 2024, but had to wait a few months for his test debut. He became Eagle #582 in November 2024 against Portugal.

Storti declared for the 2024 MLR Collegiate Draft and was selected 1st overall by Anthem RC, who confirmed the signing of Erich Storti when they revealed their full 2025 roster on January 21st, 2025. He was one of six draftees selected from St. Mary’s College in 2024. Storti started the season strongly, scoring two tries in his first 3 games and earning his first MLR Team of the Week selection in Round 3, where Anthem fell to the Miami Sharks in a knife-edge 31-32 game. In his rookie season, Storti started 11 of his 12 appearances and gained over 350m in possession, recording 76 tackles in defence. On 7th November 2025 while Storti was on tour with the USA national team for their November tests, Anthem RC announced the return of Erich Storti for his 2nd MLR campaign in 2026.

achievements
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 7
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 3
  • 2024 MLR Draftee: 1st Overall Pick – Anthem RC

NARDB Player #1,370

Aidan King

US-born Australian back row Aidan King played in Major League Rugby between 2025-2026. He represented the NOLA Gold (2025) and Old Glory DC (2026).

Born in Alaska before moving to Brisbane when he was young, King attended The Anglican Church Grammar School which boasts alumni such as David Pocock and Quade Cooper, playing rugby for ‘Churchie’ before enrolling at Penn State University and heading to the US. King attended for his undergraduate degree between 2020-2024, and declared for the 2024 MLR Collegiate Draft where he was selected in the 1st round, 6th Overall, by the NOLA Gold. The Gold confirmed the signing of King, as well as Penn State teammate Dalton Musselman, when they released their full roster for the 2025 season on January 10th, 2025.

Despite a disappointing season for the NOLA Gold as a whole, Aidan King recorded a solid, arguably Rookie of the Year calibre season. He started 9 of his 14 appearances, scoring 1 try and recording 122m gained in possession with a very impressive 166 tackles. While undoubtedly on the shortlist, King missed out on Rookie of the Year to Chicago’s Peyton Wall.

Following the MLR season in August 2025, the NOLA Gold announced their withdrawal from the League and as a result, Aidan King explored the open market. On 9th November 2025, Old Glory DC announced the signing of Aidan King for his sophomore season in 2026. King started all of his appearances in his sophomore season in MLR, featuring in 9 of Old Glory DC’s 11 matches in 2026. He averaged 12.5 tackles per game to record his 2nd 100+ tackle seasons in as many years, completing 113 to take his career total to 279 in just 23 games. King also contributed a try assist and beat 13 defenders on a career high 207m gained in possession to help Old Glory DC squeeze into the postseason as they finished 4th in the standings, before falling to the Chicago Hounds in the Semifinals which King started. For his contributions in 2026, Aidan King was named as Old Glory DC’s Young Player of the Year.

Following the MLR season on 26th August, 2026, the Doncaster Knights announced the signing of Aidan King for their 2026/27 CHAMP Rugby campaign, the English second tier. There, he will link up with fellow MLR-er Ben Sugars.

achievements:

Chase Jones

Californian lock/flanker Chase Jones played in Major League Rugby between 2023-2026. He represented the NOLA Gold (2023-2025) and the California Legion (2026).

A native of Davis, CA, Jones was a High School All-American in 2017 while playing rugby at Dixon High, before attending St. Mary’s College of California between 2017-2021. In 2019 Jones was selected for the USA U20s, and played with the Gaels when they finished as D1A Runners-Up in 2022 while studying for his Masters degree. He declared for the 2022 MLR Collegiate Draft and was selected in the 1st Round, 6th overall by the NOLA Gold, signing with them ahead of the 2023 season and playing with their Academy side in the Fall.

Unfortunately for Jones, he suffered an Achilles injury that ruled him out of the entire 2023 MLR season, and the rehab of which sidelined him for much of the 2024 season as well. On January 8th, 2025, the NOLA Gold announced the return of Chase Jones for 2025, where he finally earned his Pro debut. Jones scored his first MLR try in Round 8 against Anthem RC, and was selected for the MLR Team of the Week for his performance. In total, Jones started 8 of his 11 appearances for the Gold, delivering 91 tackles completed and running for 72m in possession.

Jones’ bad luck continued following the 2025 MLR campaign, as the NOLA Gold announced that they would not participate in the League’s 2026 season. On 28th February 2026, the California Legion announced the addition of Chase Jones for the 2026 campaign.

Achievements:
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 8
  • 2022 MLR Draftee: 1st Round (6th Overall) – NOLA Gold

NARDB Player #1,364

Matt Carrion

Pennsylvanian back row Matthew Carrion played in Major League Rugby between 2025-2026. He represented the New England Free Jacks (2025) and Anthem RC (2026).

A native of Carlisle, PA, Carrion attended Carlisle high school before enrolling at Life University in 2019. In his first year with the Running Eagles, he helped the team to an ARP title and was selected to represent the USA U18 side. He continued to excel at Life, and was invited to the MLR Rising combine ahead of the 2024 Collegiate Draft, in which he was selected in the 2nd Rd, 14th overall, by the New England Free Jacks.

On December 19th, 2024, the New England Free Jacks confirmed the signing of Matt Carrion for their 2025 season. Carrion spent the 2025 season training and in camp with the Free Jacks, but did not appear at MLR level for the team. He was released by the team following the 2025 season but on 5th May 2026, Anthem RC announced that they had picked up Matt Carrion at the signing deadline for the remainder of the 2026 MLR season.

achievements

NARDB Player #1,359

Liam Fletcher

Australian prop Liam Fletcher played in Major League Rugby between 2025-2026. He represented the Chicago Hounds (2025) and Old Glory DC (2026).

A native of Brisbane, Fletcher has played rugby from a young age, but began making waves in 2016. Fletcher Capricornia Schools Under-17s program and the Central Queensland Bushrangers U17 team, earning a spot in the Queensland U17 team. The following year, Fletcher entered the Western Force system, co-captaining the U19s and captaining the U20s. Fletcher joined the Souths Rugby Club in 2020, the same club that has seen Hounds Head Coach Chris Latham and Forwards Coach Todd Dammers represent them. Representing Souths until 2022, Fletcher joined Brothers Rugby Club in 2023, helping the teams to back-to-back Hospital Cups in 2023 and 2024.

On December 19th, 2024, the Chicago Hounds announced the signing of 25yo Liam Fletcher for their 2025 season. He scored 1 try on over 100m gained in 12 appearances as a reserve for the Hounds in his debut season including both of their playoff games, making 12 of his 60 tackles in the Chicago Hounds’ heartbreaking Eastern Conference Final defeat to the New England Free Jacks. Following the 2025 season, Liam Fletcher headed east to the nations capital, signing with Old Glory DC. This signing was announced by the Flags on 28th January, 2026.

NARDB Player #1,356

Declan Leaney

Australian front row Declan Leaney played in Major League Rugby between 2025-2026. He represented Rugby FC LA (2025) and the California Legion (2026).

A native of New South Wales, Declan Leaney played with the Randwick Galloping Greens between 2019-2023 and was a part of the Shute Shield winning Randwick team in 2023, playing through injury after entering the Championship game early.

On December 19th, 2024, Rugby FC LA announced the signing of Declan Leaney for the 2025 season. He is one of a number of RFCLA players from Randwick, following Nick Chan, Matias Jensen, and Ben Houston. He was a regular reserve during the early part of the 2025 season, and earned his first start in RFCLA’s gutsy victory over the Houston SaberCats in Round 8, for which he was selected for the Team of the Week. In total, Leaney earned 7 appearances, starting twice and scoring his first MLR try on over 50m gained, completing 57 tackles to help Rugby FC LA earn their first and only playoff appearance. After RFCLA became a part of the California Legion, Leaney remained in the Golden State for a 2nd MLR season in 2026, and was announced by the team on 26th February, 2026

achievements
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 8

NARDB Player #1,354

Ed Timpson

English back row Ed Timpson played in Major League Rugby between 2025-2026. He represented Rugby FC LA (2025) and the California Legion (2026).

Timpson attended the University of Nottingham in England, playing in the British Universities league, BUCS, until his graduation in 2023, playing alongside fellow RFCLA player Ben Sugars. Following his graduation, Timpson headed down under to Sydney, joining the Northern Suburbs in the Shute Shield. Returning to England following a year in Australia, Timpson signed a short-term contract with the Bristol Bears until early 2025, representing the Bears in the Premiership Rugby Cup.

On December 18th, 2024, Rugby FC LA announced the signing of Ed Timpson for their 2025 MLR season. He scored an impressive 7 tries in 15 games (13 starts) during his debut MLR season, completing 164 tackles as Rugby FC LA finished 3rd in the West and qualified for the postseason for the first time in their history. They fell 27-21 in a hard fought Western Conference Semifinal to the Houston SaberCats, a game in which Timpson played the full 80 minutes. For his efforts, he was named as Rugby FC LA’s 2025 Forward of the Year in their end of season awards. Following the merger of RFCLA with San Diego to form the California Legion, Ed Timpson remained in California, signing with the new iteration of the Legion for the 2026 season. This was announced by the team on 30th January, 2026.

Timpson was a jack of all trades during his second season in MLR. He appeared in 9 of the Legion’s 10 regular season games, starting 8 of them and scoring a pair of tries as well as recording a try assist to help California finish in 3rd and qualify for the postseason. Timpson started both playoff games for the Legion, and scored a try in the 2026 Championship Game, where the Legion fell to the dominant Chicago Hounds and finished as runners-up in their first season post-merger. Timpson finished the 2026 season with a pair of Team of the Week selections and more metres gained than any other forward in MLR, squeaking into the Top 10 with 516m in total. His fearsome running was proven by the fact that he beat 62 defenders, the highest in MLR in 2026. On defence, Timpson completed an impressive 125 tackles in total, averaging 11.4 tackles per game. Following the MLR season, Timpson headed back to the UK and on 24th July 2026, CHAMP rugby side Ampthill announced his signing for their 2026/27 campaign.

achievements
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 5
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 4
  • Rugby FC LA 2025 Forward of the Year
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 7
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 4

NARDB Player #1,353

Ben Houston

Australian back-rower Ben Houston played in Major League Rugby between 2025-2026. He represented Rugby FC LA (2025) and the California Legion (2026).

A Sydney native, Houston comes from a rugby family with his father and uncle both involved in the game. Houston began playing with the Randwick Galloping Green in 2019, and played with them through the 2022 Shute Shield season until he was given the opportunity to train with the Wests Tigers in 2023. This ultimately led nowhere so Houston returned to Randwick and Captained the side to the 2023 Shute Shield, the club’s first championship since 2004.

On December 17th, 2024, Rugby FC LA announced the signing of Ben Houston for their sophomore season in 2025, re-joining his former Randwick coach Stephen Hoiles in California. Houston enjoyed an excellent debut season in MLR, starting all 14 of his appearances and scoring 8 tries for RFCLA on over 625m gained, and completed an impressive 160 tackles in total. Ben Houston scored one of his 8 tries in their love playoff appearance during the 2025 Western Conference Semifinal. With RFCLA merging with San Diego to form the California Legion for the 2026 season, Houston returned to Randwick during the 2025/26 MLR offseason but returned to California for the 2026 season, and was announced by the Legion on 5th February, 2026. Houston maintained his productivity in his 2nd MLR season, scoring 6 tries in 8 games (all starts) for the California Legion, gaining over 225m in possession and beating 12 defenders to help the team advance to the 2026 Championship, where they fell to the Chicago Hounds.

On 1st July, shortly after the end of the 2026 season, French Pro D2 side Aurillac announced the signing of Ben Houston for their 2026/27 season.

achievements
  • 2026 MLR Runner-Up: California Legion
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 16
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 5

NARDB Player #1,351

Michael Scott

Scottish prop Michael Scott played in Major League Rugby between 2025-2026. He represented the Houston SaberCats (2025) and the California Legion (2026).

Michael Scott is a product of the Glasgow Warriors pathway system, having come through their academy and played with the Ayrshire Bulls in the Scottish Super 6 competition between 2021-2022. In 2023 he headed to Australia and joined the Northern Suburbs in the Australian Shute Shield competition, and he was called up to the NSW Waratahs as injury cover in 2024, earning his Super Rugby debut in Round 14 against the Moana Pasifika.

On December 16th, 2024, the Houston SaberCats announced the signing of Michael Scott for the 2025 MLR season. In his debut season in North America, Scott appeared in 18 of the SaberCats’ 19 appearances including all three of their playoff games as the SaberCats defeated Rugby FC LA and the Utah Warriors as they advanced to the MLR Championship Game, falling to the New England Free Jacks in Rhode Island. Scott earned 3 starts and completed over 75 tackles mainly as a reserve. Following the surprise withdrawal of the Houston SaberCats from MLR during the 2025/26 offseason, Michael Scott headed to the west coast, and signed with the California Legion ahead of their inaugural season in 2026. He was announced by the team on 25th February, 2026.

Achievements

NARDB Player #1,349