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.

Calvin Liulamaga

Washington State native Calvin Liulamaga played in Major League Rugby between 2025-2026. He represented the Seattle Seawolves for his entire MLR career.

A native of Auburn, WA, Liulamaga attended Auburn High School where he was named a High School All-American, and played rugby with Ranier Rugby Club before attending Central Washington University (CWU). While at CWU, Liulamaga earned two Collegiate All-American titles as well as a nomination for the Rudy Scholz award, rugby’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. Liulamaga declared for the 2024 MLR Collegiate Draft and was selected by his local team, the Seattle Seawolves, in the first round, 11th Overall.

On December 11th, 2024, the Seattle Seawolves formally confirmed the signing of Calvin Liulamaga for the 2025 MLR season. Although he Liulamaga did not appear in an MLR game in 2025, he was named as the Seattle Seawolves’ Young Player of the Year in their End of Season Awards. On 16th January, the Seawolves announced the return of Calvin Liulamaga for their 2026 campaign.

achievements
  • Seattle Seawolves 2025 Young Player of the Year
  • 2024 MLR Draftee: 11th Overall – Seattle Seawolves

NARDB Player #1,345

Nick Chan

Australian centre Nick Chan played in Major League Rugby between 2025-2026. He represented Rugby FC LA (2025) and the California Legion (2026).

A Sydney native, Chan played as a fly-half through school but moved to the midfield as he grew. He joined the famous Randwick Galloping Green in 2021, the same year he was selected for the Junior Wallabies team, and has played with Randwick in the Shute Shield from 2021-2023, winning the competition in 2023 alongside fellow RFCLA player Matias Jensen. Chan played with the Western Force in the 2022 Super Rugby pre-season, and has been knocking on the door of the NSW Waratahs squad for some time, recently featuring for the team in their victory over the Kubota Spears in Japan.

On December 10th, 2024, Rugby FC LA announced the signing of 21yo Nick Chan for the 2025 MLR season alongside Randwick teammate Matias Jensen, continuing to build the Australian influence in the RFCLA squad. In his debut season in MLR, Chan started all 12 of his appearances and recorded 121 tackles in total, scoring 3 tries off of just over 400m gained in possession. Chan remained in California for the 2026 campaign, joining the next evolution of professional rugby in California, the Legion. His signing was confirmed by the team on 6th March, 2026.

NARDB Player #1,343

Ben Sugars

English hooker Ben Sugars played in Major League Rugby between 2025-2026. He represented Rugby FC LA (2025) and the California Legion (2026).

Born and raised in England where he played as a back row growing up, Sugars moved to hooker and played rugby while attending the University of Nottingham, While there, he also played in the English Championship, representing the Yorkshire Carnegie (now the Leeds Tykes) and Nottingham between 2019-2022. He moved to Australia in 2023 and joined the famous Randwick Galloping Green in the Shute Shield competition, defeating the Northern Suburbs to win the Shield that season. His performances with Randwick put him on the radar of Super Rugby sides, and injuries at the NSW Waratahs gifted Sugars an opportunity to play in Super Rugby. He debuted in Round 12 of the 2024 Super Rugby season.

On November 26th, 2024, Rugby FC LA announced the signing of 23yo Ben Sugars for the 2025 MLR season. This marks Sugars’ first full-time pro rugby contract, and he reunites with RFCLA DoR Stephen Hoiles, who coached Sugars at Randwick, as well as University of Nottingham teammate Ed Timpson. In his debut season in North America, Sugars scored a pair of tries and started 11 of his 15 appearances for RFCLA, recording over 225m gained and completing 135 tackles in total, earning two MLR Team of the Week selections. As well as helping RFCLA to a playoff spot, Sugars started what would be the team’s first and last postseason appearance, a hard-fought 27-21 defeat to the Houston SaberCats in the Western Conference Semifinal.

Following the merger of RFCLA with San Diego to form the California Legion, Sugars remained on the west coast with the new-look Legion, who announced his signing on 2nd February, 2026. In his second season in MLR Sugars started 3 of his 7 appearances for the Legion, beating 11 defenders and scoring 4 tries to help the team finish the season as MLR runners-up. On 19th June, just a few days before the Championship Final, the Doncaster Knights announced that they had signed Ben Sugars for their 2026/27 CHAMP Rugby season, the 2nd tier of English rugby.

achievements
  • 2026 MLR Runner-Up: California Legion
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 9
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 8
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 15
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 11

NARDB Player #1,333

Matt Oworu

Canadian born back row Matt Oworu played in Major League Rugby between 2025-2026. He represented the Chicago Hounds for his entire MLR career.

Born in Canada, Oworu and his family moved to Zimbabwe when he was a child, where he was introduced to rugby while at Lewisam Primary College in Harare. Oworu returned to Canada for University, and was invited to join the Pacific Pride high performance pathway program, eventually joining the Canadian 7s team. He made his debut for the Canadian 7s side in Vancouver in 2021 and has since played in over 100 games with the 7s side across 25+ tournaments including the Commonwealth Games and Rugby World Cup Sevens, both in 2022. His performance for the national sevens team drew the attention of the 15s, and he was included in the squad for Canada’s 2022 summer tests, where he earned his test debut off the bench against Belgium. He has been a regular in the 15s squad when not representing the 7s team, and featured in the La Vila Cup in Spain in 2023, the Pacific Nations Cup in 2024, and was included in the Canada squad for their November 2024 internationals against Romania and Chile.

On 4th November, 2024, the Chicago Hounds announced the signing of Matt Oworu for their 2025 MLR season, joining a number of Canadian internationals in the Hounds squad. Oworu started 3 of his 13 games, gaining 130m in possession and completing 93 tackles to help the Hounds take the defending champions right to the edge in the Eastern Conference Final, where he came off the bench. On 12th December, the Chicago Hounds announced the return of Matt Oworu for the 2026 MLR season. He was the 4th Canadian player announced by the Hounds, and the 8th league-wide. Unfortunately, Oworu’s 2026 season was significantly impacted by injury but this didn’t stop him from making an impact. He started all 3 of his appearances that season, adding a pair of tries and completing 43 tackles, while beating 12 defenders in possession. He gained 130m which ties his total from 2025 in 10 fewer appearances, was named to the MLR Team of the Week for Round 5, and finished the year as a MLR Champion, helping the Chicago Hounds record the league’s first ever perfect season.

While still very much on the radar of the Canadian national team, Matt Oworu’s injury prevented him from putting on the Maple Leaf for their Nations Cup and PNC campaigns later in 2026. On 14th October KHAOS Sport, the agency representing Oworu, announced that he had signed with Biarritz in the Pro D2 for their 2026/27 season. Oworu will join the likes of fellow Canadians and MLR Champions Andrew Quattrin and Cole Keith in France, along with a number of other Canadians in the French leagues. The mammoth Pro D2 regular season runs until early June, which all but rules Oworu out of the 2027 MLR season, as more Canadians head to Europe over MLR.

achievements
  • 2026 MLR Champion: Chicago Hounds
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 5

NARDB Player #1,317

Ollie Devoto

English utility back Ollie Devoto played in Major League Rugby between 2025-2026. He represented the Chicago Hounds for his entire MLR career.

Born in the Southwest of England, Devoto began playing rugby at age 7 for Sherborne RFC in Dorset. He played for the Dorset & Wiltshire U16 & U18 sides, as well as the South West U16 side. He entered the Bath academy at age 16, and progressed through their pathway system. He made his Premiership debut in 2012 at age 18 due to an injury crisis at Bath, and would earn almost 70 premiership appearances for Bath between 2012-2016, during which time he also represented the England U20 side and the England Saxons, and earned his full test debut for England in their 2016 Summer tests.

In 2016 Devoto moved from Bath to the Exeter Chiefs where he was a standout. He earned over 100 appearances for the Chiefs across the Premiership, the Premiership Cup, and the Champions Cup between 2016-2024, scoring 21 tries. With Exeter, Devolo is a 2x Premiership Champion (2016/17, 2019/20), a 3x Premiership runner-up (2017/18, 2018/19, 2020/21), a 2x Anglo-Welsh/Premiership Cup winner (2017/18, 2022/23), and a Champions Cup winner (2019/20). On October 31st, 2024, the Chicago Hounds announced the addition of Ollie Devoto for their 2025 MLR season, where he was a standout. Devoto scored 3 tries and started all 16 of his appearances for the Hounds during his debut MLR season, completing over 150 tackles and gaining over 450m in possession. He started both of Chicago’s postseason games that year as they finished as Eastern Conference Runners-Up after falling to the New England Free Jacks by the narrowest of margins. For his efforts, Ollie Devoto was named as the Chicago Hounds Back of the Year during their 2025 End of Season Awards, and was included in the All-MLR Second XV.

Early in the new year on January 26th, 2026, the Chicago Hounds announced that Ollie Devoto would be returning for a 2nd year with the team and in Major League Rugby in 2026. Devoto  appeared in 6 games during the 2026 regular season, starting all 6 and scoring 3 tries to help the Hounds to an undefeated regular season where they recorded the maximum possible 50pts with a 10-0 record. He started their Semifinal clash against Old Glory DC which ended with a huge 59-22 victory to book their place in the 2026 Championship Game. On 17th June, a few days before the 2026 Final, Ollie Devoto announced his retirement from professional rugby at the conclusion of the 2026 MLR season.

Achievements

NARDB Player #1,313

Liki Chan-Tung

Hawaiian born, Australian raised hooker Liki Chan-Tung played in Major League Rugby between 2025-2026. He represented the San Diego Legion (2025) and the Seattle Seawolves (2026).

A former Australia U20 hooker, Chan-Tung plays his club rugby with the Gungahlin Eagles in the Australian ACTRU Premier Division, winning the John I Dent Cup in 2023. Having been born in Hawaii, Chan-Tung is US-eligible. On October 28th, 2024, the San Diego Legion announced the addition of Chan-Tung for their 2025 MLR campaign. During that campaign, Chan-Tung earned his Major League Rugby debut and 3 appearances for the Legion off the bench, gaining 29m in possession and completing 14 tackles in limited game time.

Following the merger between the San Diego Legion and Rugby FC LA to create the California Legion in the 2025/26 MLR offseason, Liki Chan-Tung headed up the west coast, and signed with the Seattle Seawolves on 13th January, 2026.

NARDB Player #1,310

Cole Semu

New Zealand born Center Cole Semu played in Major League Rugby between 2025-2026. He represented the Utah Warriors (2025) and the California Legion (2026).

Born in Auckland, Semu moved to Washington at the age of 8 where he discovered rugby when he was 12, playing with Chuckanut Bay RFC. He travelled to Chile with the California Grizzlies U23 team and has played with the USA u18, u20, and u23 teams.

Semu was drafted 28th overall in the 2024 MLR Collegiate Draft out of Brigham Young University by the Utah Warriors, and attended the Utah Warriors Pro ID camp in early October 2024. Semu was among the first new additions announced by Utah ahead of their 2025 season. In his rookie season, Semu started 8 of his 10 appearances and scored his first career MLR try during their Round 16 victory over Anthem RC, for which he was named to the MLR Team of the Week. Semu helped the Warriors finish the regular season as the top team in MLR. Following the withdrawal of the Utah Warriors in late 2025, Semu joined a number of former Warriors in California, signing with the Legion who confirmed this addition on 6th March, 2026.

achievements
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 10
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 16
  • MLR Draftee: 28th Overall (3rd Rd), 2024 – Utah Warriors

NARDB Player #1,293

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.

Stephen Hoiles

Australian ex-player Stephen Hoiles featured in MLR between 2021-2022, and again between 2025-2026. He served as Defence Coach, then Head Coach of the LA Giltinis (2021-2022), and as both Head Coach and Director of Rugby for Rugby FC LA (2025), and Head Coach of the California Legion (2026).

As a player, Hoiles played with the famous Randwick Galloping Green at club level before joining the Australia 7s team in 2001, and earned his 15s test debut for the Wallabies against Scotland in 2004. That same year he played with the NSW Waratahs in Super Rugby, where he played until he joined the Brumbies in between 2007-2011. In 2012 he returned to the Waratahs where he played until 2015, when he retired. Hoiles then started a role as a commentator and presenter for FOX Sports, before starting his coaching career in 2018.

Hoiles serves as Forwards and Defence Coach of the LA Giltinis when they entered MLR in 2021, when they lifted the Shield in their debut season. Hoiles returned with the Giltinis as Head Coach in 2022, but following the fallout of ‘Gilly-Gate’, the Disqualification from the 2022 MLR Playoffs of the LA Giltinis and Austin Gilgronis, he returned to Australia. Hoiles then took up the role of Head Coach of his former club, the Randwick Galloping Green. He coached Randwick to the 2023 Shute Shield title, the club’s first since 2004, Hoiles’ first season playing with Randwick. The following season he was named as the 2024 Shute Shield Coach of the Year.

On 4th October 2024, Rugby FC LA announced that they had hired Stephen Hoiles as Head Coach and Director of Rugby for the 2025 & 2026 MLR seasons. This was Hoiles’ first role as DoR. In his first season as RFCLA Head Coach, he led the team to a 8-1-7 record and 3rd Place in the Western Conference to qualify for the postseason for the first (and only) time in team history. They fell to the Houston SaberCats in the Western Conference Semifinal. Immediately following the 2025 season, Rugby FC LA and the San Diego Legion announced that they would be merging to form a single franchise for the 2026 season, the California Legion. On 12th January 2026, the team announced their coaching staff, with Stephen Hoiles named as Head Coach. In the Legion’s very first game they fell to Anthem RC, giving the Rising Stars their first ever victory in 3 seasons, and one of only 2 wins that they would earn before folding. Despite this, Hoiles steered the Legion to a 3rd place finish and a 5-5 record that included huge victories over the defending champion New England Free Jacks and Old Glory DC, and some of the most entertaining rugby of the season. Their 3rd place finish was good enough to qualify for the postseason and in the semifinals, Hoiles coached the Legion to an upset road victory over the Seattle Seawolves to qualify for the Championship Game. Unfortunately for the Legion, they had struggled in the rain all year and the Championship was a torrential downpour against the juggernaut Chicago Hounds in Chicago. They put up a valiant fight, but fell to the Hounds and had to settle for Runners-Up in their first year.

On 17th September 2026, the California Legion announced that Steve Hoiles was leaving his role as Legion Head Coach with immediate effect in order to join his former club, Super Rugby’s NSW Waratahs, as an Assistant Coach for 2027.

Achievements:

2026 MLR Runner Up: California Legion

Head Coach Record:

Overall: 25-1-19
Playoffs: 1-2
LA Giltinis (2022): 11-5
Rugby FC LA (2025): 8-1-8
California Legion (2026): 6-6

Noel Reid

Irishman Noel Reid coach in Major league Rugby between 2025-2026. He served as Backs Coach of the Chicago Hounds.

Reid is a former MLR player, having played with the Toronto Arrows during the 2023 season. For his player page, click here. Capped for Ireland and a centurion with Leinster in the Pro 12/14 and URC, Reid turned his hand to coaching following the withdrawal of the Toronto Arrows from the 2024 MLR season, having represented them on the field in 2023, and re-signed for the 2024 season. He coached the Arrows Academy side as well as the Markham Irish in Ontario during 2024 with the likes of Canadian international Jamie Cudmore and MLR legend Sam Malcolm. Reid played at Leinster with ex-Hounds player and current Hounds minority owner Dave Kearney.

The Chicago Hounds announced the addition of Reid to their coaching staff on 2nd October 2024, along with Forwards Coach Todd Dammers. Both Reid and Dammers would return to the Chicago Hounds coaching setup for the 2026 season, following their heartbreaking Eastern Conference Final defeat the previous year.