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.

Paddy Ryan

USA-eligible Irish flanker Paddy Ryan played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2026. He represented the San Diego Legion (2024-2025) and the Seattle Seawolves (2026).

Born and raised in Ireland, Ryan developed in the Leinster youth system before joining the Northampton Saints in the English Premiership, helping the Saints to a Premiership Cup in 2019. He spent a loan spell playing with Coventry and the Saints-affiliated Bedford Blues in the Championship, before moving to Cornwall to play with the Cornish Pirates for 2 seasons. He stayed in the Championship for the 2021/22 season, signing with Ampthill for two seasons before returning to Coventry for the 2023/24 Championship season. That year, 2023, he earned his international debut for the USA as Eagle #560 in a 14pt victory over Romania. He participated in the USA’s 2024 PNC campaign, and was included in the Eagles squad for their November internationals that year.

Ryan was a late addition to the San Diego Legion in 2024, and is the 3rd Paddy Ryan to appear in MLR, all 3 of whom have represented the San Diego Legion at some point in their careers. Ryan earned 7 MLR caps and 2 starts as the Legion qualified for the 2024 post-season, and on November 7th 2024, the Legion announced the return of Ryan for the 2025 season. During that season, Ryan doubled his starts from 2 to 4 and increased his appearances from 7 last season to 8 in 2025. He also completed 108 tackles that year, more than doubling his MLR career total of 50 in 2024.

Following news in July 2025 that the San Diego Legion would be merging with Rugby FC LA to create the California Legion, Paddy Ryan became a free agent and on 1st December 2025, the Seattle Seawolves announced that they had signed the US capped Irishman for the 2026 season, where Ryan was a standout. He started all 11 Seawolves games during the 2026 season, scoring 7 tries in total and completing over 150 tackles while also beating 29 defenders and gaining over 200m in possession. He earned 4 MLR Team of the Week Selections that year, helping Seattle qualify for the postseason yet again, where they fell to the California Legion in the Semifinals. For his efforts, Ryan was named to the All-MLR First XV for the 2026 season, and Seattle Seawolves fans named him the 2026 Supporters’ Player of the Year. Following the MLR season, Ryan represented the USA Eagles in their July Nations Cup games, where they went 3-0.

achievements
  • All-MLR First XV Selection
  • 2026 Seattle Seawolves Supporters’ Player of the Year
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 11
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 10
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 8
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 3

NARDB Player #1,277

Jay Renton

New Zealand scrum-half Jay Renton played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2026. He represented the Houston SaberCats (2024-2025) and Old Glory DC (2026).

Renton, a former New Zealand U20s player, played rugby with the Southland Stags in New Zealand’s Bunnings NPC since 2017. The Houston SaberCats announced the signing of Renton in mid-April 2024 for the remainder of the 2024 campaign, and he earned his MLR debut as a starter against Anthem RC on 10th May 2024, during Round 11 when he was named to the MLR Team of the Week for his performance. Renton would score 1 try in 2 games (both starts) for the SaberCats in 2024, helping them to record a league-best 14-2 record during the regular season.

On 10th June 2024, the Southland Stags announced that Renton would return to the team for their 2024 season, following the conclusion of the MLR season. On December 12th, 2024, the Houston SaberCats announced that Renton would return for the team for the 2025 season. Renton became a regular in the SaberCats lineup during the 2025 season, appearing in 17 of their 19 games and all 3 of their playoff games including the 2025 Championship Game against the New England Free Jacks, coming off the bench in reserve for Andre Warner. Renton earned 7 starts in 2025, scoring a 2nd try and gaining just under 250m in possession. When the Houston SaberCats withdrew from MLR to the surprise of many, it appeared that Renton’s time in the competition had come to an end. However, following the shock departure of starting Old Glory DC scrum-half Connor Buckley on February 26th, 2026, he was announced by the Flags for their 2026 campaign the very next day.

achievements

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 11

NARDB Player #1270

Tonga Kofe

Oregon native Semise Tonga Kofe played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2026. He represented the Utah Warriors (2024-2025) and the California Legion (2026).

A crossover athlete, Kofe played football as a Defensive Linesman, winning a PIL Championship 2013 when he was named Defensive Player of the Year. That same year he won the Oregon State Wrestling Championship and did so again in 2014. Kofe played with the Oregon U20 Rugby side for 4 years, earning MVP honours. He attended Portland State University and continued to play football.

Kofe began playing with the Utah Selects in the fall of 2023, and was called up to the Warriors MLR squad in February 2024 just ahead of the start of the season. Kofe is listed at 315lbs which makes him one of the heaviest players in Major League Rugby history. He earned 6 MLR appearances for the Warriors from the bench in 2024, and was named the Warriors’ Newcomer of the Year at the team’s end of season awards. On January 2nd, 2025, the Utah Warriors announced the return of Tonga Kofe for his 2nd MLR season in 2025. His return for the Warriors was the first player announcement of 2025. He had a breakout year in his sophomore season, starting 14 of his 16 appearances for the MLR-leading Utah Warriors and scoring 2 tries en-route to the Western Conference Final, where they fell to the Houston SaberCats. Kofe proved a formidable scrummager and recorded over 100 tackles completed, earning 3 MLR Team of the Week Selections. He was also named to the All-MLR Second XV for his performances.

Tonga Kofe was rewarded for his excellent 2025 season with an inclusion in the USA Eagles squad for their July 2025 tests, and he earned his debut as Eagle #587 when he started for the USA in a 36-17 victory over Belgium on July 5th. Kofe was again included in the USA squad for the 2025 Pacific Nations Cup campaign, and on 16th August 2025, the Leicester Tigers of England’s Prem rugby announced the signing of Tonga Kofe for the 2025/26 season. After this stint in the UK with Leicester, Kofe returned to the US for the 2026 MLR season but with the Utah Warriors having withdrawn from the competition, he signed with the California Legion who boasted a decent number of ex-Warriors in their squad.

achievements

Julian Roberts

Hawaii native Julian Roberts played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2026 . He represented the NOLA Gold (2024-2025) and Anthem RC (2026).

Born in Hawaii, Roberts attended high school in Kentucky before joining Life University in 2018, playing with their impressive rugby program during his time with the Running Eagles. Upon his graduation, Roberts declared for the 2023 MLR Collegiate Draft and was drafted in the 1st Round, 6th overall by the NOLA Gold who signed him ahead of the 2024 campaign. In his rookie MLR season, Roberts scored 2 tries in 11 games (4 starts) and gained over 350m with ball in hand as the Gold qualified for the playoffs for the first time in club history, eventually falling 21-45 to the Chicago Hounds. For his efforts, Roberts was named as the NOLA Gold Rookie of the Year for 2024.

On January 4th, 2025, the NOLA Gold announced the return of Julian Roberts for his sophomore season in 2025 where he was a standout. He started all 10 of his games for the Gold, scoring 4 tries and more than doubling his metres gained total from 353m in 2024 to 740m in 2025. Roberts even double his tackle total from 18 to 36 as a winger. Following the withdrawal of the NOLA Gold from MLR in August 2025, Julian Roberts became a free agent and on 1st December 2025, Anthem RC announced that they had signed him for their 2026 campaign.

Roberts started all 10 games for Anthem RC during the 2026 season, and was deployed all over the back line from winger to fullback to centre, rarely playing in the same position for two games in a row. He scored 2 tries for the Rising Stars, also contributing six try assists. He beat a very impressive 35 defenders and was one of the top metre eaters in MLR that season with 578m gained in possession as well as almost 50 tackles made on defence. Roberts recorded an impressive 2026 season despite Anthem’s 2-8 record, and was included in the USA squad for the 2026 Nations Cup competition in July, where he earned his debut as Eagle #601 in a hard-fought 30-29 victory over Portugal.

achievements
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 3
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 9
  • 2024 NOLA Gold Rookie of the Year
  • 2023 MLR Draftee: 1st Round (6th Overall) – NOLA Gold

Noah Brown

Indiana native Noah Brown played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2026. He represented the Chicago Hounds for his entire MLR career.

Brown began playing rugby at Penn High School, graduating in 2019 and attending Indiana University through 2023 and thrived at the Sevens game, winning a Club 7s National Championship with the Chicago Lions in 2021 which landed him a trip to Chula Vista to attend the 2022 Men’s Sevens High-Performance Camp before being named as Captain of the USA U23s and Falcons, touring most recently with the Falcons to the Coral Coast Sevens in Fiji.

Brown declared for the 2023 MLR draft and was selected in the 1st Rd, 4th overall by the Chicago Hounds. He played with the Hounds academy team in their fall season before earning a spot with the MLR squad for the 2024 season. He made an impact in MLR almost immediately. After a couple of appearances off the bench, he earned his first MLR start in RD 5 against the Seattle Seawolves where, despite losing the game, Brown scored 2 tries and gained over 140m in possession, earning a MLR First XV selection in his first start. Brown would score 4 tries in 13 appearances (7 starts) during his rookie season, racking up over 500m gained on the wing. He was named as the Chicago Hounds Rookie of the Year for his performance and on October 16th, 2024, the Chicago Hounds announced the return of Brown for the 2025 season.

In 2025, Noah Brown more than doubled his career high in starts, starting 15 of his 16 appearances and scoring 3 tries as the Chicago Hounds finished 2nd in the Eastern Conference before defeating Old Glory DC to advance to the Eastern Conference Final where they fell to the New England Free Jacks by a single point in a nailbiter. Brown set a new career high with 565m gained in possession, and raised his career high in tackles from 48 in 2024 to 123 tackles in 2025. For his sophomore season performance, Noah Brown was named to the All-MLR Second XV. On 8th December 2025, the Chicago Hounds announced the return of Noah Brown for his 3rd MLR season in 2026.

achievements

Makeen Alikhan

US-Eligible English back row Makeen Alikhan played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2026. He represented the Dallas Jackals (2024) and Anthem RC (2025-2026).

Makeen Alikhan was born in Canada but raised in England to a US-born mother (granting him eligibility for the USA) and English/Pakistani father who lived in Australia for a decade, for whom Alikhan is also eligible. He attended Epsom college in England between 2015-2020, captaining the school side before attending the University of Bristol since 2020, the same year he was named to the USA U20s side. In 2021 he was dual registered with Harlequins of the English Premiership, and Worthing RFC in the English lower divisions. Alikhan earned his Harlequins debut against Saracens in the Premiership Rugby Cup that same year.

Alikhan was loaned from Harlequins to the Dallas Jackals for the 2024 MLR season, where he proved to be an elusive and abrasive back row, scoring 3 tries in 13 games (10 starts) for the Jackals, running for over 300m gained and completing just under 150 tackles as the Jackals qualified for the playoffs for the first time in team history. Alikhan started both of the Jackals‘ playoff games that season, including their stunning victory over the 14-2 Houston SaberCats, before falling to the Seattle Seawolves in the final few minutes of the Western Conference Final.

Shortly after the conclusion of the 2024 season, MLR and the Dallas Jackals announced that the team would not compete in the 2025 season. Alikhan declared for the subsequent dispersal draft and was selected 2nd by Anthem RC after they acquired the pick from Rugby FC LA. His signing was confirmed when Anthem RC announced their complete 2025 roster on January 21st, 2025. Alikhan would start all 14 of his appearances for Anthem RC in 2025, equaling his career high of 3 tries scored. He also set a new career high in tackles made, completing 172. For his efforts, Alikhan was included in the USA Eagles squad for their July tests, and earned his test debut as Eagle #589 when he came off the bench for the USA in a 36-17 victory over Belgium on July 5th, 2025.

On October 29th, 2025, Anthem RC announced the return of Makeen Alikhan for his 2nd season with the team and 3rd in MLR in 2026.

achievements

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 9
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 12
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 6

Matt Anticev

New York native Matt Anticev played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2026. He represented Rugby FC LA (2024-2025) and the California Legion (2026).

Anticev grew up on Staten Island, NY and played rugby through high school at Xavier, where he was coached by former Rugby New York scrum-half and capped USA Eagle Mike Petri. Anticev earned his undergraduate degree from the College of the Holy Cross, graduating in 2021 before attending Dartmouth College between 2021-2023 and earning a Masters degree in Creative Writing and playing rugby throughout.

Anticev declared for the 2023 MLR Collegiate Draft and was selected 5th overall by Rugby ATL, the sale of which had already been announced by MLR. The new owners relocated the franchise to Los Angeles and rebranded the team as Rugby FC LA. Signing for his rookie season, Anticev earned 6 MLR appearances including 2 starts at fly-half, a position relatively thin for the USA Eagles and so Anticev had plenty of eyes watching him, and performed admirably. On December 6th, 2024, Rugby FC LA announced the return of Matt Anticev for the 2025 MLR season where he earned an additional 2 appearances for RFCLA as they earned their first ever postseason appearance.

Matt Anticev remained in California following Rugby FC LA merging with the San Diego Legion to form the California Legion at the conclusion of the 2025 season, and was announced by the team on 19th February, 2026

achievements

  • 2023 MLR Draftee: 1st Round (5th Overall) – Rugby ATL

Semi Kunatani

Fijian back row Semi Kunatani played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2026. He represented Rugby FC LA (2024-2025) and Old Glory DC (2026).

Born in Nadi, Fiji, Kunatani grew up playing Rugby Sevens and won the Bayleys Fiji Coral Coast Sevens in 2013 before making his debut with the Fiji national sevens side in Dubai that same year. He had a standout World Rugby Sevens series in 2014/15, scoring 37 tries and being named to the Dream Team at 4 different tournaments. In total he played 94 games for Fiji Sevens across 17 tournaments, scoring 54 World Sevens Series tries, and represented Fiji at the Olympics in Rio de Janiero where they captured their country’s first ever Olympic Medal, a Gold. For this, Kunatani and the rest of the team were made Officers of the Order of Fiji (OF).

Following his sevens success Kunatani turned his attention to the 15s game. He signed with Stade Toulousain in the French Top 14, playing in 29 games between 2015-2018 before a stint in the English Premiership with Harlequins. Following 11 games for Quins between 2018-2020, he returned to the Pro 14 with Castres as the COVID-19 pandemic hit. between 2022-2023 he played with the Tel Aviv Heat in the Rugby Europe Super Cup.

Kunatani’s links with the Heat may have allowed him to land a spot on the Rugby FC LA roster for their inaugural MLR season in 2024. The RFCLA ownership group shares some overlap with the ownership of the Heat, explaining why they had a healthy Heat contingent on the west coast in their early years including Niall Saunders and Jurie van Vuuren. In his debut season in North America, Kunatani scored 10 tries in 15 games (11 starts), and gained more ground than any other forward that season with 1,126m, finishing 6th league-wide. Because of his standout performance, he was named as RFCLA’s Player’s Player of the Year for 2024, as well as the All-MLR First XV team.

On December 11th, 2024, Rugby FC LA confirmed the signing of Semi Kunatani for the 2025 season where he unsurprisingly took a step back from his spectacular 2024 campaign. He scored an 11th career MLR try and started 4 of his 11 appearances for Rugby FC LA in 2025, still gaining over 300m in possession and recording 70 tackles completed to push his career total to 231. Following the merger of RFCLA with the San Diego Legion to form the California Legion, Semi Kunatani looked elsewhere and signed with Old Glory DC, who announced the signing of Christmas Eve 2025 ahead of the 2026 season.

achievements

  • 2024 All-MLR First XV: Rugby FC LA
  • 6th in MLR Meters Gained: 2024 (1,126m)
  • T-5th in MLR Try Scoring: 2024 (10)
  • Rugby FC LA Player’s Player of the Year: 2024
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 14
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 13
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 12

Alessandro Heaney

US-eligible front row Alessandro Heaney played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2026. He represented Rugby FC LA (2024-2025) and Anthem RC (2026).

Born to an Italian mother and an Irish American father who was born in Boston, world-traveller Alessandro Heaney was raised in the UK & Ireland. He attended Wellington College in Berkshire, UK (very close to where the owner of this site is from!), representing the school at the Natwest Cup U15s and the U18 Champions Cup. Following this he headed to Ireland and attended the University of Cork between 2020-2023, majoring in Astrophysics and playing for the University of Cork Constitution in the All-Ireland League. During his time there he was also included in the extended squad for the Ireland U20 side.

Heaney signed with Rugby FC LA in December 2023, ahead of their inaugural season in 2024 where he earned his MLR debut and 4 appearances for RFCLA off the bench. On December 12th, 2024, Rugby FC LA announced the return of Alessandro Heaney for 2025. With LA’s pack hit heavily with injury in 2025, Heaney stepped up. He appeared in 15 games during his sophomore season compared to 4 in year before, and earned his first 12 MLR starts, completing well over 100 tackles and gaining 111m in possession, helping Rugby FC LA to qualify for the postseason for the first time in team history. Following news of RFCLA merging with the San Diego Legion to form the California Legion, Heaney signed a short-term deal with the Cornish Pirates in the English Championship for the remainder of 2025, where he played alongside fellow MLR alum Tomiwa Agbongbon. On December 19th, 2025, Alessandro Heaney’s return to Major League Rugby was confirmed when Anthem RC announced that they had signed him for their 2026 campaign.

achievements
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 14
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 13

Rick Rose

Ohio native Rick Rose played in Major League Rugby between 2024-2026. He represented the Miami Sharks (2024-2025), and Old Glory DC (2026).

6’7″ Rose helped Saint Ignatius to the Ohio 1B Rugby Championship and the 1A Championship during his time there between 2015-2019, and captained the Celtic Elite from 2017-2019. He then attended St. Bonaventure University between 2019-2023, captaining the side in his junior & senior years. He played with the Canyons at the 2023 Collegiate Rugby Shield and on the back of his performance there and his solid resume, Rose was drafted 1st overall in the 2023 MLR Collegiate Draft by the Miami Sharks expansion side.

Rose was named to the bench for the Sharks‘ first ever Matchday 23 against the Chicago Hounds and appeared in every single game during the Sharks’ inaugural season in MLR, starting 12 times and completing over 115 tackles in his rookie season. On 30th October 2024, the Miami Sharks announced the return of Rick Rose for their 2025 MLR campaign. His sophomore season was affected by injury, but Rose still managed to earn 9 appearances for the Sharks, starting twice and earning a Team of the Week selection in Round 11 to help them to their first ever playoff appearance.

Following the 2025 season, the Miami Sharks announced their withdrawal from MLR and as a result, Rose moved on from the team. On 5th November 2025, Old Glory DC announced the signing of Rick Rose for the 2026 MLR Campaign.

achievements
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 8
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 3
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 2
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 11
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 14
  • 2023 MLR Draftee: 1st Round (1st Overall) – Miami Sharks