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.

Zion Going

US-Eligible New Zealand scrum-half Zion Going played in Major League Rugby between 2022-2026. He represented the Utah Warriors (2022-2025) and Anthem RC (2026).

The grandson of All Blacks legend Sid Going, Zion grew up in Northland, New Zealand. He played his club rugby with Mid Northern Rugby Club and played with the Northland U21 side in 2021, before moving to Australia and playing with the Tuggeranong Vikings in the ACTRU Premier Division. Going signed with the Utah Warriors ahead of the 2022 season and has represented them for 3 MLR seasons to date, scoring 4 tries in 34 games (16 starts).

On November 7th, 2024, the Utah Warriors announced the return of Zion Going for the 2025 MLR season where he set career highs across the board as the Utah Warriors finished as the top regular season team. Going started both of the Warriors’ postseason games, helping the team earn their first ever playoff victory over the Seattle Seawolves, and in Utah’s Western Conference Final defeat to the Houston SaberCats. In total, Going scored 4 tries and started 15 of his 18 appearances for the Warriors, gaining just over 275m in possession and completing 114 tackles as a scrumhalf. He passed 50 MLR appearances during the 2025 season, all for the Warriors, and earned two MLR Team of the Week selections. For his performance, Zion Going was named to the All-MLR Second XV for the 2025 season. Following the withdrawal of the Utah Warriors from Major League Rugby in November 2025, Zion Going signed with Anthem RC on December 26th, 2025.

In his first MLR season away from Utah, Going appeared in all 10 games for the Rising Stars as they recorded their best season to date but still missed out on the playoffs with a 2-8 record. Going earned 6 starts and scored 3 tries on over 100m gained as a scrum-half and 50 tackles completed, passing 300 in his MLR career. Following the 2026 season on 7th July, Northland announced that they had signed Zion Going for their 2026 NPC season.

achievements

Joe Mano

Hawaiian born winger Joe Mano played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2026. He represented the Utah Warriors (2021-2025) and the California Legion (2026).

Born in Hawaii but raised in American Samoa, Mano began playing rugby in 2008 and attended Fa’asaō Marist High School where he was a jack of all trades, playing football, soccer, rugby, and volleyball. He moved to Alaska in 2013 and played his club rugby with Alaska Green Dragons until 2017 when he joined Tulsa RFC in Oklahoma and played at the Las Vegas Invitational with Stars Rugby Sevens before moving back to Alaska, then to Utah with the aim of playing for the Warriors, first joining the Salt Lake City Gladiators. In 2019 he represented the American Samoa Sevens side (Talavalu) at the Oceania 7s in Fiji.

Upon his return from Fiji he was invited to play with the Utah Selects academy side and played with them for their 2020 fall season before joining the Warriors for the 2021 MLR season. Mano has represented the Warriors for 4 MLR seasons, earning a total of 38 appearances (33 starts) for the team and scoring 25 tries including an exceptional 14 tries in 2023 when he finished 2nd in MLR try scoring to New England‘s Paula Balekana. That year he also gained 1,416m with ball in hand, finishing 4th in MLR and totalling almost half of his career MLR meters gained. As of the conclusion of the 2024 season, Mano sits T-9th all time for MLR tries scored after adding 3 more tries in 10 games (all starts) in 2024 and racking up another 745m gained.

On January 9th, 2025, the Utah Warriors announced the return of Joe Mano for a 5th season with the team. He enjoyed another excellent season in 2025, helping the Utah Warriors to end their playoff drought and finish as MLR’s best team during the regular season. Mano started in Utah’s Western Conference Semifinal victory over the Seattle Seawolves, the first postseason victory in team history, and started their Western Conference Final defeat to the Houston SaberCats. Joe Mano tied his career high with 14 tries in 16 games (all starts) in 2025, and finished 7th League-wide in Meters Gained, with 869m. As of the conclusion of the 2025 season, Mano is MLR’s 4th highest try scorer with 39 tries to his name. For his fantastic 2025 season, Mano was named to the All-MLR 1st XV, his second All-MLR selection selection.

Following the withdrawal of the Utah Warriors in late 2025, Joe Mano headed to the west coast and signed with the California Legion ahead of their inaugural season in 2026. He was confirmed by the team on 2nd March, 2026.

achievements
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 11
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 9
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 5
  • 2025 All-MLR First XV Selection
  • 7th in MLR Meters Gained: 2025 (869m)
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 11
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 3
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 2
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 6
  • 2023 All-MLR Second XV Selection
  • 4th in MLR Meters Gained: 2023 (1,416m)
  • 2nd in MLR Try Scoring: 2023 (14)

Jurie van Vuuren

South African back row/lock Jurie van Vuuren played in Major League Rugby between 2020-2026. He represented the Utah Warriors (2020-2023), Rugby FC LA (2024-2025), and the California Legion (2026).

Van Vuuren played rugby through High School and attended the Western Province Rugby Institute in 2011, playing with the U19s and U21s between 2011-2013, and the Senior side in 2014 despite still being U21 eligible. In 2012, he represented the South African U20 side at the IRB Junior World Championship. Van Vuuren joined the Stormers in 2014 and played with them until 2016, as well as with Western Province in the Currie Cup between 2014-2017. He joined the Southern Kings between 2017-2019, again in the Currie Cup.

Van Vuuren joined the Utah Warriors ahead of the 2020 MLR season and started all 5 games of the truncated season before the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the season. He returned to the Warriors for the 2021 season where he started 16 games and scored 6 of his 9 career MLR tries to date. Through his 4 seasons in Utah, van Vuuren earned 51 MLR caps (43 starts) and scored 8 of his 9 tries.

On 23rd August 2023, the Utah Warriors traded van Vuuren to Rugby ATL (soon to become Rugby FC LA) in exchange for 2024 Salary Cap Considerations (unknown). Van Vuuren played with the Tel Aviv Heat during the MLR offseason, and RFCLA‘s ownership group has some crossover with that RE Super Cup team, which might explain the healthy Heat contingent with LA, including Niall Saunders and Jordan Chait. He started all four of his games for RFCLA in their inaugural season, scoring 1 try and averaging 10 tackles and 22m gained before suffering an achilles injury that sidelined him for much of 2024. On January 4th, 2025, Rugby FC LA announced the return of Jurie van Vuuren for the 2025 season. That year he improved on his 2023 season across the board, starting all 13 of his appearances and scoring a 10th career MLR try, recording a 4th season with over 100 tackles recorded, passing 700 total tackles made in his 68 game MLR career (60 starts), with over 1,800m gained. Following RFCLA’s merging with San Diego in the 2025/26 MLR offseason to form the California Legion, Jurie van Vuuren remained in California and signed with the Legion on 11th September, 2026.

achievements
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 15
  • 5th in MLR Tackling: 2021 (199)
  • 5th in MLR Tackling: 2020 (67)

Bailey Wilson

Australian born USA-eligible flanker Bailey Wilson played in Major League Rugby between 2020-2026. He has represented the Utah Warriors (2020-2025), and the New England Free Jacks (2026).

Originally from Sydney, Wilson attended high school in Utah and played with United Rugby Club, earning USA High School All-American honors. He captained the USA U19 team at Rising Junior All-American Winter Camp, and the USA U20s against Canada in 2019. He is US Eligible through residency and earned his full test debut for the USA at the Vila International Rugby Cup in 2023, playing against hosts Spain as Eagle #570.

Wilson signed with the Utah Warriors ahead of the 2020 MLR season, and started all 5 games before the season was cancelled due to COVID-19. He finished 6th league-wide for tackles. He returned in 2021 to Captain the Warriors, and has earned 66 caps for Utah (59 starts) across his 5 seasons with the team to date, amassing over 2000m gained with ball in hand and over 650 tackles including an impressive 201 in the 2022 season when he finished T-8th in MLR. He has captained the Warriors on the field in each season from 2021-2023. On November 13th, 2024, the Utah Warriors announced the return of Bailey Wilson for their 2025 campaign where he started 9 of his 14 appearances and recorded 100+ tackles for the 5th season in a row. Wilson now sits on 782 tackles in his 80 game MLR career, along with 7 tries scored and just shy of 2,200m gained.

Following the withdrawal of the Utah Warriors from Major League Rugby in November 2025, Bailey Wilson headed east and signed with the New England Free Jacks on 23rd December, 2025. Wilson joins his brother Mitch in New England, who returns to the Free Jacks for the 2026 season after a season with Anthem RC.

achievements
  • T-8th in MLR Tackling: 2022 (201)
  • T-6th in MLR Tackling: 2020 (66)

Lance Williams

Hawaiian native Lance Williams played in Major League Rugby between 2018-2023, and again from 2025-2026. He represented the Utah Warriors (2018-2025) and the California Legion (2026).

Lance Williams has been with the Utah Warriors since MLR’s inaugural season in 2018, and has represented them in every season apart from 2020, where he suffered a season-ending injury prior to the truncated season being cancelled after only 5 games. Through the 2023 season, he was one of the league’s most capped players, having appeared in 71 games for the Warriors (67 starts), appearing in every Utah game in the 2019, 2022, and 2023 seasons. He was the 9th player in league history to reach 50 caps in the competition, on 24th April 2022. Williams scored 18 tries in total including a high of 5 in both the 2022 & 2023 seasons, the latter of which he also recorded 181 successful tackles.

Williams is also a strong Sevens player, and has played in Premier Rugby Sevens since 2022, representing the Headliners in both seasons. He has also represented the USA Eagles Sevens Team for the HSBC World Sevens Series in Dubai and Cape Town which took place in December 2022. On 25th September 2023, the Utah Warriors announced the departure of Lance Williams, who is linking up with the USA Eagles Sevens Team for their run to the 2024 Olympics in France.

After spending 2024 with the USA Sevens program, Lance Williams returned to the Utah Warriors part-way through the 2025 season. The team announced his return in an email newsletter on 4th April 2025, just before Round 8 of the regular season, in which the Warriors had a bye. Williams added a 19th career MLR try and started 8 of his 10 appearances for the Warriors in 2025 to help them finish the regular season as MLR’s top team. He also started both of the Utah’s playoff games that season as the Warriors advanced to the Western Conference Final, where they fell to the Houston SaberCats. Following the withdrawal of the Warriors during the 2025/26 offseason, Lance Williams headed to the West Coast and signed with the California Legion for his 7th MLR season, and first not as a Utah Warrior. The Legion confirmed his signing on 3rd March, 2026.

Achievements:

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 10
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 17
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 10
  • All-MLR Second XV: 2019
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 12
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 11
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 9
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 4

Brock Webster

Canadian Outside back Brock Webster played in Major League Rugby during the 2022 season and again between 2025-2026. He represented the Toronto Arrows (2022) the New England Free Jacks (2025), and the Chicago Hounds (2026).

Hailing from Uxbridge, ON, Webster began is rugby career with the Oshawa Vikings in 2012. He played through high school and represented the Ontario U16 & U18 sevens teams, and was a bronze & silver medalist at the Canadian Rugby Championships with the Ontario Junior Blues, and represented the Canada U18s sevens at the 2017 Youth Commonwealth Games in the Bahamas and in 2018 at the World School Sevens in New Zealand.

Webster earned his full debut for the Canadian Sevens team in Sydney in 2019 and has been a regular member of the team since then. He’s also a test-capped Canadian international on the 15s side, having earnt 9 caps since making his debut against the USA in Newfoundland in 2021. He was signed by the Toronto Arrows for their 2022 MLR season, and scored 3 tries in 5 games (all starts), gaining over 250m in possession, before returning to the national sevens team following the season.

After a few more years in the sevens program, the New England Free Jacks announced the signing of Brock Webster for the 2025 MLR season on October 31st, 2024. Webster enjoyed a career year with the Free Jacks in 2025, scoring 2 tries and 20pts in 16 games (15 starts), mainly starting at fullback. He recorded just under 600m gained and 42 tackles completed to help New England advance to their 3rd straight MLR Championship, and was named as Championship MVP in their victory over the Houston SaberCats to secure their 3rd straight Shield, the first of Webster’s career. Webster was named an All-MLR Honorable Mention for his performance during the 2025 season.

Following Major League Rugby’s contraction to 6 teams and shift to focus on US talent rather than North American, Brock Webster suddenly became classified as an International Player along with all other Canadians. As a result, the Canadian-heavy New England Free Jacks needed to adjust their approach and bring in more US talent, leaving some Canadians out in the dark. Although he had considered focussing on his career as a firefighter away from rugby, Webster ultimately decided on another year in MLR and a player of his calibre was bound to be snapped up quickly. On 2nd December 2025, the Chicago Hounds announced his signing for the 2026 campaign, joining fellow national team members Mason Flesch, and Captain Lucas Rumball. Webster proved to be every bit as electric with the Hounds as he was in New England. He started all 11 of his appearances for Chicago as they recorded the first perfect season in MLR history, going 12-0 and lifting the Shield in front of a home crowd. He scored 6 tries on 667m gained, beating an incredible 42 defenders and adding 5 try assists for good measure. Webster was named as the 2026 MLR Player of the Year for a phenomenal 2026 season, as well as Chicago Hounds Back of the Year.

achievements

Mason Flesch

Ontario native Mason Flesch played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2026. He represented the Toronto Arrows between 2021-2023, and the Chicago Hounds from 2024-2026.

A native of Cobourg, Ontario, Flesch represented the Canada U20 side at the Junior World Trophy in 2019, and between 2019-2021 was a part of Rugby Canada’s residential Men’s Development Academy at the Al Charron National Training Centre and played for the Pacific Pride in the BC Premier League. His original signing was announced by the Arrows in March 2021, just before the start of the season. The Arrows spent the 2021 season entirely on the road based out of Atlanta, and Flesch earned 10 caps (7 starts) delivering a solid debut season in North America.

Though he missed a large part of the 2022 season with injury, Mason Flesch earned 27 caps (22 starts) through his first 3 seasons with the Toronto Arrows including a high of 14 caps (all starts) in 2023, racking up over 400m gained and completing 105 tackles. On 16th October 2023, the Toronto Arrows announced that Mason Flesch was returning for the 2024 MLR season, however in late November 2023, the Toronto Arrows announced that they would not be competing in the 2024 season due to a lack of funding. On December 13th, 2023 MLR held a dispersal Draft for Toronto & NY players (the Ironworkers also pulled out of the 2024 season a week after the Arrows, again due to financial difficulties), and the Chicago Hounds selected Mason Flesch 3rd overall. They announced the signing of Flesch for the 2024 season on 16th December, 2023, where he joined Arrows captain Lucas Rumball. Because Flesch opted in to the Dispersal Draft, his 2024 salary will not count against the Hounds cap hit for the 2024 season.

In 2024, Flesch earned a PB 15 appearances and scored 3 tries, carrying for over 500m as the Hounds qualified for the MLR Playoffs for the first time in team history, and advanced to the Eastern Conference finals after dispatching the NOLA Gold 21-45, a game that Flesch started. For his performance in 2024, Flesch was named to the All-MLR Second XV and was named as the Chicago Hounds Player of the Year. On January 9th, 2025, the Chicago Hounds confirmed the return of Mason Flesch for the 2025 season, his 2nd with the team and 5th in the league. Flesch enjoyed an excellent 2025 season with the Hounds, starting all 15 of his appearances and scoring a career high 6 tries, tripling his total. Flesch also completed a career high 165 tackles to take his total to just shy of 500, earning a pair of MLR Team of the Week selections, as well as being named MLR Player of the Week in Round 9. He started both of the Hounds’ playoff games in 2025 as they defeated Old Glory DC before falling to the New England Free Jacks in the Eastern Conference Final.

On 12th November, 2025 while Flesch was touring with the Canadian national team for their November tests, the Chicago Hounds announced the return of Mason Flesch for his 3rd season with the team and 6th in MLR in 2026, which proven to be his breakout season. On a dominant Chicago Hounds team, Flesch still stood out during the 2026 campaign. He started 9 of their 10 regular season games as they recorded a perfect 10-0 season, before starting both playoff games as the Hounds claimed their first MLR Shield in front of a home crowd, finishing a perfect 12-0 season as a Champion. He earned 3 MLR Team of the Week selections and scored 10 tries in 11 games, including one in each of their playoff games, the Semifinal against Old Glory DC, and the Championship Game against the California Legion. Flesch had a knack of stepping up when the team needed him most and was excellent whether he started at lock or on the flank. He completed an even 100 tackles during the 2026 season and beat 17 defenders to gain over 200m in possession, and even recorded a try assist. Along with Hounds teammate Theo Fourie, Flesch was one of only two players to record double-digit tries scored in 2026. For his incredibly season, Mason Flesch was named as both the Chicago Hounds’ Player of the Year, and Players’ Player of the Year for 2026, as well as a All-MLR First XV selection and MLR Forward of the Year honours.

Following the MLR season, Flesch continued to be a regular in the Canada jersey, starting all three of their tests during the Americas leg of the World Rugby Nations Cup in July, as well as their clash with Japan and both Pacific Nations Cup fixtures in September, where he scored a pair of tries against Fiji and another in a tight 19-16 victory over the USA. On 21st October 2026, the Newcastle Red Bulls announced that Flesch would be joining the club in the English top flight for the remainder of the 2026/27 season, becoming the first Canadian in 7 years to sign with a PREM Rugby side.

Achievements

Andrew Quattrin

Canadian Internationally capped hooker Andrew Quattrin has played in Major League Rugby since 2019. From 2019-2022 he represented the Toronto Arrows and, following a very brief spell with the Utah Warriors as a paper transaction, the New England Free Jacks from 2023-2026.

Quattrin (or simply ‘Q’) earned 48 MLR caps for the Arrows between 2019-2022 including 42 starts, including the Arrows only playoff game vs. the Seattle Seawolves in 2019. He has scored 16 MLR tries, 4 for the Arrows and 3 of them coming in 2022, where he was named as the inaugural recipient of the S. Marcus Calloway Community Impact Award. Also during 2022, Quattrin gained 627m on 152 ball carries, beating 16 defenders. On defence, he made 168 tackles for a success rate of 92.82% On the 29th July, 2022, the MLR Trade Wire announced that Quattrin had been traded from the Toronto Arrows to the Utah Warriors, in exchange for an International Player Spot for the 2023 season. Less than a week later on August 4th, 2022, it was announced that Quattrin had been traded again, this time to the New England Free Jacks in exchange for Salary Cap considerations for 2023. This could be seen as the first 3-way trade in MLR history.

In his debut season with New England, Quattrin scored 5 tries in 15 games (10 starts) as the Free Jacks finished atop the Eastern Conference and advanced to the MLR Championship final where they defeated the very impressive San Diego Legion 24-25 in Chicago thanks to a late score by Le Roux Malan, to lift the Shield for the first time in club history. Quattrin returned to New England for the 2024 season, scoring a further 8 tries (T-9th in MLR) in 17 games (16 starts) as the Free Jacks finished the regular season at the top of the Eastern Conference once again, and defeated Old Glory DC and the Chicago Hounds en route to their 2nd final in as many years, where they defeated the Seattle Seawolves 11-20 to claim back-to-back MLR Shields. Quattrin started all 3 Free Jacks playoff games that year. For his efforts, he was named to the All-MLR Second XV.

On October 16th, 2024, the New England Free Jacks announced the return of Andrew Quattrin for their 2025 MLR season. Quattrin passed 20 career MLR tries with 5 in his 16 appearances in 2025, starting 15 times and recording his 5th season in a row with 100+ tackles made. He was integral in helping the Free Jacks turn their early season shakes around and finishing atop the Eastern Conference for the 4th season in a row. Quattrin started all 3 of New England’s playoff games as they claimed the Eastern Conference Title, before defeating the Houston SaberCats in the 2025 Championsihip in Rhode Island to claim their, and Quattrin’s, 3rd MLR Shield in a row. He was an All-MLR Honorable Mention for his performance in 2025. Following his 3rd MLR Shield win in a row with the Free Jacks, Quattrin signed with Valence Romans in the French Pro D2 as a Medical Joker.

As he was playing in France, Quattrin was not included on an MLR roster to start the 2026 campaign, however just after Round 6 of the regular season on 5th May, the New England Free Jacks announced the return of Quattrin for the latter half of the season, boosting the number of Canadians in Major League Rugby in 2026 to 10. Quattrin was announced alongside Paula Balekana, Cam Gerlach, and New England’s 2025 draftee Adam Chadwick. Quattrin would only earn a single appearance during a forgettable 2026 season for the Free Jacks, coming off the bench as a prop in Round 10. On 9th June, a day after New England were eliminated from playoff contention, French ProD2 side US Carcassonne announced the signing of Andrew Quattrin for the 2026/27 Pro D2 season, showing that he clearly impressed with his time at Valence Romans.

Achievements

Duncan Matthews

South African fullback Duncan Matthews played in Major League Rugby between 2022-2026. He represented the Seattle Seawolves for his entire MLR career.

The Atlantis, Western Cape native played with the U16 Boland Cavaliers in the 2010 Grant Khomo Week, as well as the Springboks U16s. Upon leaving high school Matthews joined the Blue Bulls academy system, playing in the U19s Provincial Championship in 2013 and the U21s the following year, when he also played with the Springboks U20 side. He played in the U21 Provincial Championship again in 2016 before spending 2016-2018 between the Blue Bulls XV and the Blue Bulls Currie Cup side, and also played with the Super Rugby side between 2017-2018. In 2019 Matthews made the move to the Lions, playing with the Golden Lions in the Currie Cup from 2019-2021, and the Lions Super Rugby Side between 2020-2021.

Ahead of their 2022 season, the Seattle Seawolves announced the signing of Matthews, and he impressed in his debut season in North America. He earned 16 appearances (all starts), scoring 7 tries and accumulating 1,489m gained in possession, finishing 3rd in MLR as the Seawolves advanced through a dramatic playoffs to the Championship Final, falling 30-15 to Rugby New York in New York. Through his first 3 seasons with Seattle, Matthews has earned 34 MLR caps (all starts), scoring 11 tries and running for over 3,000m gained, finishing as a 2x MLR Runner-Up in 2022 and again in 2024, starting the 2024 Championship Final against the New England Free Jacks. He returned to Seattle for the 2025 season, and made his first start of the season in Rd 3 against the Houston SaberCats. Matthews’ 2025 was excellent. He scored 6 tries in 13 games (all starts) his 4th MLR season in Seattle and finished as 2025’s top Meter Eater with 1,152m gained, recording his 2nd season with over 1,000m. This pushes him over 4,000m gained in his MLR career. For his great 2025 season, Duncan Matthews was named as the Seattle Seawolves’ 2025 Back of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year, and was also named to the All-MLR Second XV, his 2nd All-MLR nod.

On 29th January 2026, the Seattle Seawolves announced that Duncan Matthews would be returning for his 5th season with the team in 2026.

achievements

Tavite Lopeti

California native Tavite Lopeti played in Major League Rugby between 2022-2025. He represented the Seattle Seawolves (2022-2024), the San Diego Legion (2025), and the Chicago Hounds (2026).

Born and raised in the Bay Area and of Tongan heritage, Tavite Lopeti played basketball and football through high school graduating in 2016, the same year that he represented the USA U19s against Canada. Lopeti attented St. Mary’s College in California and played with the Gaels during his time there, being included on the Collegiate All-American 1st team in 2019, as well as being nominated for the Rudy Scholz Award recognising the best college rugby player in the country. In 2021 he attended a USA u23 High-Performance Camp where Lopeti clearly impressed as it led to his international test debut for the USA Eagles in September 2021, where he scored a try as the Eagles fell 34-21 to Canada in Newfoundland. Through the 2024 July tests, he has earned 12 caps for the USA.

Lopeti declared for the 2021 MLR Collegiate Draft, and was selected 3rd overall by the Seattle Seawolves just prior to making his International debut. He made his MLR debut in the 2022 season where he scored 5 tries in 17 games (15 starts) and carried for just under 1,000m with ball in hand as the Seawolves advanced to the Championship Final before falling 30-15 to Rugby New York in New York. For his efforts in his rookie season, Lopeti was named as MLR Rookie of the Year for 2022. Lopeti has represented the Seattle Seawolves for 3 MLR seasons, scoring 8 tries in 44 games (32 starts). He has already featured in 2 MLR finals for the Seawolves, in 2022 & 2024, unfortunately the Seawolves did not come away with the Shield on those occasions.

On November 13th, 2024, the San Diego Legion announced that they had signed Tavite Lopeti for the upcoming 2025 season in a big move from historic rivals Seattle. In his debut season back in his native California, Lopeti added 2 tries and started 11 of his 15 games for the Legion as they missed out on a post-season spot by a single point…to the Seattle Seawolves. Lopeti completed over 100 tackles for the first time since his rookie season in 2022, taking his career total to just under 400 tackles in 59 games (43 starts) with 10 tries scored and 2,483m gained.

On October 17th, 2025, Tavite Lopeti became the first new signing of the 2025/26 MLR off-season when the Chicago Hounds announced that they had signed him for the 2026 season after representing the San Diego Legion for 1 season.

achievements