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.

Dan Kriel

South African center Dan Kriel played in Major League Rugby between 2022-2026. He represented the Seattle Seawolves for his entire MLR career.

The twin brother of Springboks stalwart Jesse Kriel, Dan was born and raised in Cape Town, playing rugby for Maritzburg College in the U18 Craven Week. Kriel joined the Blue Bulls system out of high school and won the U19 provincial championship before being selected for the Springboks U20 side at the IRB Junior World Championship in 2014. He played in the Provincial Championship between 2014-2015, and 2015 Vodacom Cup as well as the 2015/16 Varsity Cup with the U of Pretoria Tuks. He earned both his Currie Cup and Super Rugby debuts for the Bulls in 2016 before moving to Cape Town and joining the Stormers, where he played in both Super Rugby and the Currie Cup until 2019. In 2019 he joined the Lions, playing in Super Rugby, Currie Cup, and Rainbow Cup competitions.

Kriel joined the Seattle Seawolves in 2022 on a 3yr contract, and was a stalwart in their lineup during his time in MLR. he scored 4 tries in 17 games (all starts) in his debut season as the Seawolves finished as Runners-Up following a 30-15 loss to Rugby New York in the Championship Final. Kriel and the Seawolves have qualified for the post-season in each of his 3 seasons in North America’s top flight, and he’s scored 11 tries in 48 games (all starts), carrying for over 3,200m gained (including a high of 1,314 in 2023 when he finished 6th League-wide) and completing over 400 tackles. Kriel was named to the All-MLR Second XV in 2024, when he and the Seawolves finished as Runners-Up once again after falling to the New England Free Jacks by a score of 11-20.

Kriel was included by the Seattle Seawolves when they announced their full roster for 2025 on January 14th, 2025. He once again started all of his 12 appearances for the Seawolves during the 2025 season, passing 500 career tackles completed with 87 on the season, scoring his 12th career MLR try for Seattle as they squeaked into the postseason, falling to the Utah Warriors in the Western Conference Semifinal. On 11th November 2025, Dan Kriel became the first signing that the Seattle Seawolves announced ahead of their 2026 MLR Campaign.

achievements

Lauina Futi

American Samoan winger Lauina Futi played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2026. He represented the Seattle Seawolves for his entire MLR career.

Futi played gridiron football through high school, winning back-to-back championships in two undefeated seasons as a running back at Tafuna High School. He continued his football career after moving to California in 2014, playing with Allan Hancock College between 2014-2015 before moving to moving to Idaho and picking up rugby. He played with the BYU-Idaho affiliated Rexburg Yetis and Boise United Rugby in 2017 (43rd State Crimson Lions Rugby at the time), playing with the team’s D2/D3 side. Futi moved to Seattle in 2018 and joined Seattle RFC, playing in both the US D1 and the BC Premier League.

Futi joined the Seattle Seawolves for their 2021 MLR campaign and made a big impact, scoring 4 tries in 7 games (all starts) in his debut MLR season to solidify himself as part of the Seawolves roster. He has represented Seattle for 4 MLR seasons, scoring 21 tries in 52 games (40 starts) including a high of 9 in 2023 when he finished T-9th in MLR, also gaining just shy of 1,500m in possession to finish 2nd in MLR Meters Gained, both personal bests. he was a part of the 2022 Seattle side that made it to the Championship Final, starting on the bench during their 30-15 loss to Rugby New York.

Following his standout 2023 season, Futi was included as part of the USA Eagles squad, earning his test debut and caps against Portugal, Georgia, and Brazil. Futi returned for the Seattle Seawolves in 2024, adding 4 tries in 12 games (8 starts) to take his career total to 21 tries in 53 games for Seattle. The Seawolves qualified for the playoffs and advanced to the Championship Final for the 4th time in team history that season, falling to the New England Free Jacks by a score of 11-20. Futi did not feature in the final, but played a full 80 minutes during their Western Conference Semifinal victory over pacific rivals, the San Diego Legion. Ina Futi was confirmed for a 5th season with the team when the Seattle Seawolves released their complete 2025 roster on January 14th, 2025. During that season, Futi would gain over 500m for the 5th straight season and now sits not far off 4000m gained, adding 6 tries in 13 games (12 starts) to take his total to 27 tries in 66 games (53 starts) since 2021. As of the conclusion of the 2025 season, Lauina Futi sits T-9th all time for tries scored in MLR, and is one of only 2 players in league history to have recorded 3 hattricks, with Joe Mano.

On 28th January 2026, the Seattle Seawolves confirmed the return of Lauina Futi for his 6th season with the team in 2026.

achievements
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 11
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 10
  • 2024 MLR Runner-Up: Seattle Seawolves
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 13
  • 2nd in MLR Meters Gained: 2023 (1,495m)
  • T-9th in MLR Try Scoring: 2023 (9)
  • 2022 MLR Runner-Up: Seattle Seawolves

Rhyno Herbst

South African lock Rhyno Herbst played in Major League Rugby between 2021-2026. He represented the Seattle Seawolves for his entire MLR career.

A Gauteng native, Rhyno Herbst played rugby through high school in Roodepoort, and played age-grade rugby with the Golden Lions between 2012-2017. In 2016, while playing for the Lions U21s, he was also a member of the Junior Boks Training Squad. In 2017 he got a chance with the Golden Lions Currie Cup side, and in 2018 he progressed to the Lions Super Rugby side, playing between the Super Rugby and Currie Cup sides until 2020.

Herbst travelled stateside ahead of the 2021 MLR season, signing with the Seattle Seawolves. He has represented the Seawolves for 4 MLR seasons, scoring 5 tries in 58 appearances (57 starts) for Seattle, earning his 50th MLR cap on May 11th, 2024. Across those 4 MLR seasons, Herbst has racked up over 1,700m gained in possession and has completed exactly 500 tackles, including a high of 165 in 2024. He has featured for the Seawolves in two MLR Championship games, in 2022 (a 30-15 defeat to Rugby New York) and again in 2024 (a 11-20 defeat to the New England Free Jacks), and his 2024 performances earned him an All-MLR First XV selection. On January 14th, 2025, the Rhyno Herbst was included on the Seattle Seawolves’ full roster for the 2025 season, marking his 5th season for the team. During the 2025 season, Herbst started all 15 of his appearances for the Seawolves to take his career total to 72 starts in 73 games. He added a 6th career try with over 150m gained and recorded his 4th 100+ tackles season, with 143 completed to take his career totals to 1,861m gained and 643 tackles made through the 2025 season.

On 6th January, 2026, the Seattle Seawolves confirmed that Rhyno Herbst would return for his 6th season with the team in 2026.

achievements

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 10
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 14
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 1
  • 2024 MLR Runner-Up: Seattle Seawolves
  • 2024 All-MLR First XV Selection: Seattle Seawolves
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 17
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 8
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 5
  • 2022 MLR Runner-Up: Seattle Seawolves

Riekert Hattingh

South African raised USA Eagle Riekert Hattingh played in Major League Rugby between 2018-2026. He represented the Seattle Seawolves for his entire MLR career, captaining the club throughout his tenure with them.

Hattingh worked his way through the Blue Bulls development system in his native South Africa, progressing through the U16, U19, and U21 sides and represented the Blue Bulls in the 2016 Currie Cup and was included in their Super Rugby Squad that same year. Having made the move to the US in 2015, Hattingh played with the Ohio Aviators in the short-lived PRO Rugby competition, the spiritual predecessor of Major League Rugby.

Hattingh has been a stalwart of MLR since the league’s first season, captaining the Seawolves in every season of Major League Rugby since 2019, leading them to back-to-back Shields in the early years of the competition. He has developed a reputation as a ferocious runner of the ball and solid tackler, and has two standout seasons where he gained over 1,000m AND completed over 200 tackles, putting him in the top 10 of both categories in those seasons, finishing 2nd league-wide for meters gained and 4th in tackles in 2019. Hattingh leads all forward in Meters Gained all-time, and is one of just a handful of players with over 5,000m. He is also one of the most capped played in MLR history with a total of 80 appearances through the 2024 season.

Hattingh also sits 2nd on the all-time Try Scorers list, on 42. He trails only Dylan Fawsitt in this category. He finished T-2nd with Houston’s Dean Muir for MLR try scoring in 2022, with 10, and scored a PB of 12 in 2023 when he finished 3rd in MLR Try Scoring, before unfortunately missing much of the 2024 season through injury. Hattingh was forced to watch from the sidelines as the Seawolves defeated the San Diego Legion and the Dallas Jackals to advance to their 4th MLR Championship Game, where they fell 11-20 to the New England Free Jacks. The Seattle Seawolves confirmed the return of Riekert Hattingh for his 8th season with the team when they revealed their full roster for 2025 on January 14th, 2025. Hattingh added another 14 appearances (all starts once again) for the Seawolves in 2025, adding 139 tackles to reach 950 tackles completed in his 94-game MLR career and passing 5,500m gained with 342m gained and 6 tries scored. Hattingh remained the 2nd highest try scorer in MLR history, adding 6 tries in 2025 to take his career total to 48. On 23rd February, 2026, just over a month before the 2026 season kicked off, the Seattle Seawolves announced the return of club captain Riekert Hattingh for his 9th season with the team.

achievements

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 7
  • 2024 MLR Runner-Up: Seattle Seawolves
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 8
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 6
  • 2023 All-MLR Selection: Honourable Mention XV
  • 3rd in MLR Try Scoring: 2023 (12)
  • 2022 All-MLR Selection: Second XV
  • 2022 MLR Runner-Up: Seattle Seawolves
  • T-8th in MLR Tackling: 2022 (201)
  • T-2nd in MLR Try Scoring: 2022 (10)
  • 1st in MLR Try Scoring: 2020 (5)
  • 9th in MLR Tackling: 2020 (63)
  • 2019 All-MLR Selection: First XV
  • 2019 MLR Champion: Seattle Seawolves
  • 4th in MLR Tackling: 2019 (203)
  • 2nd in MLR Meters Gained: 2019 (1,374m)
  • 2018 All-MLR Selection: First XV
  • 2018 MLR Champion: Seattle Seawolves

Ethan McVeigh

California native Ethan McVeigh played in Major League Rugby for the 2021 season, and again between 2024-2026. He represented the San Diego Legion (2021), Old Glory DC (2024-2025), and the New England Free Jacks (2026).

A USA U20 player in 2018, McVeigh grew up in San Carlos, a suburb of San Diego. He was signed by his local MLR team, the San Diego Legion, in May of 2021, part way through that year’s season. McVeigh still earned 9 caps for the Legion in 2021 (4 starts), scoring 2 tries. Following the 2021 MLR season, McVeigh returned to Cardiff Metropolitan University in Wales to complete his studies and played for the University rugby team during his time there. Following his graduation, McVeigh joined the American Raptors crossover side in the Fall of 2022, and represented them during their inaugural season in Super Rugby Americas in 2023. He earned 10 caps (3 starts) and scored 2 tries during their campaign.

On 26th October 2023, Old Glory DC announced the signing of Ethan McVeigh for the 2024 MLR season. He joined the Flags from Club Gimnasia y Esgrima De Rosario in Argentina, where he had been playing since the Raptors season ended. McVeigh scored 1 try in 15 games in 2024 (9 starts), earning a MLR Team of the Week selection for his performance in Rd 10. Old Glory qualified for the playoffs for the 2nd season in a row that year, and McVeigh came off the bench in the Eastern Conference Semifinal, where the Flags ran the New England Free Jacks close, falling 29-33 to the eventual Champions in Quincy. He earned his test debut for the USA as Eagle #575 in July 2024 against Scotland.

On December 24th, 2024, Old Glory DC announced the return of Ethan McVeigh for his 3rd MLR season in 2025 where he started 4 of his 14 appearances and scored his 4th MLR try, racking up just shy of 150m gained for the Flags as they qualified for the postseason for the 3rd season in a row. On 21st October 2025, Old Glory DC announced the departure of Ethan McVeigh from the team ahead of the 2026 season, and on 19th November 2025, the New England Free Jacks announced that they had signed McVeigh for the 2026 season.

Achievements:

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 10
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Rd 12

Nathan Sylvia

San Diego, California native Nathan ‘Nate’ Sylvia played in Major League Rugby between 2018-2026. He represented his local MLR team, the San Diego Legion (2018-2025), and the New England Free Jacks (2026).

Nate Sylvia was playing for the San Francisco Golden Gate in the Pacific Rugby Premiership prior to joining the Legion ahead of MLR’s inaugural season in 2018. He appeared in 6 of the Legion’s 9 games that season (4 starts), scoring 2 tries. Sylvia was the Legion’s most capped player, earning 90 MLR caps for the California club through 8 seasons with the club (34 starts), scoring 4 tries including 2 in the Legion’s record breaking 2023 season that saw them advance to the playoffs after a league-record 15-1 regular season, only falling 24-25 in the Championship Final to the New England Free Jacks.

On 10th October 2023, the San Diego Legion announced the return of Nate Sylvia for the 2024 MLR season, along with 3 other members of their 2023 squad. Sylvia took a step back in 2024 but so did the Legion as a whole. He added 8 further appearances (2 starts), and was announced as returning for his 8th season with San Diego on 1st November 2024, he was the first returnee announced by the club. In his 8th season with San Diego, Sylvia earned another 14 appearances (1 start) to take his career total to 90 MLR games, and completed over 50 tackles to take his career total over the 600 mark, a feat only achieved by 5 props through the 2025 season. Following news in July 2025 that the San Diego Legion would merge with Rugby FC LA to form the California Legion, Nate Sylvia explored the open market and on 19th November, the New England Free Jacks announced his signing for the 2026 season, Sylvia’s first season not representing his hometown team.

In his first season on the East Coast, Sylvia started 6 of his 9 appearances for the New England Free Jacks in a difficult year for the defending champions, who missed out on the postseason. He scored his 5th career MLR try in red, white and blue and completed 70 tackles for the team. For his efforts, Sylvia was named the New England Free Jacks Breakthrough Player of the Year for 2026.

Achievements:

Ross Depperschmidt

Texan centre Ross Depperschmidt played in Major League Rugby between 2020-2026. He represented the NOLA Gold (2020-2025) and Old Glory DC (2026).

A native of Flower Mound, a suburb of Dallas, Ross Depperschmidt played gridiron football and baseball at Edward S. Marcus High School before attending the University of Alabama, earning an undergraduate and masters degree between 2012-2018. Depperschmidt began playing rugby while at Alabama, was Co-Captain from 2015-2017 and Vice-President between 2015-2016. He also served as Assistant Coach from 2017-2018. Depperschmidt joined the NOLA Gold for the 2019 season but had to wait until 2020 for his MLR debut, earning 2 appearances in 5 games before the season was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Depperschmidt has set career highs in appearances, starts, and tackles every single season between 2020-2024, and on December 24th, 2024, the NOLA Gold announced the return of Ross Depperschmidt for his 7th MLR season in 2025, alongside fellow veteran JP du Plessis.

Depperschmidt added 3 appearances and 2 starts to his career totals during the 2025 campaign, completing 11 tackles to pass 200 tackles made in his career. Through 7 seasons as a member of the NOLA Gold, Ross Depperschmidt scored 5 tries in 49 MLR appearances (28 starts), gaining 930m and completing 202 tackles in his career. Following the withdrawal of the NOLA Gold from Major League Rugby in the 2025/26 offseason, Depperschmidt became a free agent and on 18th January, 2026 Old Glory DC announced the addition of the Texan centre for their 2026 campaign, his first season not representing NOLA.

Malcolm May

Chicago native Malcolm May played in Major League Rugby between 2019-2026. He represented the NOLA Gold (2019-2025) and the Chicago Hounds (2026).

Malcolm May signed with the NOLA Gold for the 2019 MLR season, although he only played a single game during his debut season in 2019 before injury forced him to the sidelines for the year. He appeared in all 5 games before the 2020 season was cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic, and his appearances per season only increased season-on season since then, and he appeared in all 16 of the Gold’s games in 2023. Through his first 5 seasons with NOLA, May earned 42 MLR caps (25 starts) and scored 3 tries, with 2 of these coming in 2023 when he racked up career highs of 453m gained and 138 successful tackles.

On 16th October 2023, the NOLA Gold announced that they had signed Malcolm May through the 2024 MLR season, where he earned a career-high 15 starts in 16 games, scoring 3 tries (doubling his MLR total) as the Gold qualified for the playoffs for the first time in team history, falling to the Chicago Hounds 21-45 at home. On January 8th, 2025, the NOLA Gold confirmed the return of Malcolm May for a 7th season in New Orleans in 2025 following a stand out year the season before. May scored a 7th career MLR try and started 2 of his 3 appearances for the Gold in 2025 before suffering a season-ending injury early in the campaign.

Following the news in August 2025 that the NOLA Gold would be withdrawing from Major League Rugby, Malcolm May returned to his native Chicago and on 20th November 2025, the Chicago Hounds announced the signing of the veteran MLR lock for their 2026 season, May’s 8th in the competition.

Achievements:

  • 2023 NOLA Gold Forward of the Year
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Round 5

Michael Baska

Kansas native Michael Baska played in Major League Rugby between 2018-2021, and again between 2023-2026. He represented the NOLA Gold (2018-2019), the Utah Warriors (2020-2021), and the Chicago Hounds (2023-2026).

Baska played gridiron football through highschool, before attending Arkansas State University from 2012 to 2015, when he transferred to Lindenwood University which he attended until 2017, playing rugby throughout his university career. Baska signed with the NOLA Gold for MLR’s inaugural season in 2018. He earned 7 appearanced for the Gold in 2018 (6 starts), scoring his first MLR try and 9pts total (2/3 from the tee). Baska would represent the Gold for 2 seasons, earning 19 appearances in total (6 starts), before signing with the Utah Warriors ahead of the 2020 season. He appeared in 4 games in the truncated 2020 season before the season was shut down after 5 rounds due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the league returned in 2021, Baska earned 13 caps for the Warriors (all starts) and scored a career high 4 tries in a standout season which earned him his first MLR Team of the Week selection in Round 6.

Following the 2021 MLR season, Baska earned his test debut for the USA as well as a contract in France with Rouen Normandie in the Pro D2. After 2 years in France, he returned stateside ahead of the 2023 MLR season, signing with the Chicago Hounds for their inaugural MLR season. Baska earned a career high 16 appearances in 2023, appearing in every game for the Hounds, and starting 9 of them. He scored another try, racking up 224m gained with ball in hand and completed 83 tackles. On 2nd January 2024, the Chicago Hounds announced the return of Michael Baska for the 2024 MLR season, where he added 1 start and 6 appearances for the Hounds, taking his metres gained total over 900 (948m) and his tackle total over 200 (213). On December 31st, 2024, the Chicago Hounds announced the return of Michael Baska for his 7th MLR season in 2025, his 3rd with Chicago.

In 2025, He earned 2 starts in 12 appearances as the 3rd and later 2nd choice scrumhalf for the Hounds, passing both 250 tackles and 1000m gained in his career to help the Hounds to an 11-5 record, falling by the narrowest of margins to the New England Free Jacks in the Eastern Conference Final. On October 27th, 2025, the Chicago Hounds announced the return of Michael Baska for an 8th MLR season, and 4th with the Hounds.

Achievements

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Round 6

Moni Tonga’uiha

California native Tesimoni ‘Moni’ Tonga’uiha played in Major League Rugby between 2018-2025. He has represented the NOLA Gold (2018-2025) and Anthem RC (2026).

A native of Oakland, CA, Tonga’uiha played football while at Fremont High School, and played club rugby with the Oakland Warthogs before joining the Santa Barbara Rugby Academy. he joined Life West in 2017 and played at centre before signing with the NOLA Gold ahead of MLR’s inaugural season in 2018. Moni Tonga’uiha has been a stalwart of the NOLA Gold, having played in 88 games (70 starts) for the team between 2018-2024.

Internationally, Moni Tonga’uiha earned his test debut as USA Eagle #545 against Uruguay in October 2021. He has earned 10 test caps for the USA through 2025.

Tonga’uiha was the 5th most capped player in MLR history as of the conclusion of the 2024 season, and by far the most capped Gold player. He has 11 career MLR tries, and started all 17 games for the NOLA Gold in 2024 when they qualified for the post-season for the first time in their history. With over 4,150m gained and close to 800 tackles completed, Tonga’uiha is easily in the MLRs Top Ten in both those categories, and will return to the Gold for an 8th season in 2025 on the final year of a 3yr contract signed in 2022. His return was confirmed by the team on 8th January, 2025. During a forgettable year for the NOLA Gold, Moni Tonga’uiha captained the side and scored a career high 5 tries in 14 games (11 starts) and recording over 120 tackles for the 5th season in a row to pass 900 in his career. Tonga’uiha is currently sat as MLR’s 7th highest tackler and one of only 4 players to pass 100 MLR appearances through 2025, earning all 102 of his appearances with the NOLA Gold.

Following the announcement in August 2025 that the NOLA Gold would be withdrawing from Major League Rugby, Moni Tonga’uiha became a free agent. On 3rd December 2025, Anthem RC announced the addition of the NOLA Gold veteran and capped USA Eagle for the 2026 season, his first away from New Orleans.

achievements
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 12