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.

Davy Coetzer

South African Fly-half Davy Coetzer played in Major League Rugby between 2022-2027. He represented the Houston SaberCats (2022-2025) and the Seattle Seawolves (2026-2027).

a 22yo Coetzer joined the SaberCats from the University of Pretoria in December 2021 ahead of the 2022 MLR season. He earned 15 caps (all starts) for Houston in his debut season, filling the considerable gap left by Sam Windsor who moved to Rugby New York (later the Rugby New York Ironworkers). Coetzer scored 79pts in his first season in North America, placing him T-7th in the league in a season where Houston earned their first ever playoff appearance, actually finishing in the #1 spot in the Western Conference following the disqualification of the LA Giltinis and Austin Gilgronis. The SaberCats fell to the Seattle Seawolves in the 2022 Western Conference Final by a score of 27-46.

He followed up a 79pt season with a fantastic 135pt season in 2023, finishing 2nd in the league behind New England’s Jayson Potroz The SaberCats returned to the playoffs in 2023 but were unable to make it past the Western Eliminator, falling to the Seawolves once more by a score of 37-26. As of the conclusion of the 2024 season, Coetzer had scored 291pts in MLR, placing him 8th All-Time for scoring, the same position he finished in 2024 scoring, tied with Chicago’s Adriaan Carelse on 77pts that year, as the SaberCats suffered an upset defeat to their Texas rivals the Dallas Jackals in the Western Conference semifinals following a brilliant 14-2 regular season. Coetzer was named to the All-MLR Honorable Mention XV for his play in 2024.

On September 9, 2023, Wasserman, the agency representing Coetzer, announced that he had extended his contract with the SaberCats into 2024. On April 24th, 2024, Wasserman announced that Davy Coetzer had committed to the SaberCats long term, signing a contract with the club through the 2027 MLR season and on 4th November 2024, the Houston SaberCats announced Coetzer’s return for 2025. Coetzer’s season was badly affected by injury in 2025 but despite this, he scored 67pts including 2 tries and started 8 of his 9 appearances that season, and now sits as MLR’s 7th highest points scorer with 358pts in his 51 appearances with the SaberCats between 2022-2025, and was a key part of the Houston team that finished as MLR runners-up following defeat to the New England Free Jacks in the 2025 Championship Game.

Following the shock news in September 2025 that the Houston SaberCats would be withdrawing from Major League Rugby, Davy Coetzer explored the open market as a free agent, and on 20th November 2025 the Seattle Seawolves announced the signing of the South African fly-half, who has expressed his interest in representing the USA in the future. In his first season with Seattle, Coetzer started all 9 of his appearances and recorded his 2nd career 100+ point season with a total of 104pts scored including 3 tries and an 82.61% success rate from the tee (38/46). Coetzer was integral as the Seawolves go-to playmaker in 2026, helping them to finish 2nd overall with a strong 6-4 record and delivered all season long including in the postseason, where he scored 19pts as the Seawolves fell to the California Legion in the semi-finals. Aside from his prolific scoring, Coetzer recorded exactly 500m gained in possession to pass 3,000m in his career, as well as over 60 tackles made to pass 400 tackles in his 60 MLR appearances since 2022. Through 2026, Coetzer has scored 462pts in his MLR career and stands as the league’s highest active scorer, and 3rd all-time behind AJ Alatimu on 504pts, and Sam Windsor on 595pts. Following the MLR season, Coetzer was involved in multiple USA camps and featured for the USA in their nailbiting, non-capped victory over Argentina XV in August. He also featured for the USA XV against Australia A in October, and will become fully eligible for the USA Eagles ahead of the Rugby World Cup in 2027.

On 27th October, 2026, the Seattle Seawolves announced the return of Davy Coetzer for their 2027 campaign.

Achievements:

  • T-2nd in MLR Scoring: 2026 (104pts)
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 4
  • 2025 Western Conference Champion: Houston SaberCats
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 7
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 4
  • 2024 All-MLR Honorable Mention XV
  • T-8th in MLR Scoring: 2024 (77pts)
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 18
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 15
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 5
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 2
  • 2023 All-MLR Second XV
  • 2nd in MLR Scoring: 2023 (135pts)
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 6
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Rd 15
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Rd 8

Keni Nasoqeqe

Fijian born lock/back row Keni Nasoqeqe played in Major League Rugby between 2019-2026. He represented the San Diego Legion (2019-2021),the Houston SaberCats (2022-2025), and the California Legion (2026).

Nasoqeqe played with Belmont Shore RFC between 2015-2019, playing both fifteens and sevens. He signed with the San Diego Legion for the 2019 MLR season, earning 13 caps (12 starts) and scoring 2 tries before injury cut his season short. That year, the Legion would advance to the Championship Final, falling to the Seattle Seawolves 23-26 on the final play of the game. Nasoqeqe would earn 28 caps for the Legion in total across 3 seasons between 2019-2021, starting 22 times and scoring 5 tries. Nasoqeqe signed with the Houston SaberCats for the 2022 season, earning a career high in appearances (17) and starts (14) in his debut season with the ‘Cats, as they earned their first playoff berth in club history. Nasoqeqe earned 29 caps for the SaberCats over his 2 seasons there through 2023. Following the 2023 season, Nasoqeqe represented the USA Eagles in a non-capped game against Stade Toulousain in September.

Keni Nasoqeqe earned his 50th MLR cap on 30th April, 2023, becoming the 48th player in league history to reach the milestone. On 29th December 2023, the Houston SaberCats announced the return of Keni Nasoqeqe for the 2024 MLR season. Nasoqeqe appeared in all 17 games for the SaberCats in their 2024 season as they recorded a MLR-best 14-2 record in the regular season before being stunned by Texas rivals the Dallas Jackals in the Western Conference Semifinals. Nasoqeqe started 13 times and scored a career high 4 tries in 2024, also setting another career high of 407m gained in possession, and passing 500 career tackles completed. On November 26th, 2024, the Houston SaberCats announced the return of Keni Nasoqeqe for his 7th MLR season in 2025, and his 4th with Houston. That season, he earned another 17 appearances for the SaberCats as they advanced to the 2025 Championship Game, with Nasoqeqe coming off the bench for the ‘Cats in all 3 playoff games including the final. He added another 89 tackles completed to take his career total to 630 in 91 MLR appearances through 2025, with just shy of 1,800m gained in possession.

Following the surprise withdrawal of the Houston SaberCats from Major League Rugby following the 2025 season, Keni Nasoqeqe headed back to the west coast, and was announced by the California Legion on 26th February, 2026. In his 8th season playing in MLR, Nasoqeqe appeared in all 10 regular season games for the California Legion to help them finish with a 5-5 record in the regular season, putting them 3rd and into the playoffs. He earned his 100th MLR appearance during the 2026 season, becoming just the 7th player to reach a century of appearances in the competition on May 31st during Round 10, a road win over Anthem RC. Nasoqeqe continued to be a stalwart in the Legion lineup during the postseason, starting both of their playoff games to help the team defeat the Seattle Seawolves on the road to earn a spot in the 2026 Championship game, where they fell to the Chicago Hounds. Shortly after the end of the 2026 MLR season on 27th June, Keni Nasoqeqe announced his retirement from professional rugby, having scored 10 tries across a 103-game MLR career, starting 61 times and finishing as a MLR Runner-Up 3 times.

achievements

  • 2026 MLR Runner-Up: California Legion
  • 7th Player in MLR History to reach 100 Caps (31st May, 2026)
  • 2025 MLR Runner-Up: Houston SaberCats
  • 48th Player in MLR History to reach 50 Caps (30th April, 2023)
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Round 2
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2020 – Round 4
  • 2019 MLR Runner-Up: San Diego Legion
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Round 16
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Round 14
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Round 2

Paula Balekana

Fijian winger Paula Balekana has played in Major League Rugby since 2021. He represented the Houston SaberCats in his debut season in the competition in 2021, and the New England Free Jacks from 2022-2026.

Balekana appeared in all 16 of the SaberCats’ games in 2021, scoring 6 tries and gaining 1,232m in possession, finishing 2nd in MLR in this category, behind Utah’s Mikey Te’o. This remains Balekana’s personal best in this category, although he came close in 2023.

After moving over to the Free Jacks, his potential as a lethal try scorer was truly discovered. He scored an additional 6 tries in the 2022 MLR season before exploding with 14 tries in the 2023 regular season, tying him for Top Try Scorer in MLR with Utah’s Joe Mano. He gained over 1000m in the 2023 season and was one of the stand out offensive threats league-wide. He currently sits on 31 tries scored all-time in MLR, the 4th highest try scorer in MLR history.

Balekana became an MLR Champion as part of the NE Free Jacks squad that lifted the Shield in 2023. Balekana scored his 15th MLR try of the 2023 season in the Championship Final, having appeared in 17 games (16 starts) and racked up 1,134m gained. He was the only non-kicker to appear in the Top 10 Points Scorer list in 2023, finishing 9th with 75pts from his 15 tries and finished as the Top Try Scorer of the 2023 season.

Balekana was named on Hawke’s Bay’s roster for their 2023 NPC season, which marked the Fijian’s first season in the NPC, but returned to the Free Jacks for the 2024 Title Defense, scoring 4 tries in 12 games (all starts) as the Free Jacks qualified for the playoffs as the top seed in the Eastern Conference and a 11-5 record. Balekana started all 3 playoff games for New England in 2024 as they defeated Old Glory DC and the Chicago Hounds to earn a spot in the MLR Championship Game and the chance to lift back-to-back Shields. With a 11-20 victory, Balekana and the Free Jacks became 2-time MLR Champions and, also for a second season in a row, Balekana was named to the All-MLR Honorable Mention XV.

On November 21st, 2024, the New England Free Jacks announced the return of Paula Balekana alongside Cole Keith, Ethan Fryer, and Conor Keys. He recorded his first career MLR hat trick in a 43-6 victory over the Miami Sharks in Round 8 of the 2025 season, marking the 50th hat trick in MLR history. In Round 15, Balekana recorded his 10th try of the 2025 season, becoming just the 4th player in league history to record multiple 10+ try seasons following his MLR-record 15 try season in 2023. Balekana finished the 2025 regular season with 12 tries, before adding 3 in the postseason including a brace in the MLR Championship as the New England Free Jacks completed the Threepeat and lifted their (and Balekana’s) 3rd MLR Shield in as many seasons. He finished 2025 with 15 tries in 14 games, equaling his own MLR record from 2023. He also racked up 921m gained, finishing 5th League-wide that year and taking his career Meters Gained over 5,000m. Balekana was unsurprisingly included in the All-MLR First XV for 2025 after his stand-out performance. He then followed Free Jacks head Coach Ryan Martin to New Zealand, spending the offseason with Northland in the Bunnings NPC.

Due in part to MLR’s move towards fewer foreign players in matchday 23s, Paula Balekana found himself without a contract at the start of the 2026 MLR season. However, on 29th April 2026 MLR’s Availability Report listed him on the New England Free Jacks, suggesting that the defending champs had added him to their squad for the remainder of the season.

Achievements

  • 2025 All-MLR First XV Selection
  • 2025 MLR Champion – New England Free Jacks
  • 5th in MLR Meters Gained: 2025 (921m)
  • MLR Player of the Week: 2025 – Rd 16
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 16
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 13
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 12
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 10
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 8
  • 2024 MLR Champion – New England Free Jacks
  • 2024 All-MLR Honorable Mention XV
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 10
  • 2023 MLR Champion – New England Free Jacks
  • 2023 All-MLR Honorable Mention XV
  • 1st in MLR Try Scoring: 2023 (15)
  • 9th in MLR Scoring: 2023 (75pts)
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 11
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 10
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 5
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 4
  • 2nd in MLR Meters Gained: 2021 (1,232m)

Tiaan Loots

South African centre Tiaan Loots played in Major League Rugby between 2020-2026. He represented the Houston SaberCats(2020), the San Diego Legion (2021-2025), and the Chicago Hounds (2026).

Loots’ original move to MLR was announced in August 2019, when the Houston SaberCats announced his signing from the Newport Gwent Dragons (now just Dragons RFC) in the Pro14 (now URC) competition. Loots appeared in (and started) 4 of the 5 SaberCats games in 2020 before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, finishing 6th in Meters Gained at the point the season was cancelled.

The San Diego Legion announced the signing of Loots in April 2021 for the remainder of that year’s season, which had started a few weeks prior. He earned 8 caps (all starts) and scored 3 tries in his first season with the Legion and has represented them in every season since, amassing 27 caps with them (31 total) and scoring 7 tries (8 total), 4 of which came in 5 games (3 starts) during the Legion’s record breaking 2023 season where they went all the way to the Championship Final before falling 24-25 to the New England Free Jacks in Chicago. Loots earned a personal best of 3 Team of the Week selections in 5 games in 2023.

On 10th October 2023, the Legion announced the return of Tiaan Loots along with 3 other members of their 2023 roster for the 2024 MLR season. Loots scored a career high 6 tries in 10 games (9 starts) in 2024 and gained over 800m in possession. The Legion qualified 3rd in the West but fell to rivals the Seattle Seawolves in the Western Conference Semifinal. Loots was named to the All-MLR Second XV for his performance in 2024. Loots returned for his 5th season with the Legion in 2025, starting 4 his 11 appearances to take him over 50 in his career. Loots scored 13 tries in 48 games for the San Diego Legion between 2021-2025, but following their merger with Rugby FC LA to create the California Legion, Loots headed northeast. The Chicago Hounds announced the addition of Tiaan Loots for his 7th season in MLR in 2026.

Achievements

  • MLR Player of the Week: 2026 – Rd 11
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 11
  • 2024 All-MLR Second XV
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 17
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 13
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 4
  • 2023 MLR Runner-Up: San Diego Legion
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 17
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 13
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 10
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Rd 13
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Rd 1
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Rd 12
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2021 – Rd 11
  • 6th League-Wide for Meters Gained: 2020 (370)
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2020 – Rd 3

Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz

US-Eligible Australian back row Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz played in Major League Rugby between 2019-2026. He represented the Houston SaberCats (2019), Old Glory DC (2020-2025), and the New England Free Jacks (2026).

The Houston SaberCats announced the signing of Jamason Fa’anana-Schulz from the NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes in Japan’s Top League in March 2019 a few weeks into the 2019 MLR season. He scored 3 tries in 8 games (7 starts) during his debut season in North America and shortly after the season ended, earned his first international cap with the USA Eagles, for whom he is eligible for through his US-born father, against Canada in Glendale during the Pacific Nations Cup. Ahead of their inaugural MLR season in 2020, Old Glory DC signed Fa’anana-Schultz who started all 5 games before the season was cancelled due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Over his first 4 seasons in the nation’s capital, ‘JFS’ earned 38 MLR caps (36 starts) and scored 7 tries, bringing his MLR totals to 46 caps (43 starts) and 10 tries. Following a less than desirable disciplinary record in 2022 that saw him pick up 2 citings from the league an a total of 15 weeks (5+10) suspension, Old Glory DC elected Fa’anana-Schultz as club captain for 2023. He proved to have grown and matured, captaining the Flags 13 times and picking up 0 cards in a 2023 season that saw Old Glory DC clinch the playoffs for the first time ever, and make it through to the Eastern Conference final, where they fell 25-7 to the eventual Champions, the New England Free Jacks. That year, ‘JFS’ completed 187 tackles to finish 9th in MLR for tackles completed.

On 3rd October 2023, Old Glory DC announced the return of Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz for the 2024 MLR season. He started all 10 of his games in 2024 as the Flags qualified for the playoffs for the 2nd season in a row, facing the New England Free Jacks once again, in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and, unfortunately for JFS and the Flags, history repeated itself and Old Glory DC fell to the Free Jacks after pushing them all the way, 29-33. On December 24th, 2024, Old Glory DC confirmed the return of Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz for the 2025 season, where he scored a career high 4 tries in 13 games for the Flags (all starts once again) to help them secure a 3rd successive postseason appearance. Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz recorded another 91 tackles that season to pass 600 in his career (679 in 70 games). Despite his 6 seasons with Old Glory DC, on 28th October 2025 the team announced that they would be parting ways with Fa’anana-Schultz, and the former DC captain would not be returning for their 2026 campaign.

A month later on 26th November, the New England Free Jacks announced that they had signed Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz for the 2026 MLR season. Fa’anana-Schultz took the scenic route from DC to New England however. On 11th December French 3rd Tier (Nationale) side RC Narbonnais announced that Fa’anana-Schultz was joining them as injury cover from January 2026 until the end of the 2025/26 Nationale season, scheduled for the end of April, 2026. As a result, he may miss the start of the 2026 MLR season.

Achievements

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 13
  • 9th in MLR Tackling: 2023 (187)
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 10
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 5
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2019 – Rd 18

Paul Mullen

US-capped Irishman Paul Mullen has played in Major League Rugby since 2018. He has represented the Houston SaberCats (2018-2019), the San Diego Legion (2020), the Utah Warriors (2021-2024), NOLA Gold (2025), and Old Glory DC (2026) during his MLR career.

From the Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland, Mullen played age-grade rugby for Munster under-18s, 19s, and 20s, as well as for Ireland under-19s before moving to Texas in 2011, completing both his undergradate and Master’s degrees at Texas A&M University. He was signed by the Houston SaberCats ahead of MLR’s inaugural season in 2018, earning 3 caps (all starts) with the ‘Cats and impressed enough for a USA Eagles selection, for whom he qualified on residency, and earned his debut as Eagle #525. Mullen has earned 39 caps for the national team in his career so far.

He returned for the SaberCats in 2019, earning 7 further caps (4 starts) before joining the San Diego Legion for the truncated 2020 season, where he started all 5 games before the season’s cancellation. Mullen then joined the Utah Warriors whom he represented between 2021-2024. Mullen was the 43rd player in MLR history to achieve 50 caps in the competition. On 13th November 2023, the Utah Warriors announced the return of Paul Mullen for the 2024 MLR season, where he earned a further 15 appearances (11 starts) to take his career total to 49 starts in 72 MLR games for 3 teams across 7 seasons. On October 2nd, 2024, Mullen was included in an announcement by the Utah Warriors, bidding farewell to 17 players who would not return for the 2025 season. On October 30th 2024, the NOLA Gold announced the signing of Mullen for their 2025 campaign, where he started 11 of his 16 appearances and recorded a career high 115 tackles, the 2nd 100+ tackle season of his career took his career total well over 500.

Following the NOLA Gold’s withdrawal from MLR in August 2025, Mullen became a free agent. On 7th December, Old Glory DC announced the addition of Paul Mullen for his 9th MLR season in 2026, with the Flags serving as Mullen’s 5th team. Mullen started all 11 of Old Glory DC’s games in 2026 including their playoff clash with with Chicago Hounds in the Semifinals. He passed 800m gained in his career as well as 600 tackles made that season, completing 74 tackles in total as a front row. Following the conclusion of the 2026 season on 3rd July, Paul Mullen announced his retirement on social media. He finishes his MLR career with 71 starts in 99 appearances for 5 teams across 9 seasons, and a capped USA Eagle who represented his adopted nation at a Rugby World Cup.

Achievements:

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 8
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2022 – Rd 11
  • All-MLR First XV: 2018
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2018 – Rd 7
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2018 – Rd 5

Malacchi Esdale

Delaware native Malacchi Esdale played in Major League Rugby between 2018-2020, and again from 2025-2026. He represented the Houston SaberCats (2018-2020), the Seattle Seawolves (2025), and Anthem RC (2026).

Esdale began playing rugby in high school at age 17 after moving to Florida, but pursued a football scholarship until transferring to the University of Central Florida and finding his way back to rugby, playing with UCF’s club side and the Orlando Griffins. Esdale signed with the Houston SaberCats ahead of MLR’s inaugural season in 2018, appearing in all 8 games (7 starts) that season. Esdale represented the SaberCats for 3 seasons, earning scoring 5 tries in 28 total MLR games between 2018-20, including 4 tries in 15 games (all starts) in 2019, when he also gained over 900m with ball in hand.

Following the cancellation of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Esdale joined the USA Sevens setup in Chula Vista and made the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Squad (played in 2021 due to COVID-19) as a travelling reserve before earning his debut during the Canadian leg of the 2021 World Rugby Sevens Series circuit. He was a part of the USA Squad for the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens, and eventually became a full Olympian when he was selected for the USA Squad for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

On 7th September 2024, the Seattle Seawolves announced the signing of Malacchi Esdale for the 2025 season, marking his return to MLR after 4 seasons. In his return, Esdale scored a career high 6 tries for the Seawolves, appearing in 15 games and amassing over 400m gained despite only starting 3 games in Seattle. Following a season in the PNW, on 4th November 2025 Anthem RC announced the signing of Malacchi Esdale for a 5th MLR season, where he is likely to earn his 50th MLR appearance.

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

Connor Robinson

Massachusetts native Connor Robinson played in Major League Rugby between 2022-2026. He represented the Dallas Jackals (2022-2023), Anthem RC (2024-2025) and Old Glory DC (2026).

Robinson played at Number 8 during high school between 2014-2017, and began playing with Mystic River RFC in 2015 where he has played since. He switched to the front row while attending Boston College between 2017-2021, primarily at hooker. Robinson trained with the Free Jacks and played for their academy side, the Independents, in 2022 before joining the injury-ravaged Dallas Jackals, earning his MLR debut from the bench that season. He returned for the Jackals in 2023, earning 10 appearances off the bench and scoring 1 try.

For 2024, a partnership between World Rugby, USA Rugby, and MLR hurriedly assembled Anthem RC to give regular playing time to younger US players in MLR. Robinson joined Anthem for the 2024 season and earned his first 9 MLR starts in 13 games, scoring an additional 2 tries and completing over 130 tackles as the team put together admirable performances despite a 0-16 record. For his contributions, Robinson was named as Anthem RC‘s George Armistead Clubman of the Year for 2024. Following a career year in 2024, Anthem RC included Connor Robinson when they revealed their full roster for 2025 on January 21st, 2025. Robinson enjoyed a great season with the Rising Stars in 2025, with a career high 11 starts in 12 appearances and another 4 tries scored (another career high) on 145m gained. He also recorded over 100 tackles made for the 2nd straight season. he did not return for Anthem RC in 2026 however, instead signing with Old Glory DC which the team announced on 26th January, 2026.

achievements
  • Anthem RC George Armistead Clubman of the Year: 2024

Dewald Kotze

Canadian-eligible South African hooker Dewald Kotze played in Major League Rugby between 2022-2026. He represented the Dallas Jackals (2022-2024) and the Seattle Seawolves (2025-2026).

Born and raised in South Africa, Kotze moved to Edmonton, Alberta at the age of 14 and played for the Strathcona Druids. He joined the Pacific Pride Canadian National team development program in 2019, and was named as part of the 40-man extended squad for the men’s national team in June 2021. He represented his adopted country during their July test against Romania in 2024, a 35-22 victory in Ottawa.

The Dallas Jackals announced the initial signing of Kotze in January 2022, and he earned 4 caps (3 starts) for the Jackals during their challenging debut season in the competition. He returned for his sophomore season in 2023 much improved, earning 14 further caps and 10 more starts. He scored 3 tries and completed 123 successful tackles. On 28th November, the Dallas Jackals announced the return of Dewald Kotze for the 2024 season where he enjoyed a stand-out year. He set a new MLR record when he scored five tries in a single game, finishing T-3rd in league-wide try scoring, with 11. He also gained over 300m and completed over 160 tackles in 17 appearances (16 starts) for Dallas as the Jackals made the playoffs for the first time in team history, and stunned the top-seed Houston SaberCats. Kotze was named to the All-MLR Honorable Mention XV for his performance in 2024.

Shortly after the conclusion of the 2024 season, the Dallas Jackals announced that they were withdrawing from MLR. In the subsequent dispersal draft, Kotze was selected 10th overall by the Seattle Seawolves, and on 4th November 2024, the Seawolves confirmed this signing for the 2025 season. In his first season in Seattle, Kotze started 8 of his 16 games and added 3 tries to take his career total to 17. He also recorded over 100 tackles for the 3rd successive season, and earned his 50th MLR appearance while representing the Seawolves. Following the season, he was Canada’s regular starting hooker for their PNC campaign and their November tests, with normal go-to Andrew Quattrin playing in France as a medical joker. While Dewald Kotze was touring with the Canadian national team in November 2025, the Seattle Seawolves announced his return for the 2026 MLR campaign. That season, his 2nd with Seattle and 5th in MLR, Kotze started 7 times in 10 games, appearning in all but one of the Seawolves’ matches and scoring a pair of tries to take his career total to 19 in 62 games (44 starts). Kotze averaged an impressive 12 tackles per game for 120 on the season, passing 500 in his career to help the Seawolves finish the regular season in 2nd place, before falling to the California Legion in the Semifinals, which Kotze started.

Following the MLR season Kotze featured for Canada in the North American leg of the WR Nations Cup in July, and on 21st August he appeared in the Rotherham Titans’ starting XV for their CHAMP Rugby pre-season clash with Oundle RFC. No formal announcement of Kotze’s signing was made by the newly promoted English club, so it’s unclear whether this is a short-term deal or a permanent move.

Achievements:
  • 2024 All-MLR Honorable Mention XV
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 6
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 1
  • T-3rd in MLR Try Scoring: 2024 (11)
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2023 – Rd 14

Ryan James

California native Ryan James played in Major League Rugby between 2020-2022, and again between 2024-2026. He represented the Colorado Raptors (2020), the LA Giltinis (2021-2022), the San Diego Legion (2024-2025), and California Legion (2026).

The San Diego native played with the San Diego Legion academy side in 2019 before being picked up by the Colorado Raptors in November 2019 ahead of the 2020 MLR season in which he made his debut before the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. following the 2020 season, the Colorado Raptors pulled out of MLR and the league held a dispersal draft in which James was selected by the Dallas Jackals ahead of their inaugural MLR season in 2021. However, due to uncertainties raised by the ongoing pandemic, the Dallas Jackals delayed their entry into MLR until the 2022 season, and James was picked up by the LA Giltinis in a second dispersal draft for players signed with the Jackals.

James earned 15 appearances for LA in their inaugural season, 13 in the regular season (6 starts) and 2 in the Championship Series, scoring 5 tries total including a brace in the Giltinis‘ 17-13 Semifinal victory over the Utah Warriors, en route to lifting the MLR Shield in their first season. James followed up this impressive season with another 10 caps (6 starts) in 2022, scoring 1 try before the Giltinis was disqualified from the 2022 season just before the Championship Series, along with the Austin Gilgronis. After the Giltinis ceased operations James signed with his old club, rebranded as the American Raptors, ahead of their inaugural season in the Super Rugby Americas competition.

On 23rd October 2023, the San Diego Legion announced that they had signed Ryan James for the 2024 MLR season, where finally got a chance to represent his local team at MLR level, scoring 1 try in 12 games (all starts) for the Legion and racking up over 800m in possession as San Diego finished the regular season with a strong 11-5 record. James did not feature in the Legion’s 2024 playoffs. On November 14th, 2024, the San Diego Legion announced the return of Ryan James for their 2025 season, James’ 5th in MLR. Although the San Diego Legion missed out on the postseason by a single point, Ryan James enjoyed a stand-out season. He matched his career high of 5 tries, and set a new career high by starting all 15 of his games. He was 1 tackle off matching his career high there, and only 8 behind his career high of 821m gained. For his considerable efforts, James was named as the San Diego Legion’s 2025 Back of the Year.

On January 22nd, 2026 following the merging of the San Diego Legion with Rugby FC LA to form the California Legion shortly after the conclusion of the 2025 MLR season, the California Legion announced that they had signed Ryan James for their inaugural 2026 season.

Achievements:

  • MLR Team of the Week: 2026 – Rd 2
  • 2025 San Diego Legion Back of the Year
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2025 – Rd 1
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 13
  • MLR Team of the Week: 2024 – Rd 10
  • 2021 MLR Champion: LA Giltinis